Macquarie University

From the Beats to Big Brother: Popular Culture Since the 1950s - MHIX365

Popular culture is ubiquitous in today’s world. We cannot turn without being confronted by it in some form. It is so pervasive, so powerful an influence on daily lives, that it must be historically significant. But how? From the Beats to Big Brother traces the history of popular culture in the United States, Australia and Britain from the fifties to the present. It particularly focuses on the ways in which class, gender, race and politics have shaped the experience of popular culture. Film, television, music, music video and other forms of new media will be used to evoke seminal moments in the history of popular culture and students will be encouraged to explore such non-discursive forms as primary sources. Students will also be encouraged to consider the reception of popular culture by audiences and to think about their own experience of popular culture historically. This unit offers an important addition to conventional history by exploring the depths of what has often been seen as superficial culture. It raises a number of questions about how we might analyse this culture, whilst offering a detailed explanation for its historical genesis and global dissemination.

All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au