“Video killed the radio star”—internet killed the video star: media play an important role in our perception of popular culture. Pop(ular) music, television series as well as computer games have generated all kinds of subcultures. This course discusses the subject of subculture theory starting with the semiotic method of Hebdige and the Cultural Studies approach of the CCCS, up and including the ethnographic angle of incidence suggested by Maffesoli as well as theories concerning online fanship.

The manner media and mediation contribute to the foundation of subcultures will be studied. The ways in which magazines, music, radio, TV, film and the internet (as well as media such as gamesound tracks and ring tones) create processes of affective signification and identification will be examined. The human body will be studied as a significant factor within this context: in which ways for instance, do the online World of Warcraft-communities differ from Gothic cultures, wherein the body functions as mediation of subcultural solidarity?

 
This course is part of the ‘Music and Media’ track and elaborates on themes taught in the first year courses of the BA programme in Musicology. To succeed in this course, students will need intermediate to advanced knowledge of Western music history, basic knowledge of Popular music history, elementary to intermediate knowledge of music theory, and ­– preferably – knowledge of musical intermediality