Rhetorical Approaches to Popular Culture. ((3 Credits))

Catalog description

Prerequisite(s): ENGL 2010 with a grade of C- or higher and University Advanced Standing Pre- or Corequisite(s): ENGL 3010 Explores popular culture as a contested site of meaning-making, identity-formation, and shared experiences. Reviews historical theories that construct the status of the popular or the mainstream versus the comparative labels of the "highbrow" and the "subcultural." Analyzes how media access, socioeconomic context, cultural movements, and generational differences formulate taste preferences and different styles of engagement with popular texts. Focuses on the rhetorical practices of pop culture creation and consumption with an emphasis on personal and political ramifications. Examines texts that are industry-produced and texts created through the practices of fans, critics, and theorists.