2014 Ü Key Concepts in Cultural Studies

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    PLEASE NOTE: THIS PAGE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION. NOT ALL INFORMATION IS VERIFIED AND RELIABLE YET.


Please note: The BM7 module consists of

  • a seminar ("Introduction to the Critical and Scholarly Discussion of Literature", offered in the previous winter term),
  • a tutorial ("Research Methods", offered in the previous winter term),
  • a (biweekly) lecture ("Historical Backgrounds and Critcal Concepts", offered this term )and
  • a seminar ("Key Concepts of Cultural Studies", offered this term).

If you have already completed parts, but not the entire Basismodul in literary and/or cultural studies in previous semesters, please contact Michaela Koch.

On this page you will find detailed information on the lecture "Historical Backgrounds and Critical Concepts" and on the courses "Key Concepts in Cultural Studies".


Course: Key Concepts in Cultural Studies

Both the lecture and the courses are part of the Basismodul 7 and focus on key concepts in cultural studies and techniques of textual analysis in the context of discussing culture. The VL/Ü Key Concepts of Cultural Studies consists of 6 lectures on "Historical Backgrounds and Critical Concepts" and 13 courses/Übungen on "Key Concepts of Cultural Studies".

The Übung analyzes material and is relying on concepts and approaches complemented by the lectures. The analysis of the material from a cultural studies perspective is based on three guiding questions:

  • 1. What are the specific and medial characteristics of the Material? (See Handouts: Conceptual Tools)
  • 2. How is the material situated and what institutions are responsible for its existence and discussion?
  • 3. What function and effect for identity formation can the material have?

Please make sure that you are registered for the lecture and ONE of the courses in Stud.IP and open a wiki account which will enable you to participate in online discussions.

The texts for our courses will come from a common pool, though each course may have a different choice.

The "analytical tools" will be presented by the lecturers (on a handout) in each meeting. The additional reading from which these 'tools' are taken is not obligatory, and it can be done either before or after each session.

Course work: You will be asked to complete a Written Test (Date: Saturday, July 26, 2014, 10:00-12:00, A14 Hörsaal 1 und 2), and produce a Research Paper Outline (2 pages, due on Aug 15). For the Research Paper Outline you will need to find your own topic to work on and document the preliminary work (this includes finding an appropriate title, writing a paragraph on the state of the art of your problem and one that describes your problem and your goal, and presenting a tentative table of contents as well as a short bibliography). The RPO is to be formatted according to the style sheet.


Two useful links for all assignments:


Session One, April 24/25: Working With Key Concepts in Cultural Studies I

Welcome

Preliminaries and General Course Information.

Analytical Tools: Culture, Discourse, Media, Identity

Further Reading

Session Two, May 01: No Class: Please Join the Friday Groups!

Session Two, May 02: Working with Key Concepts in Cultural Studies II

Analytical Tools: Culture, Discourse, Media, Identity

Further Reading

Session Three, May 08/09: Working with Key Concepts in Cultural Studies III

  • Culture, Discourse, Media, Identity

Analytical Tools: Culture, Discourse, Media, Identity

Session Four, May 15/16: Analyzing Print Media: Slave Narrative I (Introduction: Medium, Genre, Context)

Primary Material

  • Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. Eds. William L. Andrews and William S. McFeely. New York: Norton, 1997. Print.

Secondary Material

Analytical Tools

Session Five, May 22/23: Analyzing Print Media: Slave Narrative II (Focal Point: Identity and Genre)

Primary Material

  • Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. Eds. William L. Andrews and William S. McFeely. New York: Norton, 1997. Print.

Secondary Material

Analytical Tools

Session Six, May 29: No Class: Please Join the Friday Groups!

Session Six, May 30: Mid-Term Recap

Session Seven, June 05/06: Analyzing Print Media: Slave Narrative III (Focal Point: Discourse)

Primary Material

  • Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. Eds. William L. Andrews and William S. McFeely. New York: Norton, 1997. Print.

Secondary Material

Analytical Tools

    WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT I, due: Thursday, June 12, 2014

Session Eight, June 12/13: Analyzing Visual Media: Graphic Novel I (Introduction: Medium, Genre, Context)

Primary Material

  • Moore, Alan and David Lloyd. V for Vendetta. New York: Vertigo, 2008. Print.

Secondary Material

Analytical Tools

Session Nine, June 19/20: Analyzing Visual Media: Graphic Novel II (Focal Point: Reading Graphic Narratives)

Primary Material

  • Moore, Alan and David Lloyd. V for Vendetta. New York: Vertigo, 2008. Print.

Secondary Material

Analytical Tools

Session Ten, June 26/27: Analyzing Visual Media: Graphic Novel III (Focal Point: Graphic Narratives and Identity Formation)

Primary Material

  • Moore, Alan and David Lloyd. V for Vendetta. New York: Vertigo, 2008. Print.

Secondary Material

Analytical Tools

    WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT II, due: Thursday, July 03, 2014

Session Eleven, July 03/04: Analyzing Audiovisual Media: Film I (Introduction: Medium, Genre, Context)

Primary Material

  • Calamity Jane. Dir. David Butler. Perf. Doris Day and Howard Keel. 1953. Warner Home Video, 2003. DVD.

Secondary Material

Analytical Tools

Session Twelve, July 10/11: Analyzing Audiovisual Media: Film II (Focal Point: Gender and Identity)

Primary Material

  • Calamity Jane. Dir. David Butler. Perf. Doris Day and Howard Keel. 1953. Warner Home Video, 2003. DVD.

Secondary Material

Analytical Tools

Session Thirteen, July 17/18: Analyzing Audiovisual Media: Film III (Focal Point: Gender, Genre, and Media)

Primary Material

  • Calamity Jane. Dir. David Butler. Perf. Doris Day and Howard Keel. 1953. Warner Home Video, 2003. DVD.

Secondary Material

Analytical Tools

Historical context: 1950s in the US Foner "An Affluent Society" (optional reading)

    WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT III, due: Thursday, July 17, 2014

Session Fourteen, July 24/25: Presentation and Discussion of RPOs / Recap in Preparation for Written Test

Skills and Activities

Brief Report on 'Work in Progress': Your Term Paper Projects

     [BM7 - Introduction to Litertary and Cultural Studies - Research Paper Outline (due on Aug 15)]

Guidelines for finding your RPO topic:

1. Your RPO topic needs to be related to at least one of the four key concepts: identity, media, discourse, culture
2. As the material basis for your analysis you will need to pick material from the Übungen: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, V for Vendetta, Calamity Jane

You have access to the scholarly discourse on the material from the Übung through the MLA database.


    WRITTEN TEST: Saturday, July 26, 2014, 10:00-12:00, A14 Hörsaal 1 und 2