Fall Lecture / 3 credits
Introduction to Alternative Subcultures
An introductory lecture on the major alternative subcultures — punk, goth, emo, hardcore, and their successors — and how each one organizes belonging, dress, and dissent against a dominant norm.
Syllabus
- What a subculture is — and what it is not
- Punk — origins, scenes, and the do-it-yourself ethic
- Goth — image, mood, and lineage
- Emo and hardcore — feeling as politics
- The 2010s onward — splintering and revival
- Final field profile of one local scene
Assessment
30% reading responses, 25% seminar discussion, 20% mid-term essay, 25% final field profile.