Singapore University of Social Sciences

Culture manifests itself in many forms. A form of culture that could be fruitfully studied is popular culture. SOC365 Popular Culture is an advanced-level course that exposes students to a wide range of theoretical perspectives for understanding the complexities of popular culture through a sociological lens. Students will apply these insights to empirical examples and case studies from around the world. The definition of popular culture is multifarious. In this course, popular culture will be studied as a set of artefacts with significant social and political functions and effects. The course adopts a sociological approach to studying popular culture by analysing how practices of production and consumption are shaped by broader socio-political and economic forces, and the ways in which they intersect with various aspects of social, political and economic life. For a comprehensive analysis of popular culture, students will also be exposed to insights from other disciplines such as cultural studies, media and communication studies. By the end of the course, students will be able to hone their analytical, research and academic writing skills.