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Culture Industry and Popular Culture
DozentIn: Jatin Wagle
Veranstaltungstyp: Seminar
Ort: 41/E02
Zeiten: Di. 12:00 - 14:00 (wöchentlich)
Beschreibung: At first glance, the term “popular culture” suggests that it is of “the people”. But, is modern culture actually determined by the people who receive it, or is it predetermined for their consumption by the industry that manufactures it? In other words, what is the politics of popular culture in an industrial and postindustrial age? This course in American Studies intends to engage with these and related questions, as it seeks to acquaint students with the intellectual and political project of Cultural Studies, which first emerged in Britain in the 1960s to address what Raymond Williams had described as “ordinary culture.” Over the duration of this course, we will examine the varied manners in which modern culture has been characterized, such as, mass culture, or culture industry [_Kulturindustrie_], and get acquainted with a wide array of theoretical approaches that have shaped critical inquiries into the products and practices of modern mass media.
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 course can only be taken as a Cultural Studies [_Kulturwissenschaft_] course and is not being offered under Literary Studies. Moreover, 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, and respond to the reading(s) via annotations. 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.
We will review our progress, revisit and amend the course schedule, our strategies of classroom interaction as well as the seminar contents on a periodic basis. Readings will be made available in a “Readings” folder via links or as pdfs under the “Files” tab.
This course shares requirements and guidelines with other American Studies courses taught at IfAA. The “American Studies Tool Kit” in the Stud.IP “Files” section outlines these requirements and guidelines. Please see the “Guidelines for Seminar Papers” for information on the formal requirements for the final paper. The “Grading Rubric” is used in the grading and feedback process and will enable you to better judge your own paper even before handing it in. Please check the course webpages on Stud.IP regularly for updates, announcements, and changes.
Prerequisites for participation: ANG-B1 module.
