ENGL 705 Theory and Practice of Cultural Studies

the famous rabbit-duck picture Gregory Eiselein

`Antonio Gramsci`

ENGL 705 Theory and Practice of Cultural Studies

Eisenhower Hall 16 | MWF 9:30 | Fall 2006

Theory and Practice of Cultural Studies is an introduction to the theories that have defined the emerging field of cultural studies. First institutionalized in Great Britain in the 1960s, cultural studies devotes itself to the critical analysis of and engagement with "culture," defined as the whole network of meanings and practices in everyday life. Attuned to the importance of context and to issues of power, inequality, and difference, cultural studies does not limit itself to the study of high culture (what Matthew Arnold called "the best that has been thought and said in the world") but instead opens itself to a range of cultural activities, artifacts, and texts, their makers and audiences, and their interconnections. Thus, we will learn various approaches to the analysis and interpretation of cultural activities and texts as they are embedded in social contexts.

The course begins with attention to key concepts and practice with various ways of reading and interpreting culture. We will then survey, discuss, and ask questions about important theories of identity, postmodernism, and globalization—three themes that should provide us with a perspective on cultural studies right now.

Texts

The following books are available at the K-State Union Bookstore and Varney's Bookstore in Aggieville:

Meenakshi Gigi Durham and Douglas M. Kellner, eds., Media and Cultural Studies: KeyWorks, revised edition
Daniel Chandler, Semiotics: The Basics
Sigmund Freud, Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego
Judith Halberstam, In a Queer Time and Place: Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives
Michael Denning, Culture in the Age of Three Worlds

Class Communication

Contact the instructor: Telephone: 532-0386 | E-Mail: eiselei@ksu.edu | Office Visit: Drop by ECS 108-C
Post to the course listserv: CS705-L@K-STATE.EDU

Course Materials

The following class handouts are available here as PDFs.

Online Resources

Kansas State University's Program in Cultural Studies
2007 Cultural Studies Conference: Entertainment! (Kansas State University, March 8-10, 2007)
Some Tips on Writing Summary and Response Papers (Dr. Diane Davis, University of Texas)
Semiotics for Beginners (Daniel Chandler, University of Wales, Aberystwyth)
How to Write a Comparative Analysis (Kerry Walk, Harvard University)
Definition of "Metacriticism" (Greig E. Henderson and Christopher Brown, University of Toronto)
CULTSTUD-L (Gil Rodman, University of Minnesota)
Cultural Studies Central (Robin Markowitz, California State University, Fullerton)
popcultures.com (Sarah Zupko's Cultural Studies Center)
Glossary of Literary Theory (Greig E. Henderson and Christopher Brown, University of Toronto)
Introduction to Modern Literary Theory (Kristi Siegel, Mount Mary College)