"Onnagata in Central Park." Onnagata are male actors who impersonate women in Japanese kabuki theatre. (Image courtesy of Bill Liao on flickr. License CC BY-NC-SA.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Ian Condry
MIT Course Number
21G.039J / 21A.143J / WGS.154J / 21G.591
As Taught In
Fall 2015
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
This course examines relationships between identity and participation in Japanese popular culture as a way of understanding the changing character of media, capitalism, fan communities, and culture. It emphasizes contemporary popular culture and theories of gender, sexuality, race, and the workings of power and value in global culture industries. Topics include manga (comic books), hip-hop and other popular music, anime and feature films, video games, contemporary literature, and online communication. Students present analyses and develop a final project based on a particular aspect of gender and popular culture.
