Revised 05/2014

ENG 247 - Survey of Popular Culture (3 CR.)

Course Description

Analyzes familiar aspects of Western culture, as seen through popular literature, with additional emphasis on television, film, and popular art.

Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the idea of critical analysis of texts, using popular culture artifacts as examples. Students will analyze and distinguish between critical theories including structuralist, feminist, and Marxist critical perspectives.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisites: ENG 112, ENG 125, or division approval.

Course Objectives

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

  • Identify various popular culture genres (film, television, etc., but also comedy, drama, science fiction, etc.) (relates to NOVA General Education Goals: 1.1, 1.6, 2.2, 3.4)
  • Analyze form within genres (e.g., the visual argument of a film, or the structure of a situation comedy) (relates to NOVA General Education Goals: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 2.2, 3.4, 4.5)
  • Identify and distinguish among “high,” “mass,” and “low” culture (relates to NOVA General Education Goals: 1.1, 1.6, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5)
  • Identify and distinguish among various subcultures (relates to NOVA General Education Goals: 1.1, 1.6, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5)
  • Identify and discuss major critical theories (relates to NOVA General Education Goals: 1.1, 1.4, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 5.2)
  • Apply major critical theories to contemporary American popular music, movies, and television shows (relates to NOVA General Education Goals: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5)
  • Develop critical reading, writing, and thinking skills through the analysis of texts (relates to NOVA General Education Goals: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.2, 7.3, 7.4)

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Selected works of contemporary Western popular culture (to be defined according to the course’s specific focus)
  • Critical analyses of these works, using theories of popular culture
  • Related terms and common analytic approaches