Department of English

This course will explore gender and popular culture at several historical moments including the Classical period, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the contemporary period. We shall ask how women acted as cultural agents as both producers and consumers of culture, as well how popular culture contributed to the construction of their gender identity. Possible topics include mythology, the cult of the saints and mysticism, Renaissance drama, and contemporary genres (e.g. science and detection fiction, film, advertising, and comic books).