3. Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame (University of South Carolina)

After being entranced the first time he saw Lady Gaga perform on The Tonight Show back in 2009, Mathieu Deflem became something of a Gaga Groupie. But following the Mother Monster around the world, purchasing hundreds of her albums, and even meeting her in person several times was not enough for the University of South Carolina sociology professor. Last year Deflem introduced an entire course dedicated to just how, exactly, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta became the Queen of Pop. A word of caution: this fall’s course description insists that “this is not a course in Lady Gaga but in sociology; and it is not a course about Lady Gaga as much as it is about the culture of the fame as exemplified by the career of Lady Gaga.” Some student fans may be disappointed to learn that the course does not include “any music or videos.”

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