The study of mass media and popular culture in a composition class allows students and teachers together to develop a critical awareness of television and advertising. Jerzy Kosinski's book, "Being There," a novel about the impact of television, is a beginning point for the study of television. Using that book as if it were a collection of events, pieces of evidence which may reveal a pattern, students can begin to form a statement that can be the thesis for an essay on television. A study of advertising may include awareness of the mythic and psychological appeals of advertising--study of the demographic backgrounds of advertising campaigns--or it may focus on the diction and essay structure in an advertisement. Another assignment which reveals popular culture consists of having students keep track of what they throw away for two or three days and then write an essay on what that reveals about themselves and society. Students might also consider how kitsch has demeaned the major rituals and celebrations such as death, marriage, birth, graduation, and retirement. Finally, students might write about a political speech and how media coverage affected their views on the subject. (TJ)