120043 VO Introduction to Cultural and Regional Studies 401 (2008S)

This lecture course introduces students to the intellectual roots and contemporary applications of Cultural Studies, focusing on the theoretical bases for the analyses of meaning and power in the production and reception of texts. Offering various approaches to the study of cultures, this lecture will draw on a wide range of cultural material (literature, television, films, and commercials) and explore the ways in which questions of representation are interrelated with issues of identity, in particular racial/ethnic, sexual, class, and regional differences.