A handful of new courses are joining the Wheaton curriculum this coming spring, including a course taught by Professor Dorweiler on “Popular Culture and World Politics.”

As the name suggests, the class focuses on the interactions between popular culture and politics, especially on the pressures and influences popular culture can exert on political actors. The course will also focus on the ways in which that influence is frequently dismissed by scholars of political science.

According to Dorzweiler, “[popular culture is] often seen as mindless escapism… My course suggests that such an attitude is not only dismissive, but potentially dangerous.” Dorzweiler argues that popular culture shapes the way we live as members of a society and greatly influences our views and understanding of the world around us. Therefore, he believes that popular culture has tremendous implications for global politics.

The class will examine various pop culture items, including “Star Trek,” war photography and music. Members of the course will then use these pop culture artifacts as tools to examine pop culture’s influence on society.

“Popular Culture and World Politics” requires no prerequisites and is available to every student. Dorzweiler highly encourages anyone who is interested to sign up.