Critical Social Inquiry 0189 - Popular Culture

This course explores China's modern political history since the beginning of 20th century through the lens of popular culture. It will survey different forms of popular culture, such as festival celebrations, theater, propaganda posters, film, sports, advertisement, fashion, music, and social media, with a focus on the relationship between culture, revolution and power. In this course, students will study individual forms of popular culture in historical context, analyze the interaction between Chinese popular culture and global forces, research its connection with political ideology, examine its social and psychological impacts, and try to define popular culture in modern China.

Culture, Humanities, and Languages Multiple Cultural Perspectives Students are expected to spend 6-8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.