Many of us spend hours of our free time consumed by popular culture: binging the newest season of Love is Blind, finding book recommendations on TikTok, watching blockbusters and indie films in dark theaters, or catching up on celebrity news. In what ways does pop culture create a nexus of information, entertainment, and communication? How can we write passionately about the media we enjoy? In this course, we’ll read about everything from TikTok mansions to Lizzo to reality television, and write about pop culture through both a critical and argumentative lens. Texts might include work by Ta-nehisi Coates, Hanif Abdurraqib, Jia Tolentino, and Michelle Zauner.

Course Requirements:

In this course, students will regularly attend online lectures, discuss readings, and—through a variety of short writing exercises, low-stakes assignments, and even a couple attempts at writing criticism—develop critical thinking around patterns in popular culture and mass communication. You’ll be expected to complete reading and writing assignments in a timely manner, participate in peer writing workshops, and be challenged to play the roles of an academic, a critic, and a media consumer. All readings will be made available online through links and PDFs.

Intended Audience:

This course is accessible to all undergraduate students, but is particularly well suited for students with interests in cultural criticism, longform journalism, representations in film and television, and the influence of social media.