Cultural Studies: British Foundations and Applications
Jane Rinehart, GonzagaUniversity, Sociology and Women’s Studies
This course provides a basic introduction to the field of cultural studies—its principal concepts, methods, and theories—highlighting the special contributions of British cultural studies. The subject matter of cultural studies is varied and includes the world of Harry Potter, Princess Diana’s celebrity and death, food, television programs, beauty pageants, fashion, toys, pop music, and shopping malls. Cultural studies is also a multi-disciplinary field, and we will focus on sociological approaches to the analysis of culture that emphasize issues of ideology, power, the practices of making meaning in everyday life, and the production/consumption of mass media. We will develop a basic sociological tool kit for analyzing cultural processes, incorporating modern and postmodern theoretical strategies. Throughout the semester, we will practice using these tools to understand aspects of the students’ experiences in England. \
Description: Cultural studies encompasses many different disciplines. Our focus will be the British contribution to this field of inquiry, especially its emphasis upon applications—the use of theoretical models to understand specific features of cultural contexts—and its attention to the practices of everyday life. Students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of several strategies for analyzing culture in relation to a specific topic of their choosing.
Readings: Jeff Lewis, Cultural Studies: The Basics (London: Sage; 2002) and Graeme Turner, British Cultural Studies: An Introduction (London: Routledge, 2003).
Class Format: We will use a combination of lecture and seminar-style discussion. I will prepare and distribute handouts on the readings that will help students to identify important points and provide a prompt for questions. In most of the classes we will also work with a variety of materials from contemporary British culture, especially mass media representations.
Requirements: Class meetings will allow a considerable amount of time for discussion of assigned readings, so students will be expected to prepare by identifying the key points in the texts, raising questions about the reading, and making connections to their experiences within the program. All students will be expected to write two exams and complete a group project on a topic they select. These projects will be presented to the class during the final weeks of the semester. The final grade in the course will be computed as follows: two exams each worth 30%, group project oral presentation worth 10%, group project written report worth 20%, and overall participation in class discussions worth 10%.
Organization of Course (14 week model):
Unit One: Introducing Culture and Cultural Theory
Week 1: Defining Our Task
Reading: Lewis, Cultural Studies: The Basics, Chapter 1
Week 2: Sociological Approaches to Culture
Reading: Lewis, Cultural Studies: The Basics, Chapter 2
Week 3: Critical Theory
Reading: Lewis, Cultural Studies: The Basics, Chapter 3
Week 4: Introducing British Cultural Studies
Reading: Lewis, Cultural Studies: The Basics, Chapter 4
Unit Two: Intensive on British Cultural Studies
Week 5: Defining Cultural Studies
Reading: Turner, British Cultural Studies: An Introduction, Chapter 1
Week 6: The British tradition in Cultural Studies
Reading: Turner, British Cultural Studies: An Introduction, Chapter 2
Week 7: Texts and Contexts
Reading: Turner, British Cultural Studies: An Introduction, Chapter 3
Week 8: Audiences
Reading: Turner, British Cultural Studies: An Introduction, Chapter 4
Week 9: Crossing Disciplines
Reading: Turner, British Cultural Studies: An Introduction, Chapter 5
Week 10: Reconsidering Critique
Reading: Turner, British Cultural Studies: An Introduction, Chapters 6 and 7
Week 11: Feminist Cultural Studies and Politics
Reading: Lewis, Cultural Studies: The Basics, Chapter 6
Week 12: Popular Media
Reading: Lewis, Cultural Studies: The Basics, Chapter 8
Week 13: Student Presentations
Week 14: Considering and Constructing Futures
Reading: Lewis, Cultural Studies: The Basics, Chapter 12
Turner, British Cultural Studies: An Introduction, Chapter 8