Spandex, Spangles, and Stripes: Race, Gender, and the American Superhero

This is an online course offered in the summer and open to current high school students.

What does the popularity and ubiquity of superheroes in film and television say about contemporary US culture? According to philosopher Umberto Eco, superheroes represent the quintessential American myth. From their rugged individualism, protestant work ethic, moral exceptionalism, and grandeurs of greatness, superheroes personify American liberalism. In this course, we will complicate Eco’s claim by examining how the superhero as a character, genre, and industry has both reflected and critiqued discourses on national identity, citizenship, and globalization, especially in relation to race, gender, and sexuality. Centering graphic novels, movies, and TV shows, this course will explore how political tensions and cultural values have played out in the bodies, stories, and responses to American superheroes, including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the X-Men, and the Avengers.

Prerequisite: none