From Minstrels-Mortal Kombat

HIST-380C-01

Binghamton University

  • Semester
    Summer 2025
  • Instructor
    Geoffrey Ramirez
  • Start Date
    05-27-2025
  • Total Credits
    4
  • Call to Register
    607-777-6088

Take your class online with SUNY

You will learn the same curriculum as our on-campus students

Cultural products act as mirrors for the ideologies, anxieties, and hopes of their creators. In the 20th century, popular culture gained greater prominence as new mediums, technologies, and social movements gave culture more social and political currency. Pop culture was designed to commercially prey on people’s nostalgia and desires to belong or be seen. But can still be fun and can be an important aspect of a person’s identity. We should examine this contradiction to understand if it is even possible to responsibly consume problematic media.This course is designed to explore how popular culture has been a powerful tool for both racial subjugation and empowerment in the 20th century United States. It highlights how important moments in U.S. history impacted cultural products and the people who enjoyed them.It is structured chronologically from the late 19th to the early 21st century exploring how events such as Gilded Age immigration, the Cold War, and liberal economic policies impacted peoples lives and the culture they produced and consumed. Each week will focus thematically on a specific medium including minstrel culture, romance novels, and video games. While race is the primary focus of this course, it also examines class, gender, and politics to understand how these historical intersections complicated the impacts popular culture had on individuals and communities. Major themes will include historical and cultural memory, representation, and identity.
General Education Area(s): Social Sciences
Course Area: History
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Dates: 05-27-2025 - 06-30-2025
Find books for your online class
Instructor: Geoffrey Ramirez
Local Course ID: 25SU_BIN_HIST380C_01
Books & Supplies
  • How to Register for an Online Course

    Let's put your mind at ease about online learning

  • Search
    Search for an online course by keyword, semester, campus, area, or a combination of each.
  • Select Course
    Select a course from the results list that fits your needs.
  • Visit College Website
    Click “register now” to visit the college website to register as a “non-credit” or “non-matriculated” student if you are not enrolled at the campus.
  • Contact Registrar
    Contact the registrar’s office or enrollment office to register for the course. Make sure you have the course name and course ID when you register.
  • Transfer Credits
    If you plan to transfer credit for the course, make sure you have reviewed the course with the advisor at your current college to ensure the credits will transfer to your degree program.
  • Locate Course Materials
    Once you register for the course, visit the campus bookstore to find the books and materials for the course. You will need the course ID to find the books.

Interested in registering for this class?

Your Privacy is Important To Us.

SUNY.edu uses simple cookies to help build a better website experience for our visitors. Learn more through our Privacy Policy.