120014 VO Culture, Society and the Media (2017W)

The media shape and influence our images of the world, ourselves and other people. In this sense, they are part of our cultural identity, and they can exert incredible power. However, we can also use media products to change and challenge identities and social expectations.

The lecture uses material from English, American and Anglophone Media like television series and movies, advertisement, viral videos, graphic novels, or news media to show how three central building blocks of identity - race, class and gender - are represented. We will discuss how the media can reinforce stereotypes, but equally how media products and their use and re-use can help to uncover harmful and discriminatory social practices and identities. In a nutshell, we will deal with the multiple connections between culture, media and society.

This lecture will familiarise students with the intersectional study of identity, specifically with the role of race, class and gender. This includes issues like racism, sexism and other types of discrimination as shown but also challenged by media products.

Students will learn how to approach different mediations (e.g. comics, movies, internet memes and clips, television, advertisement) and representations of race, class and gender; students will be asked to read and be presented with key theoretical texts by Michel Foucault, Stuart Hall, Judith Butler, Richard Dyer, and others.

Apart from the traditional teacher-oriented lecture format, we will also use interactive methods and work in groups, and you will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide material of your own.