Millennial Media: Youth Audiences and Commercial Culture

Coming of age narratives speak to both youth audiences and adult viewers, and thus have a pervasive impact on popular culture. In this course, we will explore the commercial construct of the "millennial generation," a generation imagined to span those born from the late 1970s through 2000. We will consider how representations of adolescents circulate in American film, television, and digital media texts such as Harry Potter and Glee, examining their industrial contexts and their audience response. We will interrogate trade and popular publications seeking to define millennials, and consider the social significance of generational discourse more broadly. (FMMC 0101 or FMMC 0104 or AMST 0211) 3 hrs. lect./3 hrs. screen.