Signs of Life in the U.S.A. by Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon seeks to teach critical thinking and writing skills using what is called the popular culture analysis approach based on using a semiotic methodology. This means looking for and recognizing the various signs and interpreting the symbolism and meaning of the signs. Using pop culture as a subject to develop writing skills in college students became popular and accepted in the 1980s. The theory is that the student is already an expert on some aspects of pop culture, whether it is dress, hairstyles, music, television, movies or whatever. Let the student write about something that he/she knows about in order to develop the critical thinking skills that are required for successful analysis and writing. The students find that many topics do not require as much.....
