Barbie has been one of the iconic toys in US-American culture for decades. But what kinds of cultural messages do the dolls actually convey? How do they participate in debates about gender, 'race,' and class? About sexuality? Ability? Religion? Settler Colonialism? Ecological issues? How is this bound up with the process of their production and distribution – and the plastic waste they become when they are discarded? These are some of the questions we will discuss in class.
Credit for the course requires regular attendance, participation in class discussions, and co-organizing one of the sessions. THERE IS NO AGNES REGISTRATION FOR THIS COURSE. You can sign up for the seminar in the first session.
P.S. For those of you who are interested: POPCRN at the University of New England (Australia) will host a free online Barbie conference on March 26-28. The conference title is 'You Can Be Anything': Imagining and interrogating Barbie in popular culture."
Because of the time difference, it might be difficult to attend all of the talks, though… |
