Kendra Brea Cooper
What and who we seek out for entertainment can reveal things about our beliefs and feelings as individuals, and as a society. A performance on a stage that is being watched by millions of eyes has the ability to change meanings and cultural narratives.They can do this by starting a thread of discourse from spaces like social media to the good ol' water cooler. Here are 8 Post-Secondary courses that study celebs and culture:
This course is about what Miley Cyrus represents in her platform as a highly watched entertainer. Professor Carolyn Chernoff says that the course will explore the "core issues of intersectionality". Miley Cyrus had a very specific moment where she got people talking about gender and race in her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards with the use of props and body parts. Even if it was just shock entertainment, Miley still engages in meaning-making through appropriations and performance.
By Mixing in Sartre et al. with the Simpsons, this philosophy course picks apart one of the most famous shows in Televison history and explores the ways it brings up deep philosophical questions about life. The show itself spins in story lines from culture outside, using allusions and big names, so it never strays from the pop culture 'reality'.
This course uses Lady Gaga's immense fame as the base to use sociological theory and examine the reasons why she's famous, and how fame works in society all together. Lady Gaga seems to understand the importance of performance and character. She takes the larger narratives and issues in our culture, like religion and rights, and cooks them together in her work.
South Park takes on hot topic social issues very quickly and with zero respect for political correctness (on purpose). It dives right into them instead of side stepping these issues, and while it might not always be in line, it is a show that gives some kind of a popular platform for these issues.
Judge Judy follows a fairly conservative type of logic that she would likely categorize as "common sense". While this is typical, common sense isn't something set in stone and natural, it's built up in ideologies and philosophies, and combined with social interactions. This only means that the idea of what is common sense and logical changes culturally. The course examines the arguments made by the Judges and why they do or do not work.
Breaking Bad came into a time in American culture when Obama care was a hot topic and Drug enforcement debates were raging. It represented the anxieties of inadequate heath care and drug morality in society and that is why there is a course in this show's meanings. It was entertaining and epic in it's way of blurring what we consider good/bad as individuals and what our institutions do to alter our feelings about ethics.
Jay Z and Kanye West are close as friends and entertainers. Their lyrics are actually quite poetic and subversive at times. The course dives into those topics and asks students about their connection to the mythology of the "American dream" and how they're changing thoughts around it.
This course examines the "magic" of Harry Potter in a scientific sense by explaining how these happenings could occur in physics and biology. It obviously doesn't have the nitty gritty lab work, but sometimes grinding things down scientifically can stir up even more magic and imagination.
This long running series is legendary enough to have a huge impact on the culture around it. A Syracuse University is going to provide a free trial course online next semester.
Like, this is so totally post-modern. Duke University provided a course that reflected upon the O.C. television show and its commentary on our hyper self-aware society. Oh California.
Pop culture and all that ideology sitting in the blind spot. Also crafts.
