Popular Music, Culture and Identity
UndergraduateGRF-SGY3552025
Explore how popular music has become an essential part of culture and everyday life. You’ll use sociological theories like postmodernism to understand its significance. Study popular music in depth. Get critical about the impact of music on society.
Enrolments for this course are closed, but you may have other options to start studying now. Book a consultation to learn more.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed, No prior study
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Start dates
- 3 Mar 2025
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Popular Music, Culture and Identity
About this subject
The subject encourages students to discuss popular music as a medium that, through its aesthetic qualities, becomes bound up with and informs identity, politics, taste and belonging in contemporary society.
At the conclusion of the subject you will have acquired skills that will allow you to:
- Discuss popular music’s dual significance as an industrial product and cultural artefact.
- Explore and analyse modes of mass production, mediatisation and global culture in enabling interactions with popular music.
- Critically apply knowledge of popular music to the evaluation of its socio-cultural meaning as this has evolved since the 1950s.
- What is Popular Music?
- City to City
- Genre-mania
- This is My Song
- Listening Pleasures
- Who's Got the X-Factor
- The Band is (Not) My Life
- Can you Sign this Please? Music Fandom
- Halls of Fame
- Plugged or Unplugged - but live!
- Remembering the Moment - Music and Memory
- Course Review
The aim of this subject is to apply critical perspectives to popular music as a key form of cultural production, consumption and leisure in contemporary everyday life. In doing so the unit will apply a range of sociological concepts and theories ranging from Marxism and cultural Marxism through to more recent post-structuralist approaches including postmodernism, reflexive modernity and risk. The unit will also draw on approaches applied to the study of popular music in corresponding disciplines such as cultural studies and media studies.
- Critical Analysis, Reflection (40%)
- Critical Analysis (60%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
With a network of campuses spanning three cities in South East Queensland, Griffith University is committed to progressive multidisciplinary teaching and research and a valuable online provider with Open Universities Australia. Already attracting students from over one hundred countries, Griffith's dedication to academic excellence is available across Australia through OUA.
Learn more about Griffith University.
Explore Griffith courses.
- QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 18
- Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 21
Entry requirements
No entry requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Why study a single subject?
Bite sized study
Try studying a particular area to see if online study suits you, or upskill in just a few months with a single subject that you’re interested in.
Pursue a dream
With thousands of single subjects to choose from, you can find topics that get you on the path to your higher education goals fast.
Gain Uni credit
Most single subjects are part of a full degree. That means if you’re keen to keep learning, you can gain credit for the subjects you’ve successfully completed.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateGRF-ART-DEG
Single subject FAQs
What’s a single subject?
Single subjects are the individual components that make up a degree. With Open Universities Australia, you’re able to study many of them as stand-alone subjects, including postgraduate single subjects, without having to commit to a degree.
Each of your subjects will be held over the course of a study term, and they’ll usually require 10 to 12 hours of study each week. Subjects are identified by a title and a code, for example, Developmental Psychology, PSY20007.
How can I use single subjects to get into a full degree?
First, find the degree that you would like to study on our website.
If that degree allows entry via undergraduate subjects, there will be information about this under the Entry Requirements section. You will find a list of 2-4 open enrolment subjects you need to successfully complete to qualify for admission into that qualification.
Once you pass those subjects, you will satisfy the academic requirements for the degree, and you can apply for entry.
Our student advisors are here to help you take that next step, so don’t hesitate to reach out when you’re ready! We’ve also made it easier to figure out the right way to get started on our pathways page.
Can anyone help me choose a subject?
Our student advisors are more than happy to help you plan your online study. Get in touch with an advisor by:
How do I pay for my subjects?
You can pay up front with your credit card, or you may be eligible for a HELP loan from the Australian government depending on your citizenship status and where you’ll live during your studies.
For more information about how to pay for your studies visit our fees page or contact a student advisor.
How do I enrol?
When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Enrol now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.
Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.
If you get stuck at any time, reach out to us and we’ll talk you through it.
You can also take a look at our online self-service enrolling instructions.
When is the cut-off date for enrolling?
Close of enrolment times vary between universities and subjects. You can check the cut-off dates for upcoming study terms by visiting key dates.