HCVE- peer teaching

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 4-6

Lesson Goals

- learn about construction of memes

- learn about use of language in relation to message

What is a meme?

The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins (1976): We need a name for the new replicator, a noun that conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation. 'Mimeme' comes from a suitable Greek root, but I want a monosyllable that sounds a bit like 'gene'. [...] it could alternatively be thought of as being related to 'memory,' or to the French word même.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/meme-word-origins-history

What is a meme?

1 : an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from one person to another in a culture

2 : an amusing or interesting picture, video, etc., that is spread widely through the Internet a funny picture of a cat that quickly became an Internet meme

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meme

Do you recognize the image? Tell me about it

So now we know

- what memes are

- how cultural references tie in with memes

- a bit about the language of memes

Taking this into account, what is wrong with this meme? Hint: The meme is called 'Scumbag Steve'

What is wrong with this meme?

Group activity (in groups of 3)

- look at the meme you were given

- which elements do you recognize? Focus on grammatical, semantic, and visual use of language

-  How does it convey meaning?

We will discuss the memes in class

What did you learn about memes?