ENGL 6310/7310
Popular Culture
Studies
Fall 2011
PH 300
M 240-540
Dr. David Lavery
Syllabus
ENGL 6310/7310: Popular Culture Studies
Fall 2011 | PH 300 | M 240-540
Dr. David Lavery
Office: PH 372 | Office Hours: M 100-240; T-Th
100-240 | E-mail: david.lavery@gmail.com | Office
Phone/Voice-Mail: 615 898-5648 | Home Page:
http://davidlavery.net/
Syllabus
Popular Culture Studies
Dr. David Lavery is Professor of English at MTSU (1993- ). The author
of over one hundred and twenty published essays, chapters, and
reviews, he is author / co-author / editor / co-editor of twenty three
books, including The Essential Cult Television Reader and a textbook,
Television Art (Blackwell) and books on Lost (2), Twin Peaks, X-Files,
The Sopranos (a trilogy), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teleparody,
Seinfeld, Deadwood, My So-Called Life, Gilmore Girls, Heroes,
Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, TV Finales, and Crying. The
organizer of international conferences on the Whedonverses, Lost, and
The Sopranos, a founding co-editor of the journals Slayage: The
Online International Journal of Buffy Studies, Critical Studies in
Television, and Series/Season/Show, he has lectured around the world
on the subject of television (Australia, Turkey, the UK, Portugal, New
Zealand, Ireland, Germany) and has been a guest/source for the BBC,
NPR, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The New York Times, A
Folha de Sao Paulo (Brazil), Publica (Portugal), AP, The Toronto Star,
USA Today. From 2006-2008, he taught at Brunel University in
London.
Syllabus
Popular Culture Studies
About This Course
The catalog description deems this course "Major trends and
significant debates in the development of popular culture theory and
criticism." This incarnation of Popular Culture Studies will attempt to
fulfill that promise by
(1) reading and discussing a wide selection (in the Storey reader) of
the best thinking about cultural theory and pop culture from the
last two centuries;
(2) becoming familiar with the indispensable approach known as
semiotics (with the help of Roland Barthes);
(3) contemplating America as a cultural phenomenon (as seen
through the eyes of Daniel Boorstin);
(4) exploring the "phantom empire" of movie culture;
(5) tracking the wild paratext (guided by Jonathan Gray);
(6) (ably assisted by Steven Johnson) learning how to
defend popular culture against its detractors.
Syllabus
Popular Culture Studies
Our Books
Syllabus
Popular Culture Studies
Class Members
 Mohammed Alghamdi
 Lama Alharbi
 Sandra Cavender
 Charles Elmore
 Dawn Hall
 Tiffany Hughes
 Emily James
 Lisa Jass
 Corine Mathis
 Shellie Michael
 Victoria Warenik
Syllabus
Popular Culture Studies
Power Points
Our Books | PC Topics and Areas | American
Icons | Major Figures in Popular Culture and
Cultural Studies | Semiotics | Barthes | America |
Boorstin | Space Boosters | The Movies |
Marxism | Psychoanalysis | O'Brien | Twin Peaks
& X-Files | Gray | Johnson | Allusions of
Television | Thinking Inside the Box | Types of
Television Series | Postmodernism | Teleparody |
Velveeta
Syllabus
Popular Culture Studies
Course Requirements
1. Either (A) Critical Essay: A 2,000 word reading/analysis/interpretation of a
particular episode or theme or character or narrative technique or cult
characteristic or icon or subgenre . . . of a cult television series or show (or
two or more considered together). or (B) A Pedagogical Pop Culture Project:
a course syllabus, website, power point presentation, annotated
bibliography/filmography/videography/discography, etc. Go here to see a
model.—25% of course grade.
2. Major Paper: A source paper of not less than 4,000 words on a popular
culture subject approved by me. Recommended: A study of an American icon
[go here and here for more ideas].—50% of course grade. A model essay by
Laura Black.
3. Class Participation—25% of course grade:
• Involvement in weekly discussions.
• Leading discussion of a selection in CTPCR [make your claim on a reading
via e-mail; see agenda for dates].
• Presentation of a mini-casebook on a popular culture phenomenon/text
[make your claim on a topic via e-mail; see agenda for dates].
Syllabus
Popular Culture Studies
Agenda
Week/Meeting: 1 | 8/29/11 | Subject: Intro to the Course | Power
Points: Our Books | PC Topics and Areas | Major Figures in
Popular Culture and Cultural Studies
Labor Day: No Class: 9/5/11
Week/Meeting: 2 | 9/12/11 | Subject: The "Culture and Civilization"
Tradition; Culturalism | Read: Storey, Parts One & Two [CTPCR
Discussion Leaders: Arnold (Alharbi); Williams (Alghamdi)]
Week/Meeting: 3 | 9/19/11 | Subject: Semiotics: Barthes,
Mythologies | Read: All of Barthes | Power Points: Semiotics |
Barthes
Week/Meeting: 4 | 9/26/11 | Subject: Marxism | Storey, Part Three
[CTPCR Discussion Leaders: Storey (Michael)]
Week/Meeting: 5 | 10/3/01 | Subject: Boorstin, The Image | Read:
All of Boorstin | Power Points: America | Boorstin
Syllabus
Popular Culture Studies
Agenda [contined]
Week/Meeting: 6 | 10/10/11 | Subject: Feminism | Read: Storey, Part Four
[CTPCR Discussion Leaders: Rakow (Hall); Radway (Jass); Butler
(Hughes)]
Fall Break: 10/15-10/18 (No Class)
Week/Meeting: 7 | 10/17/11 | Subject: O'Brien, Phantom Empire | Read:
All of O'Brien | Power Points: The Movies | O'Brien
Week/Meeting: 8 | 10/24/11 | Subject: Psychoanalysis, Structuralism,
and Post-Structuralism | Read: Storey, Part Five [CTPCR Discussion
Leaders: TBA] | Critical Essay/Pedagogical Project Due
Week/Meeting: 9 | 10/31/11 | Subject: Gray, Show Sold Separately |
Read: All of Gray | Power Points: Gray
Week/Meeting: 10 | 11/7/11 | Subject: "Race," Racism, and
Representation | Read: Storey, Part Six [CTPCR Discussion Leaders:
TBA]
Popular Culture Studies
Syllabus
Agenda [contined]
Week/Meeting: 11 | 11/14/11 | Subject: Johnson, Everything Bad |
Read: All of Johnson | Power Points: Johnson
Week/Meeting: 12 | 11/21/11 | Subject: Postmodernism | Read:
Storey, Part Seven [CTPCR Discussion Leaders: TBA] | Power
Points: Postmodernism
Week/Meeting: 13 | 11/28/11 | Subject: Teleparody | Read:
Teleparody (any ten) | Power Points: Teleparody
Week/Meeting: 14 | 12/5/11 | Subject: The Politics of the Popular |
Read: Storey, Part Eight [CTPCR Discussion Leaders: TBA] |
Major Paper Due
Week/Meeting: 15 | 12/12/11 | Final Meeting
Syllabus
Popular Culture Studies