Today's students of popular culture point to their results to legitimize their disciplines.

Vaux, who is writing a book tentatively titled X-Speak: The Language of Young America, gets much of his material on what he calls the "MTV dialect" from television, radio and his students.

"[MTV's real-life drama] "The Real World" isbest, because it's unguarded speech," he says.

Regular watching of "The Simpsons" demonstratesHomer Simpson mutilating his speech in ways thatreveal "important phonological principles," Vauxsays.

Vaux's lecture class, Linguistics 80: "Dialectsof English," introduces students to some of thedifferent ways the English language is used today.

Semmel, an instructor in History andLiterature, teaches a seminar course incontemporary popular culture. Semmel says hisseven-person course, History and Literature 91r:"British Culture Since WWI," looks at both highculture and popular culture.

"But because it's studied in the period since1945, it becomes difficult to distinguish betweenhigh and popular culture," he says.

Semmel's class spends time on the increasinglyimportant pop music of post-war Britain, from therelatively wholesome "Teddy Boy" rock stars of the1950s, to the mods and rockers of the 1960s andthe punks of the 1970s.

Layton, who has taught classes in both women'sstudies and social studies, says popular cultureand politics are rapidly becomingindistinguishable.

"The line has become so blurred between[culture and politics], which seems to answer thequestion whether or not it's worth studying,"Layton said.

By Popular Demand

Critics of teaching popular culture at theundergraduate level say these new course offeringrespond too much to students who feel that Madonnais more relevant to their lives than Mozart.

Vaux says he believes teachers have to balancestudent demand with the importance of learning theclassics.

"To a certain degree, teachers have to adjusttheir teaching to appeal to their students," hesays.

When instructors receive marks lower than 2.8on the student questionnaires compiled by theCommittee on Undergraduate Education (CUE Guide),they have to take remedial teaching classes. If aninstructor dips below 2.8 more than once, he orshe can no longer teach.

To get higher ratings, Vaux suggests, someinstructors may use images from popular culture toengage waning student interest.