This course will explore the phenomenon of popular culture from various philosophical perspectives. Philosophers are divided in their assessment of the aesthetic and moral worth of mass culture. While some thinkers, like Walter Benjamin and, more recently, Noël Carroll, tend toward an optimistic appraisal, others, like Theodor Adorno, adopt a much more critical attitude. Popular culture as a whole will be examined, but special attention will be given to film, photography, and television.