There are no prerequisites for this course.

Pop culture as a phenomenon is of all times. Traces of low culture can be found in the graffiti and street performances during Roman times.
Another interesting aspect is the notion that 'pop culture' rarely can be categorized as static. Early expressions of popular culture such as Jazz Music (rooted in the brothels of New Orléans in the early twentieth century) or cartoon strips (often inserted in the popular press), evolved long term from low to high culture. Pop Culture will not deal with topics related to contemporary/specific Art History or Film History. It will however focus on aspects of popular music, cartoon and sub culture.

Students have a decent knowledge of the Cultural History and are able to understand and read academic English. They can do rearch independently and work as a team on assignments.

The course is divided in capita selecta which enables us to literally surf through an underexposed aspect of human history. In ancient Rome several early examples of graffiti were conserved. But the breakthrough of popular culture grows during the industrial revolution and upcoming middle class. A rapid succession of inventions will help to broaden audiences

• Performing Glam Rock: Gender and Theatricality in Popular Music (Philip Auslander, University of Michigan Press 2006)

• Masters of American Comics (John Carlin, ed. Yale University Press 2005)
• Theory and pop culture an introduction (John Storey, Routledge Press 2008)

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