SOCIOL 211
Sociology and Popular Culture
Please note: this is archived course information from 2017 for SOCIOL 211.
Description
Popular culture is in the air we breathe. It's the rhythm of our hearts. It stirs our passions. It engenders mass conformity on a global scale but can also inspire revolt. This course examines how popular culture influences our thoughts and stokes our desires. It examines the capitalistic logic of cultural production whereby “culture” is simply a means for generating sales. With popular culture being such an integral part of our lives, it is unavoidably then a study of the human subject. We begin by examining the commodification of culture and how our desires are trained to want its product. We develop the critical tools to examine familiar objects in a new light: advertising, comic book heroes, cinema and the spectacle, through to videogames.
Availability 2017
Semester 2
Lecturer(s)
Lecturer(s) Dr Ciara Cremin
Reading/Texts
A course reader will be made available if required.
Assessment
Coursework + exam
Points
SOCIOL 211: 15 points
Prerequisites
30 points at Stage I in Sociology, or 15 points at Stage I in Sociology with a minimum B+ pass, or COMMS 100 or FTVMS 100 and 101, or 30 points passed from courses listed in Comparative Literature
