Cultural studies is the exploration of "culture," what Raymond Williams calls nothing less than "one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language." Cultural studies analyzes the artistic, social, political, and historical texts and objects that help construct our contemporary lives, and it assumes that such objects go well beyond "mere entertainment" and affect deeply how we perceive class, race, gender, and other markers of identity. As an introduction to the theory and practice of cultural studies, this course will familiarize students with some of the most important thinkers and methodologies in the field and will allow students to use some of the tools of critical analysis to analyze different forms of cultural production, including literature, popular culture, and print and electronic media. Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hoursPrerequisite: 6 credit units
Cultural studies is the exploration of "culture," what Raymond Williams calls nothing less than "one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language." Cultural studies analyzes the artistic, social, political, and historical texts and objects that help construct our contemporary lives, and it assumes that such objects go well beyond "mere entertainment" and affect deeply how we perceive class, race, gender, and other markers of identity. As an introduction to the theory and practice of cultural studies, this course will familiarize students with some of the most important thinkers and methodologies in the field and will allow students to use some of the tools of critical analysis to analyze different forms of cultural production, including literature, popular culture, and print and electronic media. Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hoursPrerequisite: 6 credit units
