Beschreibung:This seminar in American Studies aims to explore the changing nature and significance of popular culture in the multifarious contexts of digitization and digitalization. By drawing on critical and theoretical material across cultural studies, media studies, and media industries studies, we will analyze modes of expressions and cultural forms in the digital domains, while trying to comprehend emergent forms of sociality and cultural/political imaginaries.
In order to take and enjoy this class, you should be willing to read, analyze, and discuss theoretical and analytical texts. This seminar is recommended for fourth and fifth semester students of American Studies, since it builds upon students’ awareness and understanding of the basic tools and concepts of cultural studies.
As part of your assigned work in this seminar, all the course participants would need to carefully prepare the reading(s) allotted for a session, develop points of discussion, respond to the reading(s) via annotations on Google Docs. If you have queries or doubts, they should also be raised on the digital, collaborative tools. The due dates for your contributions will be mentioned in the syllabus wiki. Our weekly, in-person meetings will be assisted by expert groups/session presenters.
While posting your comments, remarks and questions on digital, collaborative platforms used in this course, please keep in mind that you are communicating and interacting within an academic context. Therefore, your online contributions are expected to articulate informed and well-grounded views that are germane to the course contents, i.e., considered reflections based on analyses and/or scholarly readings.