SOCI 2705B | DIGH 2705BDepartment of Sociology and Anthropology Carleton University

Spring 2020

Popular Culture in the Digital Age

In this course we will explore the sociology of popular culture; that is, the ways in which as-pects of contemporary society are reflected in cultural artifacts and practices, and, in turn, the ways in which those things influence society.

In exploring this relationship, we will first dif-ferentiate popular culture from other forms of culture before examining the ideological ef-fects of cultural artifacts, the nature of those artifacts as commodities, and who produces pop culture. We will also try to understand why we like the things we like, and how globalization and digi-tal technologies are affecting the production and consumption of culture around the world. The course will conclude by looking at the rise of dystopian themes in pop culture and possi-ble directions for the future.

Prerequisite(s): SOCI 1001 and SOCI 1002, or SOCI 1003 [1.0], or ANTH 1001, or ANTH 1002.

Instructor: Dr. Joel Z. Garrod joel.garrod@carleton.ca

Location: Online (cuLearn) Lectures posted Mon/Wed at 13:00

Office Hours: By appointment

Course Objectives

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All readings can be found on CULearn.

I truly believe that this course is relevant to your lives. If, at any time during this course, you feel that what we’re learning isn’t useful, I urge you to write in the discussion forum and ask me: “Why should I give a damn?”

I’ll gladly take time to explain why I believe what we’re learning is important for you to know. And if I can’t explain why, I’ll amend that section of the course.

By the end of this course, you should have:

• A broad grasp of the history and development of pop culture

• Knowledge of the various social forces that shape pop culture

• Knowledge of how pop culture is produced and consumed

• The ability to critically interpret pop culture and how we interact with it

Requirements

Participation is absolutely vital to this course, and will likely be a necessary part of getting a good grade. Your mark will be based off of your posts in our discussion forum on cuLearn. In return for partic-ipating, I promise to make the course interesting, and worthwhile. If you are unable to participate regularly, I recommend you do not take this course.

The Film Review will assess your ability to review and critique a film on popular culture. The film can be any one of the five listed on the syllabus. The re-view is due two classes after the date of the film list-ed on the syllabus. Multiple due dates

The Decoding Paper will assess your understanding of Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model by asking you to analyze a news article and provide different interpretations as to how the text might be under-stood or ‘decoded’ by different social groups. Due June 1

The Final Paper will assess your understanding of the course material from the entire term. You will be asked to critically analyze a pop culture artifact or practice, such as a song, film, video game, TV series, book, YouTube video, etc. Using outside research, as well as course materials, you will be asked to describe and explain how certain aspects of contemporary society are reflected in your chosen artifact or practice. Due June 15

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Double-spaced, 12 point, Times

New Roman font

All citations in APA Style

Late items lose 5 marks per day

Grading

√ Participation: 10%

√ Film Review: 20%

√ Decoding Paper: 30%

√ Final Paper: 40%

Class Schedule

Date Topic Readings

May 4 (Week 1a)

Introduction Syllabus

May 6 (Week 1b)

What is Pop Culture? Szeman, I., & O’Brien, S. (2017). Introducing popular culture. Popular culture: A user’s guide, international edition (pp. 1–29). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell.

Macdonald, D. (1953). A theory of mass culture. Diogenes, 1(3), 1–17.

Williams, R. (1974, November). On high and popular culture. New Republic. Retrieved from https://newrepublic.com/article/79269/high-and-popular-culture

Optional:

Williams, R. (1976). ‘Culture’ and ‘masses’. In R. Guins & O. Zaragoza (Eds.), Popular culture: A reader (pp. 25–32). London: Sage.

May 11 (Week 2a)

The Origins of Pop Culture Elias, N. (1939/2000). Sociogenesis of the antithesis between Kultur and Zivilisation in German usage. The civilizing process: Sociogenetic and psychogenetic investigations (pp. 5–35). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Storch, R. D. (1982). Introduction: Persistence and change in nineteenth-century popular culture. In R. D. Storch (Ed.), Popular culture and custom in nineteenth-century England (pp. 1–19). London: Croom Helm Ltd.

Williams, R. (1978). The press and popular culture: A historical perspective. In G. Boyce, J. Curran, & P. Wingate (Eds.), Newspaper history: From the seventeenth century to the present day (pp. 41–50). London: Constable.

Date

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May 13 (Week 2b)

Pop Culture as Commodity

Film:

Killing Us Softly 4

Marx, K. (1867). The fetishism of commodities and the secret thereof. Capital: Volume one. Retrieved from https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/ch01.htm#S4

Debord, G. (1967). Commodity as spectacle. Society of the spectacle. Retrieved from https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/debord/society.htm

Adorno, T. (1975). Culture industry reconsidered. New German Critique, 6, 12–19.

May 19 (Week 3a)

Culture and Ideology Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1845). Ruling class and ruling ideas. The German ideology. Retrieved from https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/german-ideology/ch01b.htm

Hall, S. (1977/1993). Encoding/decoding. In S. During (Ed.), The cultural studies reader (2nd edition) (pp. 507–517). London: Routledge.

Castleberry, G. (2016). Understanding Stuart Hall’s ‘Encoding/Decoding’ model through TV’s Breaking Bad. In K. Roberts & J. Kickly (Eds.), Communication theory and millennial popular culture: Essays and applications (pp. 84–95). New York: Peter Lang.

Optional:

Storey, J. (2015). Ideology. Cultural theory and popular culture: An introduction (pp. 2–5). New York: Routledge.

Storey, J. (2015). Hegemony. Cultural theory and popular culture: An introduction (pp. 83–86). New York: Routledge.

Williams, R. (1976). ‘Culture’ and ‘ideology’. Keywords: A vocabulary of culture and society (pp. 76–82, 126–130). London: Fontana/Croom Helm.

Topic ReadingsDate

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May 20 (Week 3b)

The Reproducibility of Cultural Artifacts

Films:

Ways of Seeing

Vice: 3D Printing Guns

Benjamin, W. (1936). The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction. Retrieved from https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm

Greenfield, A. (2017). Digital fabrication: Towards a new political economy of matter. In, Radical technologies: The design of everyday life (pp. 77–100). New York: Verso.

May 25 (Week 4a)

Globalization and Pop Culture

Watson, J. (1997). McDonald’s in Hong Kong: Consumerism, dietary change, and the rise of a children’s culture. Golden arches east: McDonald’s in East Asia (pp. 77–109). Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Pop cosmopolitanism: Mapping cultural flows in an age of media convergence. Fans, bloggers, and gamers: Exploring participatory culture (pp. 152–172). New York: New York University Press.

Cowen, T. (2015). Why Hollywood rules the world, and whether we should care. In Lechner, F.J. & Boli J. (Eds.), The globalization reader. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 405–411.

May 27 (Week 4b)

Internet Memes Shifman, L. (2014). Introduction; A telegraphic biography of a conceptual troublemaker; and When memes go digital. Memes in digital culture (pp. 1–35). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Miltner, K. M. (2014). “There’s no place for lulz on LOLCats”: The role of genre, gender, and group identity in the interpretation and enjoyment of an Internet meme. First Monday, 19(8).

Panneton, D. (2019, March 22). Online memes may seem frivolous, but they normalize hate – with potentially deadly results. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-online-memes-may-seem-frivolous-but-they-normalize-hate-with/

Topic ReadingsDate

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June 1 (Week 5a)

Smartphones and Selfies

Films:

Generation Like

Vice: Mobile Love Industry

*Decoding Paper Due*

Murray, D. (2015) Notes to self: The visual culture of selfies in the age of social media. Consumption Markets & Culture, 18(6), 490–516.

Giroux, H. (2015). Selfie culture in the age of corporate and state surveillance. Third Text, 29(3), 155–164.

June 3 (Week 5b)

Celebrity in the Digital Age Gamson, J. (1994). Industrial-strength celebrity. Claims to fame: Celebrity in contemporary America (pp. 57–78). Berkeley: University of California Press.

Marwick, A. & Boyd, D. (2011). To see and be seen: Celebrity practice on Twitter. Convergence, 17(2), 139–158.

Marshall, P. D. (2014). Tools for the analysis of celebrity as a form of cultural power. Celebrity and power: Fame in contemporary culture (pp. 51–76). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

June 8 (Week 6a)

Gaming and Augmented Reality

Dyer-Witherford, N., & De Peuter, G. (2009). Biopower play: World of Warcraft. Games of empire: Global capitalism and video games (pp. 123–151). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Greenfield, A. (2017). Augmented reality: An interactive overlay on the world. Radical technologies: The design of everyday life (pp. 59–76). New York: Verso.

Topic ReadingsDate

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June 10 (Week 6b)

Dystopia in Pop Culture Queenan, J. (2015). From Insurgent to Blade Runner: Why is the future on film always so grim? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/19/dystopian-films-blade-runner-insurgent-future-grim

Fisher, M. (2009). It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. Capitalist realism (pp. 1–11). London: Zero Books.

Christopher, D. (2015). The capitalist and cultural work of apocalypse and dystopia films. Cineaction, 95, 56–65.

June 15 (Week 7a)

*Final Paper Due* None

Topic ReadingsDate

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Obligatory Remarks

In accordance with the Carleton University Undergraduate Calendar Regulations, the letter grades assigned in this course will have the following percentage equivalents:

A+ = 90-100 B+ = 77-79 C+ = 67-69 D+ = 57-59 A = 85-89 B = 73-76 C = 63-66 D = 53-56 A - = 80-84 B - = 70-72 C - = 60-62 D - = 50-52 F = Below 50 WDN = Withdrawn from the course DEF = Deferred

Academic Regulations, Accommodations, Plagiarism, Etc. University rules regarding registration, withdrawal, appealing marks, and most anything else you might need to know can be found on the university’s website, here: https://calendar.carleton.ca/undergrad/regulations/academicregulationsoftheuniversity/

You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the term. For an accommo-dation request, the processes are as follows:

Academic Accommodations for Students with DisabilitiesThe Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) provides services to students with Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/mental health disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), chronic medical conditions, and impairments in mobility, hearing, and vision. If you have a disability requiring academic accommodations in this course, please contact PMC at 613-520-6608 or pmc@carleton.ca for a formal evaluation. If you are already registered with the PMC, contact your PMC coordinator to send your Letter of Accommodation at the beginning of the term, and no later than two weeks before the first in-class scheduled test or exam requiring accommodation (if applica-ble).

*The deadline for contacting the Paul Menton Centre regarding accommodation for final exams for the Ear-ly Summer 2020 exam period is May 29, 2020. The deadline for contacting the Paul Menton Centre re-garding accommodation for final exams for the Late Summer and Full Summer 2020 exam period is July 24, 2020.

For Religious Obligations Please contact your instructor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details, visit the Equity Services website: www.carleton.ca/equity/wp-content/uploads/Student-Guide-to-Academic-Accom-modation.pdf

For Pregnancy Please contact your instructor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details, visit the Equity Services website: www.carleton.ca/equity/wp-content/uploads/Student-Guide-to-Academic-Accom-modation.pdf

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For Survivors of Sexual ViolenceAs a community, Carleton University is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working and living en-vironment where sexual violence will not be tolerated, and where survivors are supported through academic accommodations as per Carleton's Sexual Violence Policy. For more information about the services available at the university and to obtain information about sexual violence and/or support, visit: www.carleton.ca/sex-ual-violence-support

Accommodation for Student Activities Carleton University recognizes the substantial benefits, both to the individual student and for the university, that result from a student participating in activities beyond the classroom experience. Reasonable accom-modation must be provided to students who compete or perform at the national or international level. Please contact your instructor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. https://carleton.ca/senate/wp-content/uploads/Accommodation-for-Student-Activities-1.pdf

Plagiarism Plagiarism is the passing off of someone else's work as your own and is a serious academic offence. For the details of what constitutes plagiarism, the potential penalties and the procedures refer to the section on In-structional Offences in the Undergraduate Calendar. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with and follow the Carleton University Student Academic Integrity Policy (See https://carleton.ca/registrar/acad-emic-integrity/). The Policy is strictly enforced and is binding on all students. Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Students who infringe the Policy may be subject to one of several penalties.

What are the Penalties for Plagiarism? A student found to have plagiarized an assignment may be subject to one of several penalties including but not limited to: a grade of zero, a failure or a reduced grade for the piece of academic work; reduction of final grade in the course; completion of a remediation process; resubmission of academic work; withdrawal from course(s); suspension from a program of study; a letter of reprimand.

What are the Procedures? All allegations of plagiarism are reported to the faculty of Dean of FASS and Management. Documentation is prepared by instructors and departmental chairs. The Dean writes to the student and the University Om-budsperson about the alleged plagiarism. The Dean reviews the allegation. If it is not resolved at this level then it is referred to a tribunal appointed by the Senate.

Assistance for Students Academic and Career Development Services: https://carleton.ca/career/ Writing Services: http://www.carleton.ca/csas/writing-services/ Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS): https://carleton.ca/csas/group-support/pass/

Important Information •Student or professor materials created for this course (including presentations and posted notes, labs, case studies, assignments and exams) remain the intellectual property of the author(s). They are intended for per-sonal use and may not be reproduced or redistributed without prior written consent of the author(s). •Students must always retain a hard copy of all work that is submitted.

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•Standing in a course is determined by the course instructor subject to the approval of the Faculty Dean. This means that grades submitted by the instructor may be subject to revision. No grades are final until they have been approved by the Dean. •Carleton University is committed to protecting the privacy of those who study or work here (currently and formerly). To that end, Carleton’s Privacy Office seeks to encourage the implementation of the privacy provi-sions of Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) within the university. •In accordance with FIPPA, please ensure all communication with staff/faculty is via your Carleton email ac-count. To get your Carleton Email you will need to activate your MyCarletonOne account through Carleton Central. Once you have activated your MyCarletonOne account, log into the MyCarleton Portal. •Please note that you will be able to link your MyCarletonOne account to other non-MyCarletonOne ac-counts and receive emails from us. However, for us to respond to your emails, we need to see your full name, CU ID, and the email must be written from your valid MyCarletonOne address. Therefore, it would be easier to respond to your inquiries if you would send all email from your connect account. If you do not have or have yet to activate this account, you may wish to do so by visiting https://students.carleton.ca/

Important Dates

April 27 Full Summer and early Summer term course outlines should be posted.

May 4 Full Summer and early Summer courses begin.

May 11 Last day for registration and course changes for early Summer courses.

May 15 Last day for registration and course changes for full Summer courses.

May 18 Statutory holiday; University closed.

May 20 Suggested deadline for early feedback for all early and full Summer term courses.

May 22 Last day to withdraw from early and full Summer term courses with a full fee adjustment.

June 9 Last day before the final examination period for summative or final examinations, or formative tests or examinations totaling more than 15% of the final grade for early Summer courses.

June 16 Last day of classes for early Summer courses. Last day for academic withdrawal from early Summer courses. Last day for take-home examinations to be assigned (except those that conform to the Academic Regulations of the University in the Undergraduate Calendar/General Regulations of the Graduate Calendar). Last day for handing in term work subject to any earlier course deadline.

June 19-25 Final examinations in early Summer term courses and mid-term examinations in full Summer tern courses may be held. Examinations are normally held all seven days of the week.

June 25 All take-home examinations are due except those that conform to the Academic Regulations of the University in the Undergraduate Calendar/General Regulations of the Graduate Calendar.

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