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Politics of Culture: Theory and Practice in Cultural Studies
DozentIn: Jatin Wagle
Veranstaltungstyp: Seminar
Ort: 41/111
Zeiten: Do. 14:00 - 16:00 (wöchentlich)
Beschreibung: This is a course in English and American Studies which seeks to explore the everyday and popular aspects of modern, media culture, and in particular, its underlying politics. Moreover, it attempts to introduce students to the intellectual and political project of transatlantic Cultural Studies, which first emerged in the 1960s in Britain to engage with what Raymond Williams had described as “ordinary culture.” Instead of focusing on the so-called High Culture as in traditional literary studies, it emphasized the quotidian nature of culture, its materiality, as also its workings as a set of symbolic practices. In this class, we will look at the many ways in which industrialized culture has been characterized, viz. as mass culture, culture industry [_Kulturindustrie_], popular culture etc. During this process, we will also get acquainted with a range of theoretical approaches that aid critical enquiries into the commodities and practices of modern mass media, such as cultural materialism, Marxism, feminism, semiotics, and gender studies.
In order to take and enjoy this class, you should be willing to read, analyze, and discuss theoretical and analytical texts. Please note that this seminar is recommended for fourth and fifth semester students of English and American Studies, since it builds upon students' awareness and understanding of the basic tools and concepts of literary and cultural studies.
The required readings with a tentative schedule will be made available online on Stud.IP before our first class. Please check the course webpages on Stud.IP regularly for updates, announcements, and changes.
Prerequisites for participation: B1 module
General requirements:
1. Regular attendance and active participation in classroom discussions and group work.
2. Please note that this course can only be taken as a Cultural Studies course and is not being offered under Literary Studies.
3. All course participants will need to read each of the texts being discussed in the class carefully and prepare their notes or answers diligently in terms of the relevant questions.
4. If you do not engage with the allotted texts and participate actively in our classroom discussions, you will be asked to sign out of the course.
Requirements for grade: All of the above, and a seminar paper (approx. 4000 words). Further instructions in this regard will be provided after the first half of the course is over.
