American Popular Culture

Catalog description

Critical analysis of popular culture in American society. A particular offering of the course could focus on a specific area of popular culture (e.g., books, music, sports, food, mass consumption or advertising) or survey several of those topics. Historical and theoretical readings will support students’ analysis of primary texts, including examples highlighting the globalization of American popular culture, mass markets and niche markets, the social formation of taste, and shifts in society’s preferences for mass consumption in different time periods.