This course examines the history of mass culture in the United States from the mid-1800s to the present. It asks how mass cultural products, from minstrel shows to moving pictures to hip hop, developed as industries and went on to shape Americans’ ideas about gender, race, and class. Students will consider the role of “subcultures” and how Americans of many different identities and social groups have used mass culture to contest and reshape dominant or “mainstream” U.S. culture. Prerequisite: One course with attribute G4 including AP or IB credit.