Glee and New Directions for Social Change

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvi

   PDF

2. The Framework

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. Using the “New Directions” to Move Media Viewers in the Right Directions

      • Drew Shade, Keunyeong Kim, Eun-Hwa Jung, Mary Beth Oliver

      Pages 3-15

3. Bullying

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 17-17

      PDF

   2. A Gleek Perspective on Slushie Facials

      • Kimberley Walsh

      Pages 19-39

   3. I’ll Stand by You

      • Kelly p. Dillon

      Pages 41-57

4. LGBTQ (MIS)Representations

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 59-59

      PDF

   2. Glee Goes Gaga

      • Jenna Guitar

      Pages 61-68

   3. Something Old & Borrowed

      • Ryan Cales

      Pages 69-79

   4. Kurt and Blaine

      • Gene Kelly

      Pages 81-93

   5. Sue Sylvester, Coach Beiste, Santana Lopez, and Unique Adams

      • Kathryn Hobson

      Pages 95-107

5. Identity Politics

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 109-109

      PDF

   2. Glee and “Born this Way”

      • Margeaux Lippman-Hoskins

      Pages 111-122

   3. ‘Loser like Me’

      • Kristen Navarro

      Pages 123-137

   4. “Handi-Capable”?

      • Dana Hasson

      Pages 139-157

6. Death and the Search for Meaning

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 159-159

      PDF

   2. From “Grilled Cheesus” to “The Quarterback”

      • Shannon M. Taylor

      Pages 161-171

   3. “On Our Way”

      • Dustin Bradley Goltz

      Pages 173-184

   4. The Asteroid and the Shooter

      • Davis B. Smith

      Pages 185-194

   5. Swan Song

      • Lisa K. Perdigao

      Pages 195-206

In the fall of 2009, the Fox network took a bold step in their primetime television lineup. Borrowing from the success of reality music performance shows like its own American Idol, the network introduced us to the students at McKinley High School, a fictional high school in Lima, OH, and home to the glee club known as the New Directions. The group is made up of freaks and geeks who feel the wrath of being “different.” The cool kids are hell bent on making life difficult for the students in glee club. Yet, because of the determination of Mr. Will Schuester, the club’s advisor, along with a few great songs, Glee has brought a new tone of inclusion to modern television and direct parallels can be seen between the experiences of the show choir members and what is happening in contemporary society. Glee has shown the importance of examining the intersections of pop culture and social issues; this text will encourage thinking on how effective the show has been beyond the screen. Essays provide critical analyses of the show, its characters, and its overall usefulness as a commentary on social issues. The show’s content often deals with subject matter that would lend easily to critique around such social issues as sexuality, bullying, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, and family relationships. This text invites readers to examine the intersections between media, society, and the individual.

• media representations
• multicultural education
• social change

• Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, USA

  Brian C. Johnson

• Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, USA

  Daniel K. Faill

Policies and ethics