Popular Culture and Queer Representation 4219-SD0020
In this course, we will examine common themes regarding the representation of non-normative gender and sexuality in American popular culture. We will analyze examples of cultural texts (film, television, comic books, short stories) that present both negative (stereotypical, homophobic) and positive portrayals of queer people and queer communities, focusing on examining how social, cultural and political changes in the American society have influenced popular depictions of queer identities, practices, desires and politics. During the course we will use critical tools of queer theory to discuss the different ways of interpreting popular culture both from a historical, as well as contemporary perspective. We will engage in queer readings of different texts, looking at recurring patterns and tropes. How does media representation of the QUILTBAG spectrum affect politics? How can popular culture articulate and imagine alternative ways of being? What is “queerbaiting” and in what ways does Hollywood commodify and market marginalized sexual identities?
Some of the topics will include the following: gay/lesbian (in)visibility; constructing masculinities/femininities; queering popular genres: science fiction, horror, fantasy; stereotypes and caricatures; AIDS crisis in film and television; heterosexism and homo/transphobia; queer politics and homonormativity; queering race and class; commodification of sexual identities - otherness as commodity.
Type of course
Learning outcomes
After completing the course the student:
1. KNOWLEDGE
- has an in-depth knowledge of the historical changes in how non-normative sexualities have been represented in popular culture
- recognized the dynamics and consequences of socio-cultural changes reflected in literary texts
- knows the basic concepts of queer theory
2. SKILLS
- is able to apply theoretical knowledge to conduct critical analysis of cultural texts
- has the ability to identify and recognize the relation between the production of cultural texts and their reception among different audience groups
- has the ability to argue / draw conclusions on the political meanings ascribed to popular culture
3. COMPETENCES
- understands the role of media representation in the context of cultural and social changes in the United Sates
- has the ability to work in a group and take part in academic debates
- is able to plan and write an academic paper based on theoretical, historical and cultural knowledge
Assessment criteria
Special emphasis will be placed on actve participation in classes. Students will be asked to work in groups.
Active participation in classes: 20%
3 short response papers to assigned texts: 30%
Final paper: 50%
In order to pass the course, the student must receive a minimal score of 60%.
Bibliography
Selected critical readings:
Benshoff, Harry M. Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997.
Benshoff, Harry M. and Sean Griffin. Queer Images. A History of Gay and Lesbian Film in America. Lanham: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, 2006.
D’Emilio, John. 1993. “Capitalism and Gay Identity.” In The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader, eds. Henry Abelove, Michele Barale and David Halperin. 467-476. New York, NY: Routledge.
D’Emilio, John, and Estelle B. Freedman. Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America. New York: Harper & Row, 1988.
Doty, Alexander. Flaming Classics: Queering the Film Canon. New York: Routledge, 2000.
Halberstam, J.J. The Queer Art of Failure. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2011.
Hart, Kylo-Patrick. The AIDS Movie: Representing a Pandemic in Film and Television. New York: Haworth Press, 2000.
Hirshman, Linda. “Massing the Troops For the Last Battle: The New-Media Gay Revolution.” Victory. The Triumphant Gay Revolution. New York: HarperCollins.
Muñoz, José Esteban. 2009. Cruising Utopia. New York: New York University Press.
Peele, Thomas. Ed. Queer Popular Culture. Literature, Media, Film, and Television. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
Raymond, Diane. “Popular Culture and Queer Representation: A Critical Perspective.” In Gender, Race, and Class in Media – a Text-Reader. Sage Publications, 2003.
Russo, Vito. The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies. New York: Harper & Row, 1981.
Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. Epistemology of the Closet. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.
Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. 1997. “Paranoid Reading and Reparative Reading; or, You’re So Paranoid, You Probably Think This Introduction is About You.” In Novel Gazing. Queer Readings in Fiction. Ed. Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. 1-37. Durham & London: Duke University Press.
Streitmatter, Rotger. From „Perverts” to „Fab Five.” The Media’s Changing Depiction of Gay Men and Lesbians. New York: Routledge, 2009.
Sullivan, Nikki. 2003. A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory. New York: New York University Press.
Rich, Adrienne. “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Experience.” Signs 5(4) 1980: 631-660.
Walters, Suzanna Danuta. All the Rage: The Story of Gay Visibility in America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.
Williams, Linda. Screening Sex. Durham: Duke UP, 2008.
The syllabus may change.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: