Bracketed by the collapse of state socialism and the end of the millennium and 9/11, the 1990s is a surprisingly neat and significant epoch—a decade that saw the ossification of the neoliberal project, the rise of third-wave feminism, the continued waging of the “culture wars,” the proliferation of digital media, and even, perhaps, the “end of history.” Examining the decade’s trajectory through shifts in its theory and media landscapes, this course addresses a number of key figures and topics, including: the legacy of 80s postmodernism; the emergence of internet culture; the commercialization of gangsta rap, alternative music, and independent film; AIDS activist media; digital cinema, from Dogme 95 to Pixar; the Gulf War; rave and riot grrrl cultures; reality television; and Y2K Bug prepper culture. Artists and theorists to be covered in the class will include: Judith Butler, Roseanne Barr, Jean Baudrillard, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Frederic Jameson, Jerry Seinfeld, David Wojnarowicz, David Lynch, Lee Edelman, Aphex Twin, Bikini Kill, Hakim Bey, and the Spice Girls. [Tracks C, M, S]