The sociology of Lady Gaga isn’t the only eye-catching course on USC’s spring schedule.
Students registering this month will consider classes on the lyrics of Bob Marley, the religious aspects of the “Twilight” saga, the history of hunting in America or the multi-pronged lessons taught in building catapults and cannons.
While these out-of-the-ordinary class offerings aren’t quantum physics or organic chemistry, they are far from crip courses. The deep exploration involves essays, which for some students might balance the fun aspects of studying something cool.
Sociology professor Mathieu Deflem hoped to drum up some interest on campus when he was interviewed by The Daily Gamecock about his new course — SOCY 398D: “Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame.”
“Initially I thought I should call the course the Sociology of Fame or the Sociology of Celebrity, and then I was going to use Lady Gaga as an example,” Deflem told The Daily Gamecock. “Then I thought, ‘Oh, what the hell? Let’s make the whole freaking course about Lady Gaga and her rise to fame.’”
In a testament to Lady Gaga’s mysterious appeal, the story went viral on the Internet. The New York Times and Washington Post wrote their own stories. The course has its own Web site www.gagacourse.net.
Yet the 50 seats in the class might not fill up immediately when spring registration begins on Nov. 8. The full course description could scare some students. Among other things, it states: “The workload will be at least 3 to 4 hours on average a week besides attending the lectures. First-year students are not advised to take this course because the scholarly approach adopted in the course might be too challenging.”
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