120106 VO Introduction to Cultural and Regional Studies (2009W)

This lecture course will offer an introduction to theories and reading practices relevant for the study of culture. After presenting a historical survey of traditional approaches, it will focus on the contemporary notion of culture as text. There will be a detailed discussion of how cultural texts construct meaning, knowledge, and power - a process which Stuart Hall calls "The Work of Representation";. To illustrate the practical application of these and related aspects such as gender, identity, national stereotypes, etc., the course will discuss texts taken from various fields of culture: film, music, advertisement, and literature.

This lecture course will introduce students to major theoretical approaches, key practices and selected issues relevant to the study of culture/s. We will explore a variety of topics such as the "culture and civilisation tradition", the "high/low debate" or the concept of "organic communities"; we will look at "culture and meaning making processes", learn about the production and consumption of cultural artefacts and investigate key issues such as gendered identities and the interrelation between power and knowledge. There will be also opportunity to "do" cultural studies and we will apply theoretical models to a wide range of cultural material with a focus on visual representations.