A relaxed atmosphere, class evaluations, maybe some donuts: These are the traits that characterize the last days of class at Penn.
But the bar may have been raised yesterday, when Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of The Tipping Point and Blink, and rising musical star Kenna appeared on campus to lecture at Sociology professor David Grazian's "Sociology of Media and Pop Culture" class.
"Given that [Gladwell] was going to bring in Kenna, a rock musician [he has] written about in a sociological context, it was a great opportunity to mix theory and practice," Grazian said. "I think they were very well received."
The surprise guest lecture was part of the mtvU series Stand In, for which celebrities arrive unannounced on campuses and teach class for a day.
MTV approached Grazian to participate in the series, which has included lectures from Kanye West, Natalie Portman, Bill Gates, Madonna and Larry David at universities across the country.
During the lecture, students were treated to a sample of Kenna's upcoming single, "Out of Control" - which was featured in a Sony PSP commercial - and were presented with the opportunity to meet the artist and author after class.
The event was especially relevant to students because of the emphasis on Gladwell's work in the course, in particular a chapter of Blink titled Kenna's Dilemma about Kenna's relative lack of commercial success.
"The chapter is about how the music industry has been test marketed in the same way as Cornflakes have been - listeners get a 10-second snippet," Grazian said. "Gladwell's point is that music is art, and some things that are worthwhile require a bit of work to appreciate."
In class, Gladwell and Kenna discussed the artist's role in a music industry increasingly defined by strict categorization and listeners whose quick judgments are the products of such marketing.
According to Kenna and Gladwell, the musician's work cannot be so easily labeled.
"What kind of music do you make? Can you define it?" Gladwell asked.
"No," Kenna responded.
"I don't know how to define it," he continued. "My kind of music is all kinds of music. People are usually stunned when they're watching me because they have no idea why that is coming out of my mouth."
Gladwell explained that the way fans receive music today has changed dramatically, often to the detriment of less-accessible artists like Kenna.
"Twenty years ago on the radio, you had a DJ who you knew and had a relationship with and who really knew music," Gladwell said. "They were willing to invest in a song that they thought was good, and if they played it enough, you would come around to it."
College senior Lisa Fiorenzo, a fan of both Kenna and Gladwell, was particularly enthusiastic about the lecture.
"I wanted to cry, and I'm not a star-struck type of person," Fiorenzo said. "I will never forget this class."
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