ENGL 4801 Topics in Popular Culture

This course examines intersections of race, gender, sexuality, media, and new media to answer key questions about the role of the “digital” in American culture. We will ask, how has the digital become a meaningful way to understand social and cultural worlds? And in what ways are structures like race and gender reproduced, reflected, or challenged in these worlds, particularly given how embedded digital technology and media have become in to the ways that we live and work? This includes examinations of how women and people color have constructed digital worlds as sites of resistance, creative expression, and community formation.

The readings from this course will span a variety of fields and disciplines including ethnic studies, gender and sexuality studies, media studies, new media studies, photography and visual culture, and affect theory. Through readings, discussions, films, and online media, we will ask questions about the role of digital media, technology, and social networks in shaping constructions of race, gender, and sexuality. The course aims to build a theoretical foundation and critical lens for understanding, analyzing, and critiquing the digital worlds that we live in.