Philosophy and Pop Culture

Catalog description

Utilizing the anthologies of the Open Court Press (Popular Culture and Philosophy ® ) and/or the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series as models for inquiry, this course will be a close theoretical examination addressing a pop culture phenomenon of your choice, from traditional philosophical approaches to more contemporary, experimental, post-feminist and queer analyses. We will examine your particular pop-culture theme through the canonical re-readings, creative applications of traditional philosophical systems, epistemological problems and by reframing ethical challenges. This course is a student-directed, semester-long philosophical inquiry developing intellectual depth to your personal cultural literacy, especially as you might be a ‘pop culture’ fan(atic) or belong to a chosen fandom. We will tailor your final project to be submitted for possible presentation at the Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association (PCA/ACA).