Mathieu Deflem, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
University of South Carolina
Department of Sociology
Office: Sloan 217Email: deflem@sc.edu
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This overview is for the SUMMER session. (Click here for regular Fall/Spring semesters.)
Topic: Within a framework of the sociology of popular culture and music, this course focuses on the rise of Lady Gaga to her status as a pop music icon. The central objective of this course is to unravel some of the sociologically relevant dimensions of the fame of Lady Gaga. Specific attention will be devoted to the role of: business and marketing; entertainment law; the old and new media; fans and live shows; gay culture; religion and political activism; sex and gender; and the city of New York
Framework: This is not a course in music or cultural studies. Although some familiarity with the artistry of Lady Gaga will be useful, this course instead focuses on the societal contexts of Lady Gaga’s rise to fame. These social issues, furthermore, are explored from a scholarly perspective that is grounded in the theoretical traditions of sociology. Thus, this is not a course in Lady Gaga but in sociology; and it is not a course about Lady Gaga as much as about the culture of the fame as exemplified by the career of Lady Gaga. The syllabus will be handed out at the start of the semester.
Framework: This is not a course in music or cultural studies. Although some familiarity with the artistry of Lady Gaga will be useful, this course instead focuses on the societal contexts of Lady Gaga’s rise to fame. These social issues, furthermore, are explored from a scholarly perspective that is grounded in the theoretical traditions of sociology. Thus, this is not a course in Lady Gaga but in sociology; and it is not a course about Lady Gaga as much as about the culture of the fame as exemplified by the career of Lady Gaga. The syllabus will be handed out at the start of the semester.
CONTENTS
Part I – Analytical Framework: The Sociology of Popular Culture
Part III – Dimensions of Analysis: The Fame of Lady Gaga
REQUIRED READINGS
a) Sociological Perspectives of MusicPart II – Topic of Inquiry: An Introduction to Lady Gaga
b) The Case of Pop & Rock
c) The Sociology of Fame and Celebrity
a) Life and Timesb) The Music
a) Business and Marketing
b) Law and Legalities
c) Old & New Media: From Radio to Internet
d) Fans and Live Concerts
e) Gay Culture
f) Religion and Politics
g) Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
h) New York
REQUIRED READINGS
The required readings for this course include the following books, articles, and media sources.
1) Frith, Simon et al., eds 2001. The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock. Cambridge University Press.
2) Lester, Paul. 2010. Lady Gaga: Looking for Fame. The Life of a Pop Princess. Omnibus Press.
3) Articles in the sociology of popular culture (available online):
4) Media sources: available via the course blog at gagacourse.net on the following topics:
- Corona, Victor P. 2010. “Gaga Studies.” PopMatters, November 24, 2010.
- Deflem, Mathieu. 2012. "The Presentation of Fame in Everyday Life: The Case of Lady Gaga." Margins (Haverford College), Issue on Divas, Spring 2012.
- Kurzman, Charles et al. 2007. “Celebrity Status.” Sociological Theory 25(4):347-367.
- Deflem, Mathieu. 2012. "Marketing Monster: Selling the Fame of Lady Gaga." Essay in a catalogue accompanying the exhibition “The Wicked Twins: Fame and Notoriety,” Paul Robeson Galleries, Rutgers University, January-May 2012.
- Corona, Victor P. 2011. “Memory, Monsters, and Lady Gaga.” Journal of Popular Culture 44:1-19.
- Deflem, Mathieu. 2012. "The Sex of Lady Gaga." Pp. 19-32 in The Performance Identities of Lady Gaga, edited by Richard J. Gray. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
a) Business and Marketing
b) Law and Legalities
c) Old/New Media: From Radio to Internet
d) Fans and Live Concerts
e) Gay Culture
f) Religion and Politics
g) Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
h) New York
Note: An article about the course experience is published as: Professor Goes Gaga: Teaching Lady Gaga and
the Sociology of Fame. The American Sociologist, May 2013.
the Sociology of Fame. The American Sociologist, May 2013.
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