This course is a perfect introduction into race, gender and popular culture studies.

We are surrounded by literature, film, series and music videos on a daily basis. From listening to Beyoncé, to watching Orange is the New Black to recent films such as Carol.

How do we engage with representations of race and gender in popular culture? We will explore how identity is constructed (for example femininity and masculinity) and how we can possibly deconstruct these complex notions that are rooted in our cultural system and are linked to fixed ideas of male and female.

In this course we will go beyond recognizing representations of race and gender in popular culture and question how popular culture also functions as a site for forming and constructing race and gender.

This course is designed for all levels, from complete beginners to those with more experience with critical race and gender studies. It will appeal to students who want engage in scholarship on how popular culture influences us, as well as those who want to learn the basics of gender theory and critical race theory.

This course will also appeal to those who do not merely want an academic approach as we will also be engaging popular culture texts and question how we can come to a more inclusive understanding of feminist and queer research. Course materials and visual materials will pay special attention to questions of culture, identity, class, racism, colonialism, archives and the body.