Topics will vary from semester to semester.

We will explore several different popular genres—detective fiction, science fiction, horror, fantasy, the Hollywood musical, and the Western—to discover what makes these genres “popular” and in what ways they produce their mass appeal. Is popular fiction simply light leisure reading for the public or do they have "literary" merit beneath the generic formulas? How do popular fictional works play an integral role in helping us understand the dynamics of gender, science, cultural norms, and politics of the era?

Repeat Rules

Requirements class fulfills