2021-2022 Pierce College Catalog 
    
    Apr 20, 2024  
2021-2022 Pierce College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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HUM 204 American Popular Culture (5 credits)



Distribution Area Fulfilled Humanities; General Transfer Elective
Formerly HUMAN 204

Course Description
This course examines various theories of popular culture and applies these theories to various aspects of American culture, such as mass media, sports, fashion, and cultural stereotypes.

Student Outcomes
Define and use specific terminology relevant to the study of popular culture
2. Analyze the impacts that mass media formats, such as television, radio, and the internet, have on American culture
3. Apply tools of media literacy to distinguish among various types of mass communication (i.e., distinguish between
advertising and editorial content)
4. Evaluate the role that various art forms play in American culture
5. Trace the formation of a variety of cultural stereotypes and identify examples of those stereotypes in various formats
6. Identify current or significant popular culture trends in a variety of settings (for example, fashion, food, language,
marketing, etc.)
7. Examine the ways in which individuals use cultural trends to define or announce aspects of personal identity
8. Defend or challenge one’s own relationship to popular culture and appraise the influence of cultural ideologies on
one’s own values and sense of identity
9. Read and discuss the works of a variety of culture critics
10. Review prominent theories of Popular Culture (such as mass culture theory, Frankfurt School and culture industry,
structuralism and semiotics, etc.)
11. Evaluate aspects of Popular Culture according to specific criteria
12. Locate and use a variety of cultural studies resources (including web sites, journals, and other references)



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