In this introductory course, you will explore the historical, economic, and political environments that produce popular culture products and practices. You will learn to identify specific popular culture phenomena and artifacts-whether written, visual, audiovisual, or embodied-and discuss their role in constructing social values and identities. The course introduces key theories in the field of popular culture and familiarizes you with relevant the professional groups, networks, and associations associated with pop culture. You will also develop skills to critically discuss aspects of popular culture as seen in global settings. This foundation course establishes core theoretical frameworks, connecting everyday cultural experiences with academic approaches from media studies, cultural theory, music studies and more. Through examining contemporary examples and historical developments, you will be introduced to the analytical tools to understand how popular culture both reflects and shapes our social world.