Course Description

ENGL 6/7310:  Popular Culture Studies

Instructor: Dr. Elyce Rae Helford

Course Description:  This course is taught as an introduction to the field of popular culture studies.  We emphasize the meanings, significances, and uses of the concept of “popular culture”  through reading and discussion of critical theory.  With attention to historical and disciplinary approaches, we explore Marxist, feminist, psychoanalytic, structuralist, post-structuralist, deconstructive, and postmodern positions on popular culture (studies).  Actual work with popular texts is reserved for the second half of the course, in which the class discusses one text together (Art Spiegelman's Maus was assigned in Fall 2008) as an example/model for theoretical application.  Students are then required to choose a popular text of personal interest upon which to compose their seminar paper.

Textbooks (subject to change): 

Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction (4^th edition)

Storey, John.  Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader (3^rd edition)