Overview
Critical analysis of celebrity culture and its central role in the production of value and identity formation in contemporary societies
About this paper
| Paper title | Celebrity |
|---|---|
| Subject | Media, Film and Communication |
| EFTS | 0.1500 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2026 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,103.10 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 18 points from 100 level MFCO papers
- Restriction
- MFCO 350
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Contact
- Teaching staff
To be advised when paper is next offered.
- Textbooks
To be advised when paper is next offered.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
To be advised when paper is next offered.
Overview
Critical analysis of celebrity culture and its central role in the production of value and identity formation in contemporary societies
Celebrity culture captures the processes at play in identity construction in contemporary societies, especially how they are shaped by the circulation of people, ideas, values, and goods regionally, nationally, and transnationally.
The aim of the paper is to critically explore the role of celebrity culture in contemporary society and the ways in which it shapes modalities of public personhood and citizenship. The paper builds on themes explored in other papers: lifestyle and consumer culture, brand culture and advertising, digital media and influencer culture, media spectacles, entertainment industry including reality TV, fandom culture. The paper will historicise celebrity culture in relation to the history of cinema, journalism, television, and the web 2.0. It will then explore the expansion of celebrity culture to new domains of public life, which may include sport, politics, activism, academia.
The objective of this paper is to understand the ideological role of celebrity in processes of identity construction, the expansion of fame to new domains of public life, and its imbrications with neoliberal consumer-driven mediascape. The question of national specificity of celebrity culture, including examples from Aotearoa New Zealand, will feature prominently.
About this paper
| Paper title | Celebrity |
|---|---|
| Subject | Media, Film and Communication |
| EFTS | 0.1500 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 18 points from 100 level MFCO papers
- Restriction
- MFCO 350
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Eligibility
Students who meet the prerequisite are welcome to enrol in this paper. Prior study of Media is not necessary.
- Contact
- Teaching staff
- Paper Structure
This paper features modules which may include any of the following:
- "Historicising Celebrity"
- "Manufacturing Celebrity"
- "Representing Celebrity"
- "Using Celebrity"
- Teaching Arrangements
Attendance at lectures, screenings and tutorials is essential.
- Textbooks
Textbooks are not required for this paper.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Communication, Information literacy, Research.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
- Communicate complex ideas regarding critical analysis of celebrity in written, visual and verbal form, anchored in extended scholarly research.
- Critically evaluate arguments and positions drawn from research material with regards to celebrity culture.
- Achieve a sophisticated cultural understanding of the expressions of identity and difference (gender, race, class, sexuality, disability) through celebrity culture, with an emphasis on the bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Engage critically in a sophisticated and nuanced way with selected issues at play in celebrity culture, especially as they relate to social status, meritocracy, the commodification of the self, and national/global culture.