1. ENGL 6310/7310 Popular Culture Studies Fall 2011 PH 300 M 240-540 Dr. David Lavery Syllabus ENGL 6310/7310 Popular Culture Studies Fall 2011 PH 300 M 240-540 Dr. David Lavery Syllabus

2. ENGL 6310/7310: Popular Culture Studies Fall 2011 | PH 300 | M 240-540 Dr. David Lavery Office: PH 372 | Office Hours: M 100-240; T-Th 100-240 | E-mail: david.lavery@gmail.com | Office Phone/Voice-Mail: 615 898-5648 | Home Page: http://davidlavery.net/david.lavery@gmail.com http://davidlavery.net/ Popular Culture Studies Syllabus

3. Dr. David Lavery is Professor of English at MTSU (1993- ). The author of over one hundred and twenty published essays, chapters, and reviews, he is author / co-author / editor / co-editor of twenty three books, including The Essential Cult Television Reader and a textbook, Television Art (Blackwell) and books on Lost (2), Twin Peaks, X-Files, The Sopranos (a trilogy), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teleparody, Seinfeld, Deadwood, My So-Called Life, Gilmore Girls, Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, TV Finales, and Crying. The organizer of international conferences on the Whedonverses, Lost, and The Sopranos, a founding co-editor of the journals Slayage: The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies, Critical Studies in Television, and Series/Season/Show, he has lectured around the world on the subject of television (Australia, Turkey, the UK, Portugal, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany) and has been a guest/source for the BBC, NPR, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The New York Times, A Folha de Sao Paulo (Brazil), Publica (Portugal), AP, The Toronto Star, USA Today. From 2006-2008, he taught at Brunel University in London.Slayage: The Online International Journal of Buffy StudiesCritical Studies in TelevisionSeries/Season/Show Popular Culture Studies Syllabus

4. About This Course The catalog description deems this course "Major trends and significant debates in the development of popular culture theory and criticism." This incarnation of Popular Culture Studies will attempt to fulfill that promise by (1)reading and discussing a wide selection (in the Storey reader) of the best thinking about cultural theory and pop culture from the last two centuries; (2)becoming familiar with the indispensable approach known as semiotics (with the help of Roland Barthes); (3)contemplating America as a cultural phenomenon (as seen through the eyes of Daniel Boorstin); (4)exploring the "phantom empire" of movie culture; (5)tracking the wild paratext (guided by Jonathan Gray); (6)(ably assisted by Steven Johnson) learning how to defend popular culture against its detractors. Popular Culture Studies Syllabus

5. Our Books Popular Culture Studies Syllabus

6. Class Members  Mohammed Alghamdi  Lama Alharbi  Sandra Cavender  Charles Elmore  Dawn Hall  Tiffany Hughes  Emily James  Lisa Jass  Corine Mathis  Shellie Michael  Victoria Warenik Popular Culture Studies Syllabus

7. Power Points Our BooksOur Books | PC Topics and Areas | American Icons | Major Figures in Popular Culture and Cultural Studies | Semiotics | Barthes | America | Boorstin | Space Boosters | The Movies | Marxism | Psychoanalysis | O'Brien | Twin Peaks & X-Files | Gray | Johnson | Allusions of Television | Thinking Inside the Box | Types of Television Series | Postmodernism | Teleparody | VelveetaPC Topics and AreasAmerican IconsMajor Figures in Popular Culture and Cultural StudiesSemioticsBarthesAmerica BoorstinSpace BoostersThe Movies MarxismPsychoanalysisO'BrienTwin Peaks & X-FilesGrayJohnsonAllusions of TelevisionThinking Inside the BoxTypes of Television SeriesPostmodernismTeleparody Velveeta Popular Culture Studies Syllabus

8. Course Requirements 1. Either (A) Critical Essay: A 2,000 word reading/analysis/interpretation of a particular episode or theme or character or narrative technique or cult characteristic or icon or subgenre... of a cult television series or show (or two or more considered together). or (B) A Pedagogical Pop Culture Project: a course syllabus, website, power point presentation, annotated bibliography/filmography/videography/discography, etc. Go here to see a model.—25% of course grade.Go here to see a model 2. Major Paper: A source paper of not less than 4,000 words on a popular culture subject approved by me. Recommended: A study of an American icon [go here and here for more ideas].—50% of course grade. A model essay by Laura Black.here A model essay by Laura Black 3. Class Participation—25% of course grade: Involvement in weekly discussions. Leading discussion of a selection in CTPCR [make your claim on a reading via e-mail; see agenda for dates].a selection in CTPCR Presentation of a mini-casebook on a popular culture phenomenon/text [make your claim on a topic via e-mail; see agenda for dates].a mini-casebook on a popular culture phenomenon/text Popular Culture Studies Syllabus

9. Agenda Week/Meeting: 1 | 8/29/11 | Subject: Intro to the Course | Power Points: Our Books | PC Topics and Areas | Major Figures in Popular Culture and Cultural StudiesOur BooksPC Topics and AreasMajor Figures in Popular Culture and Cultural Studies Labor Day: No Class: 9/5/11 Week/Meeting: 2 | 9/12/11 | Subject: The "Culture and Civilization" Tradition; Culturalism | Read: Storey, Parts One & Two [CTPCR Discussion Leaders: Arnold (Alharbi); Williams (Alghamdi)] Week/Meeting: 3 | 9/19/11 | Subject: Semiotics: Barthes, Mythologies | Read: All of Barthes | Power Points: Semiotics | BarthesSemiotics Barthes Week/Meeting: 4 | 9/26/11 | Subject: Marxism | Storey, Part Three [CTPCR Discussion Leaders: Storey (Michael)] Week/Meeting: 5 | 10/3/01 | Subject: Boorstin, The Image | Read: All of Boorstin | Power Points: America | BoorstinAmericaBoorstin Popular Culture Studies Syllabus

10. Agenda [contined] Week/Meeting: 6 | 10/10/11 | Subject: Feminism | Read: Storey, Part Four [CTPCR Discussion Leaders: Rakow (Hall); Radway (Jass); Butler (Hughes)] Fall Break: 10/15-10/18 (No Class) Week/Meeting: 7 | 10/17/11 | Subject: O'Brien, Phantom Empire | Read: All of O'Brien | Power Points: The Movies | O'Brien The MoviesO'Brien Week/Meeting: 8 | 10/24/11 | Subject: Psychoanalysis, Structuralism, and Post-Structuralism | Read: Storey, Part Five [CTPCR Discussion Leaders: TBA] | Critical Essay/Pedagogical Project Due Week/Meeting: 9 | 10/31/11 | Subject: Gray, Show Sold Separately | Read: All of Gray | Power Points: GrayGray Week/Meeting: 10 | 11/7/11 | Subject: "Race," Racism, and Representation | Read: Storey, Part Six [CTPCR Discussion Leaders: TBA] Popular Culture Studies Syllabus

11. Agenda [contined] Week/Meeting: 11 | 11/14/11 | Subject: Johnson, Everything Bad | Read: All of Johnson | Power Points: JohnsonJohnson Week/Meeting: 12 | 11/21/11 | Subject: Postmodernism | Read: Storey, Part Seven [CTPCR Discussion Leaders: TBA] | Power Points: PostmodernismPostmodernism Week/Meeting: 13 | 11/28/11 | Subject: Teleparody | Read: Teleparody (any ten) | Power Points: TeleparodyTeleparody Week/Meeting: 14 | 12/5/11 | Subject: The Politics of the Popular | Read: Storey, Part Eight [CTPCR Discussion Leaders: TBA] | Major Paper Due Week/Meeting: 15 | 12/12/11 | Final Meeting Popular Culture Studies Syllabus