Core Issues in Cultural Studies (CULT 500)

2022 Fall
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Cultural Studies(CULT)
3
10
Ayşecan Terzioğlu aysecan@sabanciuniv.edu,
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English
Doctoral, Master
--
Interactive lecture,Seminar
Interactive,Learner centered,Communicative,Discussion based learning
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CONTENT

This course introduces the students to the theoretical frameworks of graduate study in Cultural Studies by focusing on the debates around the definitions and uses of the concept of culture as well as on such specific issues as orientalism/occidentalism, cultural constructions and contestations of gender and sexuality, media and popular culture, and the changing configurations of private and public spheres. It combines the overview of the major theoretical and methodological approaches in the field of cultural politics and criticism with a critical discussion of various applications of these approaches in specific social, political, and historical contexts.

OBJECTIVE

Familiarization with the main theoretical debates and frameworks of Cultural Studies, and related Social Science and Humanities disciplines.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

  • Demonstrate familiarity with the key concepts and range of theoretical positions and debates in contemporary cultural theory.
  • Identify the different ways in which the concept of culture has been discussed in cultural studies, anthropology and related disciplines.
  • Demonstrate a critical analysis of different texts of cultural representation.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the links between culture, power and history.

PROGRAMME OUTCOMES


1. Develop and deepen the current and advanced knowledge in the field with original thought and/or research and come up with innovative definitions based on Master's degree qualifications 5

2. Conceive the interdisciplinary interaction which the field is related with ; come up with original solutions by using knowledge requiring proficiency on analysis, synthesis and assessment of new and complex ideas. 5

3. Evaluate and use new information within the field in a systematic approach. 5

4. Develop an innovative knowledge, method, design and/or practice or adapt an already known knowledge, method, design and/or practice to another field; research, conceive, design, adapt and implement an original subject. 4

5. Critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation of new and complex ideas. 5

6. Gain advanced level skills in the use of research methods in the field of study. 3

7. Contribute the progression in the field by producing an innovative idea, skill, design and/or practice or by adapting an already known idea, skill, design, and/or practice to a different field independently. 3

8. Broaden the borders of the knowledge in the field by producing or interpreting an original work or publishing at least one scientific paper in the field in national and/or international refereed journals. 2

9. Demonstrate leadership in contexts requiring innovative and interdisciplinary problem solving. 2

10. Develop new ideas and methods in the field by using high level mental processes such as creative and critical thinking, problem solving and decision making. 4

11. Investigate and improve social connections and their conducting norms and manage the actions to change them when necessary. 3

12. Defend original views when exchanging ideas in the field with professionals and communicate effectively by showing competence in the field. 3

13. Ability to communicate and discuss orally, in written and visually with peers by using a foreign language at least at a level of European Language Portfolio C1 General Level. 5

14. Contribute to the transition of the community to an information society and its sustainability process by introducing scientific, technological, social or cultural improvements. 3

15. Demonstrate functional interaction by using strategic decision making processes in solving problems encountered in the field. 3

16. Contribute to the solution finding process regarding social, scientific, cultural and ethical problems in the field and support the development of these values. 4


1. Develop the ability to use critical, analytical, and reflective thinking and reasoning 5

2. Reflect on social and ethical responsibilities in his/her professional life. 4

3. Gain experience and confidence in the dissemination of project/research outputs 3

4. Work responsibly and creatively as an individual or as a member or leader of a team and in multidisciplinary environments. 4

5. Communicate effectively by oral, written, graphical and technological means and have competency in English. 5

6. Independently reach and acquire information, and develop appreciation of the need for continuously learning and updating. 5


1. Develop a thorough knowledge of theories, concepts, and research methods in the field and apply them in research design and data analysis. 5

2. Assess the impact of the economic, social, and political environment from a global, national and regional level. 4

3. Know how to access written and visual, primary and secondary sources of information, interpret concepts and data from a variety of sources in developing disciplinary and interdisciplinary analyses. 5


1. Demonstrate an understanding of the different approaches, concepts, and theoretical legacies in the interdisciplinary field of Cultural Studies. 5

2. Identify interconnections of knowledge within and across the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, literature, visual studies, philosophy, and psychology. 4

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the multiple methodologies used in cultural analysis; in particular, ethnographic fieldwork, participant-observation, interviewing, oral history, focus group discussions, textual criticism, and visual analysis 4

4. Cultivate a critical approach to the study of culture, articulating the relations between culture, power, and history; exploring cultural diversity and socio-cultural change at the local, national and global level; and exploring the corresponding demands for rights and social justice. 5

5. Be able to conduct original research and develop sound analysis of phenomena in the realm of cultural production, consumption, and representation; develop and present advanced oral and written evaluations of one's research and arguments. 5


1. Demonstrate an understanding of the different approaches, concepts, and theoretical legacies in the interdisciplinary field of Cultural Studies. 5

2. Identify interconnections of knowledge within and across the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, literature, visual studies, philosophy, and psychology. 4

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the multiple methodologies used in cultural analysis; in particular, ethnographic fieldwork, participant-observation, interviewing, oral history, focus group discussions, textual criticism, and visual analysis 4

4. Cultivate a critical approach to the study of culture, articulating the relations between culture, power, and history; exploring cultural diversity and socio-cultural change at the local, national and global level; and exploring the corresponding demands for rights and social justice. 5

5. Be able to conduct original research and develop sound analysis of phenomena in the realm of cultural production, consumption, and representation; develop and present advanced oral and written evaluations of one's research and arguments. 5

ASSESSMENT METHODS and CRITERIA

  Percentage (%)
Assignment 45
Term-Paper 40
Participation 15

RECOMENDED or REQUIRED READINGS

Readings

Culture

? Raymond Williams, ?Culture? in Keywords, Flamingo, London, 1983, pp. 87-93.
? Tony Bennett, 2005, ?Culture? The New Keywords, edited by Tony Bennett, Lawrence Grossberg and Meaghan Morris, Blackwell, 63-69.

Culture and Politics

? Terry Eagleton, The Idea of Culture, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2005, 1-50.
? Norma Gonzales, Advocacy Anthropology and Education: Working through the Binaries, Current Anthropology, 51 (2), (2010), 249-258.


Culture and Power

? E.P. Thompson, Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism, Past&Present, 38, 1967, 56-97.
? Michel Foucault, Part 3: Discipline, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Second Vintage Books, 1977, 135-170.

Inequalities

? Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, ?Manifesto of the Communist Party? in Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 and the Communist Manifesto, Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 203-243.
? Antonio Gramsci, ?Intellectuals? in The Gramsci Reader: Selected Writings 1916-1935, David Forgacs, ed., New York: New York Univ. P., 2000, 300-311.
? Gavin Smith, ?Hegemony? in A Companion to the Anthropology of Politics, edited by David Nugent and Joan Vincent, Oxford: Blackwell, 2007, 216-230.

Cultural Studies

? Stuart Hall, ?Encoding/Decoding? in Culture, Media, Language, eds. Stuart Hall, et. al., London: Routledge, 1980, 128-138.
? Stuart Hall, ?Cultural Studies and Its Theoretical Legacies? in The Cultural Studies Reader, ed. Simon During, London: Routledge, 2001 [1993], pp.97-109.
? Mark C.J. Stoddart, Ideology, Hegemony, Discourse: A Critical Review of Theories of Knowledge and Power, Social Thought&Research, 28, 2007, 191-225

Ideology

? Jacques Lacan, ?The Mirror Stage as Formative of the Function of the I? in Écrits: A Selection, trans. Alan Sherida. New York & London: Norton, 1977, 1-7.
? Louis Althusser, ?Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses? in Mapping Ideology, Slavoj Zizek, ed., London and New York: Verso, 1994, pp.100-140.
? Pierre Bourdieu and Terry Eagleton, ?Doxa and Common Life: An Interview? in Mapping Ideology (Ed. Slavoj Zizek), Verso, London, 1994, pp. 265-277.


Time and Culture

? Kinneret Lahad, ?Stop Waiting!: Hegemonic and Alternative Scripts on Single Women?s Subjectivity?, Time&Society, 0(0), 2016, 1-22.
? Cecilie Givskov, ?Growing Old with Media Technology and the Material Experience of Ageing?, European Journal of Cultural Studies, 21 (3), 2017, 305-316.

Gender and Culture

? Sofia P. Caldeira, Sander D. Ridder &Sophie Van Bauwel, ?Exploring the Politics of Gender Representation on Instagram: Self-representations of Femininity?, DiGeSt. Journal of Diversity and Gender, 5(1), 2018, 23-42.
? Jolien Voorspoels, ??In our Department There is Absolutely no Discrimination of Women or others.?: Staff Attitudes on Gender Quotas in a Belgian University?? DiGeSt. Journal of Diversity and Gender, 5(1), 2018, 43-66.
? Diana Baird N?Diaye, ?Telling Our Own Stories: Reciprocal Autoethnography at the Intersections of Race, Class, and Gender?, Journal of American Folklore, 134 (533), 2021, 252-257.


Media and Popular Culture

? James P. Walsh, ?Social Media and Moral Panics: Assessing the Effects of the Technological Change on Societal Reaction?, International Journal of Cultural Studies, 23 (6), 2020, 840-859.
? Hao Chao, ?From Asymmetric Dependency to Discursive Disengagement: How Social Movements and the Media/Public Talked Past Each Other?, Media, Culture and Society, 43(4), 2021, 787-806.


History Revisited

? George Mantzios, ?Cold War Image-Myths: A Crime Scene Ethnography of Defacement and Historical Redress from Athens Greece?, International Journal of Cultural Studies, 24 (5), 2021, 749-766.
? Eray Çaylı, ?The Politics of Spatial Testimony: The Role of Space in Witnessing Martyrdom and Shame During and After a Widely Televised and Collectively Perpetrated Arson Attack in Turkey?, Space and Culture, 2020, 1-14.


Affect & Anthropocene

? Michael Carrithers, ?Louise J. Brakken, Steven Emery, Can a Species be a Person?: A Trope and its Entanglements in the Anthropocene Era?, Current Anthropology, 52 (5), 2011, 665-681.
? Burç Köstem, ?`The world is Sinking:? Sand, Urban Infrastructure, and World-cities?, Cultural Studies, 35 (4-5), 2021, 684-706.

? Clare Hemmings, ?Invoking Affect: Cultural Theory and the Ontological Turn?, Cultural Studies, 19 (5), 2005, 548-567.
? Sarah Cefai, ?Introduction: Mediating Affect?, Cultural Studies, 32 (1), 2018, 1-17.