Time: 1:25-2:15 MWF Place: HSS 101

Instructor: Anthony Nownes Office: 1008A McClung Tower

Office Hours: 10-11 MWF Email:

Course Information

In this course, we will explore the impact of popular culture on politics in America as well as the impact of politics in America on popular culture. The course is based on the premise that popular culture both reflects and affects political reality. While popular culture embodies a vast array of phenomena, here we “zero in” on two particularly important forms: Motion pictures and television. However, in the course of the semester, we will also touch upon other components of popular culture including sports, popular music, and video games. We will pay special attention to Robert Putnam’s thesis that television and other forms of popular culture have contributed to a decline of “social capital” in America.

Books to Purchase

1. Sissela Bok. 1998. Mayhem: Violence as Public Entertainment. (Reading MA: Perseus Books). (CODE: SB)

2. Robert H. Bork. 1996. Slouching Towards Gomorrah. (New York: Reagan Books). (CODE: RB)

3.Jane M. Healy. 1999. Endangered Minds: Why Children Don’t Think—and What We Can Do About It. (New York: Touchstone Books). (CODE: JH)

4. Robert D. Putnam. 2000. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. (New York: Touchstone Books). (CODE: RP)

Grading


I will calculate your grade as follows:

I will assign your grades as follows:

Course Schedule

I. Introduction: Politics and Popular Culture.At the outset, it is important for us to understand precisely what popular culture is. This is where we begin. From here, we examine political socialization. We conclude this section with a discussion of causality. As you will see, causality is a crucially important concept.

Week 1 1/9 & 1/11

II. Hollywood and American Politics. Hollywood and politics have always been closely intertwined--from the Production Code to the Red Scare to the battle over Clarence Thomas’ nomination to the Supreme Court.

Week 2 1/14-1/18 Read Chapter 1, Mass Politics: The Politics of Popular Culture, by Daniel Shea.

Week 3 1/23-1/25 Read Selections from Michael Medved. 1992. Hollywood vs. America.

III. The Legacy of the 1960s: Popular Culture as Demon. Conservatives are fond of arguing that popular culture has degenerated over the past 40 years. They are also fond of saying that the 1960s ushered in a new era of filth. The consequences, they argue, are devastating. In this section, we explore this thesis.

Week 4 1/28-2/1 Read RB chs. 1-6

Week 52/4-2/8Read RB chs. 7-11 and 16 and 17

Week 6 2/11-2/15 2/15 MIDTERM #1

IV. Violence. America is an incredibly violent place. Does violent entertainment lead to violence in real life? This question has received a great deal of attention. The answers may surprise you.

Week 7 2/18-2/22 Read SB chs. 1 and 2

Week 82/25-3/1 Read SB chs. 3 and 4; 2/25 ASSIGNMENT DUE

Week 9 3/4-3/8 Presentations

V. Television. Americans spend several hours every day watching television. Jane Healy suggests that this is very bad—especially for children. We use Healy’s book as a springboard for a thorough examination of the effects of television.

Week 10 3/11-3/15 Read: JH chs. 1-7

Week 11 3/25-3/29 Read: JH chs. 8-15

Week 12 4/1-4/5 Presentations

VI. Social capital. Robert Putnam became a household name after writing Bowling Alone. In Bowling Alone, Putnam contends that Americans have become distressingly disconnected from each other. This decline in social capital has done great harm to America.

Week 13 4/8-4/12 Read RP chs. 1-9

Week 14 4/15-4/19 Read RP chs. 10-15
Week 15 4/22-4/26 Read RP 16-22

Week 16 4/29 Read RP chs. 23 and 24; Presentations

Final Exam: 12:30-2:30 PM on Saturday, May 4th in this room.