SOCIOLOGY OF POPULAR CULTURE
Spring 2004
Mark Rubinfeld
Nightingale 8
Office phone:
832-2430; Home phone: 364-1228
E-mail: mrubinfeld@westminstercollege.edu
Website: www.people.westminstercollege.edu/faculty/mrubinfeld
Office Hours: Mon., Tues., Wed., and Thurs.
Course
Description:
This course explores
the social implications of popular culture. Focusing on film, television,
music, fashion, books, magazines, the Internet, and other forms of
entertainment, the course critically examines how popular culture is produced,
disseminated, consumed, interpreted, and experienced in the
Required Articles
(on reserve):
Berman, Marshall.
“Justice/Just Us: Rap and Social Justice in
Dubin, Steven C.
“Who’s That Girl? The World of Barbie Deconstructed.”
Ehrenreich, Barbara.
“Playboy Joins the
Fiske, John. “The
Jeaning of
Fowles, Jib.
“Deciphering Advertisements.”
George, Nelson. Hip
Hop
Gitlin, Todd.
“Imagebusters: The Hollow Crusade Against TV Violence.”
Inness, Sherrie A.
“Barbie Gets a Bum Rap: Barbie’s Place in the World of Dolls.”
Lasn, Kalle. Culture Jam: How to Reverse
Mantsios, Gregory. “Media Magic: Making Class
Invisible.”
Radway, Janice A.
“Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature.”
Ritzer, George. “The
McDonald’s System.”
Seabrook, John. Nobrow: The Culture of
Marketing*The Marketing of Culture (selected excerpts).
Sternheimer, Karen. “Fear of Media Violence:
Four Fallacies of Media-Violence Effects.”
Strinati, Domenic. “Postmodernism.”
Wilson, Cintra. A Massive Swelling:
Celebrity Re-examined as a Grotesque Crippling Disease, and Other Cultural
Revelations (selected excerpts).
Course
Objectives:
Utilizing a variety
of learning tools including readings, lectures, video tapes, class discussions,
small group exercises, and group presentations, we will examine popular culture
from three critical viewpoints: production/producers, products/texts, and
audiences/consumers: Applying these perspectives, we will:
·
Learn
about the cultural, economic, and political implications of popular culture.
·
Understand
the race, class, gender, and generational dimensions of popular culture.
· Evaluate how—and how much—popular culture affects perceptions and behaviors.
·
Discover
how people use and manipulate popular culture to actively challenge dominant
social conventions and structures.
·
Develop
independent and cooperative problem-solving skills.
·
Improve
critical thinking, writing, and speaking skills.
Procedures and Course
Outline:
This course utilizes
a variety of learning tools including readings, lectures, videotapes, class
discussions, field trips, group exercises, and oral presentations. Reading assignments,
paper deadlines, and exam dates appear on the attached course outline.
Assignments and Grading:
Final grades will be
based on the following: a mid-term (30% of the final grade), a final
examination (30% of the final grade), two papers (each worth 15% of the final
grade), and a group presentation (10% of the final grade). In addition, you
will be responsible for up to three short homework assignments during the
course. To pass the course, you must complete all of the course
assignments. Final grades will be based on the percentage of total points
earned: A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+
(87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69),
D (63-66), D- (60-62), and F (below 60).
Mid-term
and Final Exam: Both the mid-term and the final exam will include multiple
choice, true-false, and essay questions covering information from the readings,
lectures, and class discussions.
Two papers: You will have at
least two weeks to complete the two papers, each four-to-seven pages long
(double spaced), related to the readings. Late papers will be accepted up to
one week late with a ten-point penalty; after one week, no late papers will be
accepted. An absence on the day a paper is due is not a valid reason for
missing a deadline. It is your responsibility to find someone to deliver the
paper for you, or to e-mail a copy of the paper to me on the due date.
Group Presentation: You will be placed into
groups with each group giving a thirty minute presentation on the social
significance of a popular culture form.
Up to Three Short Homework
Assignments: These will be used to prepare, and facilitate, discussions on
the readings. They will require no outside research, just thinking, and
reaction, to the readings and will be graded as completed or not completed.
Class Participation and
Attendance:
Classroom
discussions are important; they help to clarify various issues that arise from
the readings and add diversity to the learning experience. I expect that all
students will participate in classroom discussions. Although this class has no
formal attendance policy, a significant number of questions on the
midterm and final will focus on class lectures and discussions. Furthermore,
since I will be weighing class participation in borderline grading situations,
students who regularly attend class and frequently participate in classroom
activities will have an “edge” in achieving a higher, final grade. Finally, I
reserve the option of giving quizzes, assigning additional homework, or
emending this syllabus as the need arises.
Student-Student and
Student-Faculty Relationship:
All students must be
respectful of other students. This means no talking while other students are
talking or trying to listen. It also means showing up to class on time so as not
to disrupt the class with late arrivals. Once class begins, no chatting, no
reading outside materials, and no sleeping in class. If you must eat, make sure
it is a “quiet” food. Also, turn off your cell phones. In other words, act
appropriately for a college class—if your actions create a distraction, you
will be asked to leave. In accordance with college policies, any acts of
cheating or plagiarism will be penalized to the severest extent. My office
hours are listed at the beginning of this syllabus. At any time, feel free to
meet with me to discuss any matters relevant to this course. It is especially
important to see me early in the semester if you are having difficulties. Do
not wait till the end of the semester when there is little, if anything, I can
do to help. Finally, feel free to meet with me if you would like to learn more
about sociology, including pursuing it as a major or minor, or incorporating
its application into papers and assignments from your other classes.
Group
Presentations
Due to time
constraints, there are a number of popular culture forms that we will not be
able to cover in the course. In order to provide you with an overview of some
of these popular culture forms, we will use group presentations that will: 1)
allow us to cover more material than we could normally cover through lectures
and readings, 2) provide you with a greater variety of viewpoints, and 3)
afford you the opportunity to experience working on a group project that
includes public speaking.
Each group will be responsible for
reporting on the sociological significance of a popular culture form of
interest to the group and class. Each group will have 30 minutes (plus an
additional five minutes for questions and answers) to report on the popular
culture form. The group should not try to cover all aspects of the popular
culture form but focus, instead, on a few of the more pertinent points,
emphasizing what it thinks the students should learn about the social
significance of the form. Popular culture forms may include Disney (movies
and/or theme parks), particular TV genres (e.g., reality programming, soap
operas, daytime talk shows, sitcoms, children’s shows), particular film genres
(e.g., action, romantic comedy, drama, sci-fi), particular musical genres
(e.g., blues, country, punk, techno), dance forms (e.g., ballroom, tango,
salsa, rave), theatrical productions, computer and/or video games, or any other
popular culture form of interest to the group.
In presenting their material, group
members will need to focus on the sociological significance of the
popular culture form they have chosen, as well as to tie their presentation to
one or more of the five approaches to studying, understanding, and criticizing
popular culture covered in the class. In so doing, they will need to comment
upon how the form they have chosen reinforces and/or challenges social
divisions and social hierarchies. They should strive to make their presentation
both entertaining and informative, using any visual or audio aids they deem
useful.
One week prior to the presentation, each group must submit an outline
of its presentation and what specific topic each individual member will be
covering. On the day of the presentation, each group also needs to include a
bibliography of at least three outside sources that they used to gather
information about their chosen topic.
Each member of the group must
participate in the oral presentation. All students in the group will receive
the same grade unless the group reports to me that one or more of its members
failed to participate, or work cooperatively, with the bulk of the group
members. It has been my experience that the best presentations are those that
involve the following:
Solid preparation: All group members should be equally
prepared for the presentation. This usually necessitates a clear delineation of
member roles in preparing for and conducting the presentation. Furthermore, it
will take some time to choose, edit, and organize the best video and/or audio
clips related to the presentations; don’t wait to the last minute. In addition,
many of the best presentations involve outside research or activity (e.g.,
interviewing band members, bringing in a guest speaker, attending a large
concert and videotaping crowds, conducting on-campus surveys about students’
popular culture likes and dislikes). The bottom line is that the format is up
to each group. There are only two limitations: that the presentation take no
more than 30 minutes (plus 5 minutes for questions and answers), and that it
addresses the sociological significance of a popular culture form not already
covered in class.
Class activity
and/or handouts: Having the
class take an active role in at least part of the presentation (through
handouts, posters, transparencies, videos, or any other audio or visual aids
that the group deems useful) often results in better class attention and
discussions. In presenting your material, strive to be informative, engaging,
and creative. Try to think of different ways of involving the class into your
presentation so that your audience stays interested.
Introduction of
the panel members: You can
make the group presentation more personal by introducing yourselves at the
beginning of your presentation. This helps to lessen the “intimidation factor”,
and to create an atmosphere more conducive to audience participation.
Furthermore, try not to forget to establish eye contact with members of the
audience, and to smile from time to time. If you can, also try to avoid reading
from your notes or cue cards.
Careful time budgeting: Use your time wisely. Thirty minutes is not
very long for a presentation. While you should be prepared to use the entire
time for your presentation, this does not mean that you should try to cram as
much information or activities as possible into your presentation. It is better
to cover two well-developed points about a topic than to zip through ten
confused and disjointed points.
Expectations
about audience participation:
Of course you will do the best you can to encourage participation and discussion
from the class. However, the burden of responsibility is not entirely yours.
The rest of the class is also responsible for ensuring that the group
presentations are an engaging and rewarding experience for everyone involved.
This entails: 1) listening attentively (showing respect for speakers), 2)
taking part in the discussion and/or activity, and 3) preparing at least one
question or comment to share with the class during the question and answer
period.
Grading: As previously mentioned, each member in the
group receives the same grade. The final grade will be based on the following
criteria: 1) substance or content, 2) creativity and resourcefulness (use of
materials, exercises, activities, etc.), and 3) form and style (articulation,
length, organization, preparedness, etc.). If there are any problems with one
or more group members not contributing to group meetings or to the group work,
first try to approach the member(s) with your concerns and, if that fails,
notify me as soon as possible. If the group consensus is that one or more
members of the group are not participating to the satisfaction of the group,
the non-participating member or members will not get credit for the assignment,
and receive a zero for their group presentation grade. This ensures that the
group is not penalized for the lack of preparation of any of its members and
that no group member or members receive credit for the work that others are
doing.
Having fun: Education does not always have to be a chore.
In addition to learning new material, this is an opportunity to develop public
speaking skills, gain self-confidence, make new friends, and have some fun.
This is your time to teach and to reach. This is also an excellent opportunity
to be daring and creative. Go for it!
|
Week |
Topic |
Assignments |
|
1 |
Introduction
to the Sociology of Popular Culture (and) Critical Media Literacy |
No
assignments. |
|
2 |
Aesthetics,
Values, and Effects of Popular Culture |
Tuesday January 13 “Imagebusters,” Todd Gitlin Thursday January 15 “Fear of Media Violence,” Karen Sternheimer. |
|
3 |
Aesthetics,
Values, and Effects of Popular Culture (and) The Production of Culture/Mass
Culture |
Thursday January 22 “AUTUMN
(Mood Disorders, The Ecology of Mind, The Manchurian Consumer, Posthuman)” (and) WINTER
(The Cult You’re In, The End of the American Dream, The Unofficial History of
America, Your Corporate Connection),” Kalle Lasn (selected excerpts from Culture
Jam). |
|
4 |
The
Production of Culture/Mass Culture (and) Texts, Images, and Representations |
Tuesday January 27 “The Next Kurt Cobain,” John Seabrook (selected
excerpts from Nobrow). Thursday January 29“The McDonald’s System,” George Ritzer |
|
5 |
Texts,
Images and Representations (and) Cultural Studies: Appropriation and
Resistance |
Tuesday February 3“Media
Magic: Making Class Invisible,” Gregory Mantsios (and) “Deciphering Advertisements,” Jib Fowles Tuesday February 3Using Jib Fowles “decoding strategies,” bring two
or three of your favorite advertisements to class and be prepared to decode
them in small groups. Thursday February 5“Comparison
between the Structuralist-textual Analysis Approach and the Cultural Studies
Approach,” Mark Rubinfeld |
|
6 |
Cultural
Studies: Appropriation and Resistance |
Tuesday. February 10 “Reading the Romance,” Janice A. Radway (and) “Playboy
Joins the Thursday
February 12 ****FIRST PAPER ASSIGNMENT
**** Thursday
February 12 “Who’s That Girl?,” Steven C. Dubin (and) “Barbie Gets a Bum Rap,” Sherrie A. Ennis |
|
7 |
Cultural
Studies: Appropriation and Resistance (and) Midterm Review (and) Midterm Exam |
Tuesday February 17 “Justice/Just
Us,” Marshall Berman Thursday
February 19 ****MIDTERM EXAM**** |
|
8 |
Cultural
Studies: Appropriation and Resistance (and) Contemporary Issues in Popular
Culture |
Tuesday March 2 “Hip Hop |
|
9 |
Contemporary Issues in Popular Culture |
Tuesday March 9 “SUMMER (Demarketing Loops, Media Carta,
Redefining Progress, Epilogue),: Kalle Lasn (selected excerpts from Culture
Jam). Thursday March 11“Top Three Choices for Group Presentations” |
|
10 |
Contemporary
Issues in Popular Culture (and) Celebrity and Postmodernism |
Tuesday March 16“The Empire Wins,” John Seabrook (selected
excerpts from Nobrow). |
|
11 |
Celebrity
and Postmodernism |
Tuesday March 23 “Cock Rock for the Twelve and Under,” “You
Will Now Watch the Hollywood Awards Ceremony,” “Mein Uberkampf,” Cintra
Wilson (selected excerpts from a Massive Swelling) Tuesday March 23****SECOND
PAPER ASSIGMENT**** Thursday
March 25 “Postmodernism,”
Domenic Strinati |
|
12 |
Future
of Popular Culture Studies (and) Group Presentation Preparations |
Tuesday March 30 “The
Jeaning of Thursday April 1
Field
Trip |
|
13 |
Group
Presentations |
Tuesday April 6Group Presentations Thursday April 8Group Presentations |
|
14 |
Group
Presentations |
Tuesday April 13 Group Presentations Thursday April 15Leftover Group Presentations |
|
15 |
Final
Exam Review, Class Wrap-up, and Student Course Evaluations |
Tuesday April 20 Group Presentation Grades and Feedback, Final Exam
Review, and Class Wrap-up ***FINAL EXAM*** is scheduled for Tuesday April 27th,
|