SOCI 328 Outline

THE KING'S UNIVERSITY

TERM:

2022-23 Winter

COURSE NUMBER:

SOCI 328

COURSE TITLE:

Feminism and Popular Culture

NAME OF INSTRUCTOR:

Dr Jennifer Braun

CREDIT WEIGHT AND WEEKLY TIME DISTRIBUTION:

credits 3(hrs lect 3 - hrs sem 0 - hrs lab 0)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Through examples from Canada, American, and "global" culture, we will study the tremendous influence that popular culture, in the form of music, films, televisions, print media, and communication technologies, has on our identities, perceptions, values, and everyday lives. This course considers how popular culture provides us with the scripts to practice femininities, masculinities, and sexualities, and how these practices are infused with race and class. It also examines how we exchange knowledge about race and gender through popular culture.

Prerequisites: SOCI 200 or SOCI 205

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Most of the required readings are available for print and download from Moodle.

MARK DISTRIBUTION IN PERCENT:


Professionalism	10%
Thought cards	20%
Midterm	20%
Critical Media Presentation	30%
Final Paper	20%

	100%

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Use readings in feminist and critical race theory to systematically analyze popular culture around you
Explain how pop culture practices, tastes, and expression reproduce race, gender, sexuality and class
Propose analytic arguments about popular culture in a way that is accessible to a diverse audience.

COURSE OUTLINE:

Introduction to the Class & Land Acknowledgement
Taking a Social Justice Feminist Class
The Male Gaze & Feminism, Pop Culture, and the rise of Popular Feminism
Problematizing the Disney Princess
Femininity, Whiteness, and the Romance Narratives
Disciplinary Mechanisms and Emancipatory Practices: Double Binds
Disciplinary Mechanisms and Emancipatory Practices: Queering the Body
Disciplinary Mechanisms and Emancipatory Practices: Ageing
Intersectionality and Sports Media
White masculinity and the Privileging of Violence / Rape Culture
Bodies, Class, Performance
Funny Ladies
Feminine Hygeine: Shaming, Periods and Girls, Oh My!
Hip Hop Feminism and the Gender of Rap

Required texts, assignments, and grade distributions may vary from one offering of this course to the next. Please consult the course instructor for up to date details.