What role do celebrities and fans have on the way we think about social identities? Drawing on recent research in feminist media and celebrity studies, the class charts the history and development of celebrity and fandom via literature, film, the printing press and social and broadcast media, providing a context for the exploration of theories of performance, celebrity, audiences and fandoms and spectatorship. Some key questions that will be asked include:
do celebrity and fan cultures have a damaging or a positive social impact on our identity formations? What does it mean to see celebrities as role models? How do we negotiate our own identity in relation to celebrity and fan cultures?