January 5, 2024
Students in St. Bonaventure University’s Special Topics course explore the role of pop culture in the media environment and its influence on public policy.
“From the protest music of the 1960s to the phenomenon of Taylor Swift, pop culture has become a part of everyday American life,” said Dr. Richard Lee, professor at the university’s Jundry School of Communication.
Lee designed this course and plans to teach it in the spring 2024 semester. He sees this class as an opportunity to integrate elements of his own career in journalism, government, and academia.
Topics covered in this course include:
- How celebrities influence public policy.
- Politicians can avoid mainstream media scrutiny by appearing on entertainment television shows.
- The influence of Vietnam-era protest music.
- The phenomenon of Taylor Swift, who was named Time Magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year;
- Volodymyr Zelensky played the president of Ukraine on a sitcom before becoming president in real life.
“The line between entertainment and politics has always been blurred, and today it’s even less clear,” Lee said. “This class will help you understand how we got to where we are today and where we are going tomorrow.”
The origins of this course lie in research Lee conducted during his Ph.D. He wrote a book chapter showing how Vietnam War-era protest songs provided the public with information not reported by mainstream media.
As a professor, he incorporates units on entertainment into his seminar classes on media and democracy, campaigns, candidates, and current elections. He has also lectured on the relationship between music and public policy at numerous academic conferences, including seminars on the works of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and Bruce Springsteen.
Throughout his professional career, Lee covered not only rock and roll but also government and politics. He subsequently held several government communications positions, including deputy communications director for two New Jersey governors. He is a founding member of the Hall Public Policy Institute in New Jersey and serves as executive director of the Jandoli Institute, a public policy center he founded at St. Bonaventure in 2019.
“We are grateful that Dr. Lee brings his diverse and extensive experience to this timely course,” said Jundry Dean Aaron Chimbel. “I have no doubt that students will get a lot out of this class.”
