Module Database Search



MODULE DESCRIPTOR
Module Title
Celebrity Culture
Reference CB4173 Version 2
Created February 2024 SCQF Level SCQF 10
Approved June 2018 SCQF Points 15
Amended April 2024 ECTS Points 7.5

Aims of Module
To examine the historical and contemporary status of celebrity and to evaluate the different theoretical approaches to the study of celebrity.

Learning Outcomes for Module
On completion of this module, students are expected to be able to:
1 Analyse the origins and historical development of celebrity.
2 Evaluate different theoretical approaches to the understanding of celebrity.
3 Examine the inter-relationship between celebrity and the mass media.

Indicative Module Content
The history of celebrity, for example: gladiators, saints, Byron, Dickens, Lindbergh. The Hollywood star system. Theoretical approaches to celebrity. Fandom and audiences. The media and celebrity - vehicles of celebrity. Celebrity endorsement. Posthumous celebrity, for example: James Dean, Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, van Gogh. Sporting celebrity. Reality television. Celebrity culture online. The module engages students with UNESCO's Education for Sustainable Development in regard to the following competencies: Critical Thinking, Systems Thinking, and Self-Awareness. Through discussion-based tutorials, students develop the ability to question norms, practices and opinions, to critically reflect on the role of celebrity culture in society, the place of celebrity within media discourse and communication, and its relations to sociocultural, political, and commercial structures and ideologies. Further, students are enabled to recognise and understand relationships between disciplines, to learn from others and understand the needs, perspectives and actions of others, to develop the ability to reflect on their own role as media producers and consumers, and to take a position on the sustainability discourse.

Module Delivery
Lectures, seminars and tutorials; guided self-study.

Indicative Student Workload Full Time Part Time
Contact Hours 36 N/A
Non-Contact Hours 114 N/A
Placement/Work-Based Learning Experience [Notional] Hours N/A N/A
TOTAL 150 N/A
Actual Placement hours for professional, statutory or regulatory body    

ASSESSMENT PLAN
If a major/minor model is used and box is ticked, % weightings below are indicative only.
Component 1
Type: Coursework Weighting: 100% Outcomes Assessed: 1, 2, 3
Description: Individual Portfolio Assessment

MODULE PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTOR
Explanatory Text
The calculation of the overall grade for this module is based on 100% weighting of C1. An overall minimum grade D is required to pass the module.
Module Grade Minimum Requirements to achieve Module Grade:
A The student needs to achieve an A in C1.
B The student needs to achieve a B in C1.
C The student needs to achieve a C in C1.
D The student needs to achieve a D in C1.
E The student needs to achieve an E in C1.
F The student needs to achieve an F in C1.
NS Non-submission of work by published deadline or non-attendance for examination

Module Requirements
Prerequisites for Module None.
Corequisites for module None.
Precluded Modules None.

INDICATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY
1 CASHMORE, E., 2019. Kardashian Kulture: How Celebrities Changed Life in the 21st Century. Emerald.
2 DYER, R., 2004. Heavenly bodies: film stars and society. London: Routledge.
3 EVANS, J., 2005. Understanding media: inside celebrity. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
4 GIBSON, P., 2013. Fashion and Celebrity Culture. Oxford: Berg.
5 MARSHALL, P. D., 2014. Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
6 REDMOND, S., 2006. Stardom and celebrity: a reader. London: Sage.
7 ROJEK, C., 2015. Presumed Intimacy: Parasocial Attachment in Media, Society and Celebrity Culture. Cambridge: Polity.

Robert Gordon University, Garthdee House, Aberdeen, AB10 7QB, Scotland, UK: a Scottish charity, registration No. SC013781