Abstract
The purpose of this article is to provide a lesson that uses readily available and relatable popular media to address contemporary social issues and ongoing global concerns. Using sociological theories and rhetorical analysis, our three-day activity, “Public Art, Place, and Global Conflict” introduced students to The Troubles, the ethno-national conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted from the late 1960s to 1998. We taught visual media analysis to identify multidimensional social dynamics in the protest song and music video “Zombie” by Irish band The Cranberries (1996), and two episodes of the TV show Derry Girls (2018-2022), a teen sitcom by Lisa McGee set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. Visual media analysis uniquely supports sociological learning in the general education sociology classroom because it allows students to engage with familiar media while applying or learning new concepts such as critical examination of images to reveal cultural messaging. This activity could be used by faculty in sociology as well as other social science and humanities classes to teach global dimensions of social dynamics in media and describe the relationship between public art and media and social environment.
Recommended Citation
Antosik-Parsons, Kate; Johnson, Ann; Nielsen, Danielle; and Nititham, Diane Sabenacio
(2026)
"Visual and Rhetorical Analysis Practices in the Sociology Classroom: A Focus on “Zombie” and Derry Girls,"
Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning: Vol. 22, Article 5.
Available at:
https://encompass.eku.edu/kjectl/vol22/iss1/5
