Africology

Race in Popular Culture

Erin Winkler, Assistant Professor

FULL

Course: AFRICOL 193 SEM 001

Class Number: 33130

Credits: 3 SS & CD

Time: MW 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Place: AUP 179

Course Description:

What does popular culture tell us about race in the United States? In this course, we will actively investigate the social meaning of race in the United States through the lens of popular culture. Together we will critically examine the subtle messages about race that are sent through advertising, music, fashion, politics, movies, art, sports, videogames, shopping malls, television, online social networking sites, and more. What are these messages? For example, what do TV sitcoms “say” about who is a “normal American”? What does news coverage of the 2008 presidential race “say” about African American men, or white American men, or others? What do images in advertising “say” about multiracial people? What do Hollywood movies “say” about Muslim Arabs? And what effect do these representations have on their consumers? Goals of the seminar include: (1) recognizing, identifying, and analyzing (“breaking down”) images of race in various forms U.S. popular culture, including television, film, music, sports, cyberculture, politics, fashion, and consumer culture. (2) Learning, critiquing, and applying academic theories related to representations of race. (3) Developing one’s own scholarly voice/arguments in verbal and written form.

Work Involved:

No prior knowledge of Africology or critical race studies is necessary—we will use students’ existing knowledge of popular culture, as well as course readings, as launching points for our in-class activities and discussions. Assignments allow students to examine aspects of popular culture that are most interesting/meaningful to them. Classes and assignments are designed in such a way that students consistently engage in active learning, hypothesizing, and theorizing—you are scholars of popular culture, even if you don’t yet know it! Grading is based on: In-class Learning Activities & preparation for class (25%); a portfolio the student keeps of popular cultural images and his/her analysis of those images (20%); a series of 3 short critical essays (30%); and a Final Project/Paper, in which the student uses images from his/her portfolio to create a personal theory of representations of race in popular culture (25%).

Sample Reading:

Smith, Debra C. 2008. Critiquing Reality-Based Televisual Black Fatherhood: A Critical Analysis of Run's House and Snoop Dogg's Father Hood. In Critical Studies in Media Communication 25(4): 393-412. http://www.informaworld.com.ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/smpp/section?content=a902172373&fulltext=713240928 (UWM logon necessary if you are accessing this article from off campus)

About the Instructor:

Erin Winkler holds degrees in African American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D. and M.A.) and the University of Michigan (B.A.). She was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and lived in Oakland, California, Detroit, Michigan, and Evanston, Illinois, before moving to Milwaukee. She conducts research with middle school-aged children and their families in order to find out more about how children come to understand race and racism. She teaches courses on the psychology of racism, the racial socialization of children, African American families, and African American history and society. When she’s not working, she enjoys cooking and baking, watching basketball, reading novels, and tinkering with her old, rusty car (219,000 miles and counting!).