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  • © 2019

The Pedagogy of Queer TV

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Explores the concept of entertainment as pedagogy, arguing that queer characters, narrative devices, music, music video aesthetics, melodrama and emotion are all part of televisual teaching
  • Closely analyses a wide range of queer entertainment programmes
  • Frames case studies in their historical context

Part of the book series: Palgrave Entertainment Industries (PAEI)

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
  2. Introduction: Entertaining to Educate

    • Ava Laure Parsemain
    Pages 1-22
  3. Historical Context

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 23-23
    2. Looking Back: The Evolution of Queer TV

      • Ava Laure Parsemain
      Pages 25-35
  4. Musical Soap Operas on Broadcast Television

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 37-37
    2. It Gets Better: The Pedagogy of Glee

      • Ava Laure Parsemain
      Pages 39-63
    3. Burning Boxes: The Pedagogy of Empire

      • Ava Laure Parsemain
      Pages 65-91
  5. Reality TV on Basic Cable

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 93-93
    2. The Self and the Other: The Pedagogy of I Am Cait

      • Ava Laure Parsemain
      Pages 141-165
  6. Quality Drama on Premium Cable and Streaming

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 167-167
    2. It’s Not TV: The Pedagogy of Looking

      • Ava Laure Parsemain
      Pages 169-191
    3. “I Am Also a We”: The Pedagogy of Sense8

      • Ava Laure Parsemain
      Pages 215-237
    4. Conclusion: Engaging with the Other

      • Ava Laure Parsemain
      Pages 239-253
  7. Back Matter

    Pages 255-261

About this book

This book examines queer characters in popular American television, demonstrating how entertainment can educate audiences about LGBT identities and social issues like homophobia and transphobia. Through case studies of musical soap operas (Glee and Empire), reality shows (RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Prancing Elites Project and I Am Cait) and “quality” dramas (Looking, Transparent and Sense8), it argues that entertainment elements such as music, humour, storytelling and melodrama function as pedagogical tools, inviting viewers to empathise with and understand queer characters. Each chapter focuses on a particular programme, looking at what it teaches—its representation of queerness—and how it teaches this—its pedagogy. Situating the programmes in their broader historical context, this study also shows how these televisual texts exemplify a specific moment in American television.

Authors and Affiliations

  • The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

    Ava Laure Parsemain

About the author

Ava Parsemain is an Educational Developer at The University of New South Wales, Australia

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access