Monday, November 1, 2010

Timing is Everything

I went to college in the wrong decade. Were I an undergraduate today, enrolled at the University of South Carolina, I could take a course called "Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame." Lady Gaga, of course, is the stage name of Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, the latest specimen of ephemera produced by the ADHD world of modern pop music. She wears weird costumes and releases silly songs, or it may be the other way around.

Either way, the good folk of South Carolina are helping subsidize an exploration of fame and celebrity via a study of the 24-year-old's career. According to the course catalog, “The central objective is to unravel some of the sociologically relevant dimensions of the fame of Lady Gaga.” To me, that description would suggest a very short seminar rather than a semester-long course, but I am not an academic.

The instructor believes the course is the only full-time college course in the country dealing with this matter. No doubt. Even modern college professors have some standards, dude.

ETA: A description of the course may be found here.

No comments: