CLS2040

Image and appearance: advertising, popular culture and the construction of values

Proposed to be offered next in 1999

Joanne Finkelstein

8 points
* 2 hours per week
* Clayton

Objectives Upon completion of this subject students should be able to evaluate theories of cultural transmission; understand the role of the mass media, popular entertainments, and critical discourses in the production of social values; and evaluate the essential concepts and critical debates related to representation.

Synopsis This subject examines the character of everyday life in terms of the rupturing which has taken place in the postmodern era. The taken-for-granted values which are conveyed through popular tastes and cultural practices will be assessed as influences on our understanding of daily life. How we view television, shopping, advertising, fashions, and spectacular entertainments will also be examined for the prevailing viewpoints they tacitly convey.

Assessment Essay (3000 words): 50%
* Examination (2 hours): 40%
* Seminar paper (1000 words): 10%

Recommended texts

Barthes R Mythologies Hill and Wang
Finkelstein J Slaves of chic Minerva
Tester K Media, culture and morality Routledge