In order to develop a manageable project, I had to frame a clear set of 
Research Questions
 
 
Questions about popular song
how did songs get to be popular before radio or MTV?
how were popular songs used?
what kinds of songs were popular?
 
 
Questions about women in public life
what roles did women play in public?
what issues emerged as women took on more public roles? 
how did American culture reconcile ideas about women as �household goddesses� with women�s emerging public activities?
 
 
Questions about other popular texts
how did people use newspapers, gift books, souvenirs?
how did those texts influence their users?
how did they interact with each other?
 
 
Questions about popularity
how do critical theorists to explain why some things become popular? 
how do we think popular images affect individuals and the culture at large?
 
 
For more information on research questions, visit the site glossary.