239815 Masculinity and Popular Culture (S) (SoSe 2013)

It is a truism to say that Western cultures (and not only those) have been dominated by patriarchal patterns for millennia. However, in spite of the apparent dominance of the male gender, masculinity studies have pointed to frequent moments of crisis in the cultural construction of masculinity. If what it means to be a man is subject to the conflicting tendencies of dominance vs. crisis, then how is masculinity defined, represented and experienced?
In this seminar, we will review theoretical approaches in both masculinity studies and popular culture, and we will explore ways of combining them in analyses of a range of cultural phenomena, from film to music and fashion.

This seminar is scheduled to take place in connection with course 239816 "Academic Proficiency: Conference Organisation ", which will lead to a student conference on "British Popular Music and Masculinity" (see commentary there for details); while it is advisable to attend both courses in parallel, there is no obligation to do so.

Students interested in participating in either of the two classes ought to contact me (ralf.schneider@uni-bielefeld.de) as soon as possible, well before the beginning of the Summer term.