PLT1120

Sex, drugs and rock n' roll: power and resistance in contemporary culture

Peter Lentini and David Wright-Neville

6 points
* 3 hours per week
* First semester
* Clayton

Objectives On successful completion of this subject students should have an appreciation of the inherently political nature of different aspects of modern life. It is envisaged that students will complete the subject having developed an understanding of how different forms of action and expression characteristic of modern society often take on a hidden political significance. They should be equipped to read different artefacts of modern culture in a politically alert manner.

Synopsis This subject has as its starting point a rejection of the view that politics is confined to parliaments and other institutions of modern administration. Through an exploration of several different spheres of modern society relating to sexuality and the body, sport and drugs, and music and film, the subject investigates the manner in which every day social actions are often highly political in nature. It seeks to demonstrate how different forms of expression in these areas can serve as either powerful acts of subversion which weaken the established order or, alternatively, as persuasive reinforcements of the status-quo. Topics to be addressed include struggles over women's bodies in the areas of abortion and reproductive technology, gay and lesbian politics, the politics of AIDS, drugs, sport and the politics of health, and the political significance of contemporary forms of artistic expression ranging from different genres of rock music to The Simpsons. In an attempt to introduce students to the global significance of contemporary culture's political character examples will be drawn from Australia and the United States, as well as European and Asian societies.

Assessment Short essay (500 words): 10%
* Long essay (2000 words): 50%
* Seen examination (2 hours): 40%

Recommended texts

Douglas Kellner Media culture: Cultural studies, identity and politics between the modern and the postmodern Routledge, 1995