The Major and Minor
This week’s featured program is the Major and Minor in Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University. From the website:
Popular Culture students study those aspects of national and international culture which have the most impact on a majority of the population. The field includes the study of television, popular music, popular literature such as magazines and best sellers, sports, amusement parks, and movies. Students examine how and why people select their entertainment, what such things as television programs and movies mean to those who watch them, how popular products such as records and compact discs are marketed, and how all aspects of our daily lives influence our basic beliefs and values.
Students enrolled in the major take Introduction to Popular Culture; Global Popular Culture; Intersections of Gender, Race & Culture; Gender, Race & Culture in Community-Based Practice; one media course, one folklore course, three electives, Qualitative Research Methods, and the Capstone Seminar. Students in the minor take two introductory courses followed by five electives.
Two Interesting Courses
POPC 3100 Global Popular Culture
Examination of the movement of popular culture around the world and the balance of global and local influences on cultural products and practices, the effects of the movement of people around the globe through travel and migration, and the ways that individuals and communities negotiate regional specificity and global assimilation.
POPC 3650 Youth and Popular Culture
History, theory, and perceptions of youth cultures and subcultures. Young peoples’ distinctive roles as audience, producers, and consumers of popular cultures. Topics may include comparative youth cultures, music, new media, fashion, and everyday life.
Five Possible Complementary Majors/Minors at Bowling Green State University
Unique Opportunities within the Major/Minor
Bowling Green State University is home to the Ray & Pat Browne Library for Popular Culture Studies, the most comprehensive archive of popular culture materials in the United States.
Sample Similar Programs
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- High Point University: Popular Culture and Media Production Major and Minor
- The Ohio State University: Popular Culture Studies Minor
- University of Southern California: American Popular Culture Major and Minor