Film & Media Studies 374 - Reading Popular Culture

Fall
2013
01
4.00
Marisa Parham

TH 01:00PM-04:30PM

Amherst College
FAMS-374-01-1314F
WEBS 217
mparham@amherst.edu
ENGL-271-01,BLST-332-01,FAMS-374-01,WAGS-271-01

(Offered as ENGL 271, BLST 332 [US], FAMS 374, and WAGS 271.)  Girl Power is the pop-culture term for what some commentators have also dubbed “postfeminism.”  The 1990s saw a dramatic transformation in cultural representations of women’s relationships to their own sense of power.  But did this still rising phenomenon of “women who kick ass” come at a cost?  Might such representations signify genuine reassessments of some of the intersections between gender, power, and the individual?  Or are they, at best, superficial appropriations of what had otherwise been historically construed as male power?  With such questions in mind, this class will teach students to use theoretical and primary texts to research, assess, and critique contemporary popular culture.  Each student will also be trained to produce a critical multimedia project.  One class meeting per week, which includes a 135-minute seminar and a 60-minute workshop and lab.


Open to first-year students with consent of the instructor.  Limited to 30 students.  Fall semester.  Professor Parham.

Permission is required for interchange registration during all registration periods.