HUM 250 - Pop Culture and Pedagogy: Examining the Black Mirror

In this course, students will engage in an examination of popular culture as pedagogy; namely, Charlie Brooker’s unsettling Netflix series Black Mirror. Brooker himself notes the ubiquity of these “black mirrors”-found on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, a smartphone. But, what is embedded in the hidden curriculum of these episodes? By utilizing the narratives of the series, mise-en-scène analyses, and through related course readings, students will be able to reflect on their own relationships to technologies and discuss the societal complications that can come along with our innovations. Letter grade. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits