Introduction to cultural studies I
Andrew Milner
6 points
* 3 hours per week
* First semester
* Clayton
*
Prohibitions: PER1010
Objectives To introduce students to some aspects of the contemporary discussion of popular culture and to provide students with some of the critical skills necessary for cultural analysis.
Synopsis The study of popular culture has become an area of considerable theoretical interest to analysts of literature, culture and society. This subject will introduce students to different aspects of the contemporary discussion of popular culture and will explore a variety of ways in which mass market cultural products can usefully be discussed. The subject will examine (a) theoretical traditions in the analysis of popular culture; (b) the historical development and social functioning of the mass media; (c) prominent cultural icons which contribute to contemporary popular culture, such as Coca-Cola, Adidas, Madonna and McDonalds, and the social practices which sustain them; and (d) the spectacle, the public entertainment place and the shopping mall. While the general framework will be both comparative and historical, most of the material under discussion will be in some sense `Australian'.
Assessment One essay (2000 words): 40%
* Examination (2 hours): 30%
* Tutorial work (including workbook): 30%
Prescribed texts
During S (ed.)The cultural studies reader Routledge, 1993
Shelley M Frankenstein ed. M K Joseph, OUP, 1980
Films
Blade Runner dir. R Scott, Ladd Company, 1982
Blade Runner: The Director's Cut dir. R Scott, Warner Home Video, 1992
Frankenstein dir. J Whale, Universal Studios, 1931
The curse of Frankenstein dir. T Fisher, Hammer Films, 1957
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein dir. K Branagh, Tristar, 1994
Recommended texts
Fiske J Introduction to communication studies Methuen, 1990
Gray A and McGuigan J (eds) Studying culture: An introductory reader Edward Arnold, 1993
Williamson J Decoding advertisements Marion Boyars, 1978
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