Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis In the Western tradition, emphasis has been placed upon individualism and selfhood. But this is changing: most recently, the coherence of the concept of self has been re-examined through poststructuralist, postmodernist and feminist accounts of the decentred self. The issues raised by these debates are further illustrated in popular culture. The legendary status of celebrities such as Elvis Presley, Madonna and James Dean generate more discussion about the constitution of the modern sense of identity. This subject examines the new theoretical approaches to the idea of self including analyses of the commercialisation of identity in popular culture.
Assessment Two assignments (9000 words): 50% each