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ENG 705: Cultural StudiesProfessor Kelly Ritter
Spring 2012Office: 3119 MHRA
W 6:30-9:20 PMEmail:
MHRA 3204Office Hrs: M 1:00-3:00
W 4:00-5:00
Course Overview:
In this seminar, we will examine the field of cultural studies through one particular sub-area of its many concerns: class, culture, and education. After a general introduction to the broader field and its key questions, our readings will focus on theories of culture and literacy, and culture and schooling, utilizing some British and some American perspectives on cultural studies as a field. The core of our study, however, will focus on a historiographic look at the postwar era in America (defined for our purposes as the period 1945-1963, or the “long fifties”) through its own cultural production, specifically films and sociological studies, so as to examine the ways in which cultural expectations of youth—particularly in relation to class and social standing—affected and were affected by public secondary education strategies and pedagogical configurations. We will pair these historical items with contemporary theories of culture throughout the course, so as to understand this theory in relation to specific items of cultural production in America. Students should expect weekly reading assignments of substance, as well as occasional film viewings to be done outside of class time. Regular attendance and active participation is expected, fitting of a graduate seminar.
Course Texts:
Books, Chapters, and Articles (* = to be posted on our course Bb site):
*Adorno, Theodor and Max Horkheimer. “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception.” (1944). Dialectic of Enlightenment. New York: Verso, 1969.
Appiah, Kwame Anthony. The Ethics of Identity. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2007.
Barthes, Roland, Mythologies. New York: Hill and Wang, 1973.
Bourdieau, Pierre. “The Aristocracy of Culture;” “The Sense of Distinction;” “Cultural Goodwill;” and “The Choice of the Necessary.” Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1987. 11-96; 260-396.
Dewey, John. Democracy and Education. New York: Simon and Brown, 2011.
During, Simon. “The Discipline;” and “Time.” Cultural Studies: A Critical Introduction.
New York: Routledge, 2005. 3-70.
*Graff, Harvey. “The Moral Bases of Literacy: Society, Economy, and Social Order.” The Literacy Myth: Cultural Integration and Social Structure in the Nineteenth Century. New York: Transaction, 1991.
Habermas, Jürgen. Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere. Cambridge, MA: The MIT
Press, 1991.
Hoberek, Andrew. The Twilight of the Middle Class: Post World War II American Fiction and White Collar Work. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2005.
Packard, Vance. The Status Seekers. New York: Penguin, 1961.
*Ross, Andrew. “Uses of Camp” and “Defenders of the Faith and the New Class.” No Respect: Intellectuals and Popular Culture. New York: Routledge, 1989. 135-170; 209-231.
*Sorokin, Pitkin. “Vertical Mobility Within Western Societies.” Social and Cultural Mobility. New York: Free Press, 1959. 463-490.
Tough, Paul. Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America. New York: Mariner Books, 2009.
Veblen, Thorstein. Conspicuous Consumption. New York: Penguin, 2006.
*Williams, Raymond. “Culture is Ordinary.” Resources of Hope: Culture, Democracy, Socialism. London: Verso, 1958. 3-14.
*- - -. “The Uses of Cultural Theory.” New Left Review I/158 (July-August 1986): 19-31.
Willis, Paul. Learning to Labour: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs. New York: Columbia UP, 1981.
Instructional Films:
(Note: Most of these films can be found at , within the Prelinger archives)
A Citizen Makes a Decision. Centron Films, 1954.
Better Use of Your Leisure Time. Coronet Films, 1950.
Cheating. Centron Films, 1952.
How Honest are You? Coronet Films, 1950.
I Want to Be a Secretary. Coronet Films, 1947.
Mind Your Manners! Coronet Films, 1953.
School House in The Red. Agra Films/W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 1945.
Snap Out of It! (Emotional Balance). Coronet Films, 1951.
Social Class in America. McGraw-Hill, 1957.
The Trouble Maker. Centron Films, 1959.
Writing Better Social Letters. Coronet Films, 1950.
Feature Films and Documentaries:
Blackboard Jungle. MGM, 1955.
Seven-Up. Granada Television/BBC, 1964.
Born Rich. Shout Factory Theatre, 2004.
Man in the Grey Flannel Suit. Twentieth Century Fox, 1956.
Course Requirements:
•Two critical responses of 3-5 pages each to selected course readings (40% of final grade)
In conjunction with one of these responses, each student will be responsible for team-leading class discussion with another student(s) for approximately 60 minutes of class time. Last date to submit a critical response that is not tied to a discussion-leading session is February 29th.
•Oral Presentation of 8-10 minutes on the student’s final paper/project (10% of final grade)
In the oral presentations, each student will provide an overview of his or her final paper, and discuss his or her tentative bibliography in relation to our course texts and concepts. In addition, the student will provide a handout for class members that raises key questions that the final paper seeks to answer, for further class discussion.
•Final seminar paper of 15-20 pages (12-15 pages for M.A/MFA students) (50% of final grade)
The final paper will be submitted to me via email as a Word attachment by 6:00 PM on Tuesday, April 24th. Page length is exclusive of Works Cited and any Endnotes. Students will receive email comments on their final papers within two weeks of the end of the Spring 2012 semester.
Attendance:
As this course meets only once weekly, it is critical that students attend all meetings. If an emergency arises and a class member cannot attend class, he or she should contact me and arrange to make up the work. Students who must miss more than two class sessions will not receive credit for the course. Students who have protracted illnesses or other chronic health situations which may affect their attendance should speak with me.
Late Work:
Please turn in all work on the day that it is due. I will accept late work, in the case of the critical responses, but it will be accepted with a grade penalty, in fairness to other students. I will not accept late seminar papers under any circumstances.
Course Outline
Week 1:January 11Introductions and Overview
What is cultural studies?
Reading: During, “The Discipline” and “Time”
Class and Consumption
Week 2:January 18Reading: Veblen, Conspicuous Consumption and Adorno and Horkheimer, “The Culture Industry.”
View: Born Rich (2003) [in-class]
Discussion Leaders: ______
Week 3: January 25Reading: Barthes, Mythologies; Williams, “The Uses of Cultural Theory” and “Culture is Ordinary” Discussion Leaders: ______
Week 4:February 1Reading: Bourdieu, “The Aristocracy of Culture;” “The Sense of Distinction;” “Cultural Goodwill;” and “The Choice of the Necessary.”
Optional: D.H. Lawrence, “The Rocking Horse Winner”
(
Viewing: Better Use of Your Leisure Time and Writing Better Social Letters [out-of-class]
Discussion Leaders: ______
Week 5:February 8Reading: Packard, The Status Seekers andRoss, “Uses of Camp” and “Defenders of the Faith and the New Class”
Viewing: Social Class in America and I Want to Be a Secretary [out-of-class]
Discussion Leaders: ______
Week 6:February 15Reading: Hoberek, Twilight of the Middle Class
Viewing: Man in the Grey Flannel Suit [out-of-class]
Discussion Leaders: ______
Class and Education
Week 7:February 22Reading: Dewey, Democracy and Education
Viewing: School House in the Red and A Citizen Makes a Decision [in-class]
Discussion Leaders: ______
Week 8:February 29Reading: Habermas, Social Transformation of the Public Sphere
Viewing: Snap Out of It! And The Trouble Maker [out-of-class]
Discussion Leaders: ______
Week 9:March 7Spring Break—no class
Seminar Paper Proposals due 3/7 by 5:00 PM via email
Week 10:March 14Reading: Sorokin, “Vertical Mobility Within Western Societies” and Graff, “The Moral Bases of Literacy”
Viewing: How Honest Are you? and Cheating [out-of-class]
Discussion Leaders: ______
Week 11:March 21No Class—4Cs conference; virtual/BB class
Reading: Appiah, The Ethics of Identity (all students post to BB discussion thread)
Week 12:March 28Class, Education, and Identity
Reading: Willis, Learning to Labour
Viewing: Seven-Up [out-of-class]
Discussion Leaders: ______
Week 13:April 4Identity and Rebellion
Reading: Tough, Whatever It Takes
Viewing: Blackboard Jungle [out-of-class]
Week 14:April 11Oral presentations on seminar paper topics and questions
Week 15:April 18Seminar Paper peer workshops; Course Evaluations
Week 16:April 24 (Tuesday)Seminar papers due via email as Word attachments