124000 VO STEOP: Introduction to Anglophone Cultures and Societies (2019W)

This lecture course will introduce you to major theoretical approaches, selected (historical) facts and figures and key issues relevant to the study of British cultures and societies within a British Cultural Studies context. Cultural studies scholars make use of a plurality of approaches and methodologies which have been developed in the contexts of different disciplines and positions, ranging from philosophy to sociology, from Marxism to psychoanalysis, or from linguistics to literary theory. This diversity also reflects the plurality of possible meanings that can be associated with the concept of “culture”. We will learn about the history of concepts such as culture and society and investigate key issues such as culture and meaning making processes, identities shaped by gender, race and class or the interrelation between power and knowledge. There will be the opportunity to "do" cultural studies and we will apply theoretical models to a wide range of cultural material with a focus on British cultures and societies and British popular culture. Our examples will range from the monarchy to anarchy, from High Culture to punk, from the Mini Cooper to the mini-skirt, and from Hamlet to James Bond. We will also explore aspects of industrial and imperial expansion and try to untangle some intricacies of Brexit.