SOCIOL 211

Sociology of Popular Culture


Please note: this is archived course information from 2019 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 2019

Not taught in 2019

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 B+ pass or higher, or 30 points from COMMS 100, FTVMS 100, 101, MEDIA 101, or 30 points passed from Comparative Literature