Cultural studies 1.S2.MLA.13
Course objective
This course introduces Cultural Studies with an emphasis on the study of digital and popular cultures. It will cover a range of topics of interest in the field as well as research methods from several different disciplines. Students will acquire the basic knowledge and analytic skills to pursue more advanced inquiries into Cultural Studies.
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Course content
• Definitions of culture
• Communicating culture (visual, verbal, non-verbal), “unmarked categories” of cultural knowledge, and paradigms in Cultural Studies (structuralism, hermeneutics, political economy, poststructuralism, and postmodernism)
• Technological innovation and the development of digital culture, globalization, and inequality
• Popular culture, subcultures, mass culture
• Language and representation in culture and media, diversity and marginalization
• Cultural identities, Diversity and marginalization, bodies, and subjectivities
• Research methods, studying media, fandom, and digital engagement with social issues
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Methods of instruction/ forms of classroom activity:
multimedia presentation, discussion, extensive readings, in-class writing, project, IT tools
Field of study
Student workload
Study level
Education profile
Type of course
obligatory courses
The semester in which the subject is carried out
Mode
Course coordinators
Term 2023/24-Z: | Term 2024/25-Z: |
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
Students know
1. theoretical models of cultural studiesas well as their implications for the advancement of interdisciplinary studies of culture (k_W04/P7S_WG)
2. the (role of) historical tradition and its influence on the human condition (k_W05/P7S_WG)
Skills
Students can
3. understand and process information on cultural scholarship and reconstruct meaning and argumentation given specific cultural context of the studies reviewed (k_U03/P7S_UW)
4. can analyse textual, graphic and visual data, compare and contrast various ideas and viewpoints (k_U07/P7S_UW)
5. carry out an in-depth interpretation of selected t works of culture in order to evaluate their impact in the cultural context (k_U09/P7S_UW)
Social competences
Students are ready to
6. critically assess incoming information on various cultural products and practice, acknowledge merits and limitations of various viewpoints and theories (k_K02/P7S_KK)
Assessment criteria
Forms of evaluation of learning outcomes
1. Participation in class activities to improve English language skill – 20% of the final grade (outcome 1,2,3)
2. Reading responses - 20% of the final grade (outcome 2,3,5)
3. Cultural difference reflections and other in-class writing – 20% of the final grade (outcome 1,4,5,6)
4. Cultural Studies Project proposal materials – 40% of the final grade (outcome 4,5,6)
Bibliography
Reading materials will be provided by the teacher
Additional reading:
Baldwin, Elaine. 2009. Introducing Cultural Studies. Prentice Hall Europe.
Barker, Chris, Emma Jane. 2016. Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London/Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Longhurst, Brian, Greg Smith, Gaynor Bagnall, Garry Crawford, Miles Ogborn, 2008. Introducing Cultural Studies 2nd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education.
Walton, David. 2008. Introducing Cultural Studies: Learning through Practice. London/Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Articles from international press and news services, wikis, blogs, videos about cultural events and products
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: