The Sociology of Popular Culture

Curriculum guideline

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Course
SOCI 2255
Discontinued
No
Course code
SOCI 2255
Descriptive
The Sociology of Popular Culture
Department
Sociology
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Contact hours

Lecture: 2 hours/week

and

Seminar: 2 hours/week

Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Learning activities

The course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following:

  • Lecture
  • Small group exercises
  • Class discussion
  • Audio-visual materials
  • Guest speakers
Course description
This course uses various sociological perspectives to analyze the role of popular culture in society. The course examines the development and social significance of various forms of popular culture in the context of recent theories and debates about the relationship of culture to society. Representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality in popular culture will be analyzed. The course will also examine the role of popular culture in the maintenance of social inequality as well as its utility as a medium for challenging inequality.
Course content
  1. Defining culture and popular culture
  2. Why should we study popular culture?
  3. Marxism and popular culture
  4. Post-structuralism, discourse, and popular culture
  5. Postmodernism and popular culture
  6. Feminist approaches to popular culture
  7. Representations of gender and sexuality in popular culture
  8. Representations of race in popular culture
  9. Representations of class in popular culture
  10. Production and consumption of popular culture
  11. Popular culture and consumerism
  12. Neoliberalism, globalization, and popular culture
Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:

  1. Define popular culture.
  2. Explain the difference between ‘high’ culture and ‘popular’ culture.
  3. Explain the social organization of popular culture.
  4. Summarize major sociological theories of popular culture.
  5. Compare various perspectives on issues of debate in the sociology of popular culture.
  6. Critically analyze conventional ideas about popular culture.
  7. Critically analyze representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality in popular culture.
  8. Explain the role of popular culture in reinforcing and challenging social inequalities.
  9. Explain the relationship between forms of popular culture and consumerism in society.
  10. Critically analyze the impact of globalization on popular culture in Canada and around the world.
Means of assessment

Evaluation will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific criteria during the first week of classes.

An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:

10 chapter reflections  10%
One mid-term exam  25%
One annotated bibliography       15%
One research project  25%
One final exam  25%
Total 100%

Students may conduct research with human participants as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans

Textbook materials

The following is an example of a textbook that may be used for this course:

Soukup, C. and Foust, C. R. (2024). Popular Culture in Everyday Life: A Critical Introduction. New York: Routledge.

Prerequisites

SOCI 1125 or SOCI 1145 or SOCI 1155