Frequently dismissed as fad or noise, pop culture is one of the most important socializing agents in our lives. This course will examine the media through which pop culture is transferred and created, the content of pop culture, the meanings of pop culture, and the effect it has on the individual and society. Topics include the meaning of cultural texts such as movies and graffiti, the mall environment, the possibility of social rebellion through hip-hop or punk music, an exploration of how social networking sites have changed social lives, the way reality television has blurred distinctions between reality and fiction, and how ideas about race and gender are created and maintained. In order to provide the student with the tools to be able to critically examine such familiar cultural artefacts the ideas of several theorists will be examined and applied, including Freud, Marx, Barthes, Baudrillard, and others.
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