125010 PS Proseminar Cultural and Media Studies (2013S)

In this course, we will look at the historical origins of 'cool' both outside and inside the U.S.A. and follow esp. its transatlantic journeys to Germany and Austria through the import of American popular and mass culture: Hollywood film and jazz music, as well as the blues and their roots in African American culture in general provide starting points for this investigation. In exploring what happened when cool crossed the Atlantic, we will look at the reception of e.g. early rock & roll music and American film icons such as James Dean as proponents of 'cool' in Europe: how they influenced audiences' behavior (teenage rebellion, eg.), style (e.g. blue jeans as an iconic piece of clothing), and bodily comportment (dance styles, ways of moving) will give us some ideas how to methodologically approach 'cool' as a traveling concept. Following its journey, we will encounter some pop art, some MTV, some punk, some Silicon Valley, some fashion styles, and some other trends that embody versions of the 'Cool' and will therefore help deepen our understanding of the complex shades 'cool' has taken on historically.

In the final part of the course we will ask whether e.g. in contemporary German and Austrian culture, the 'Cool' lives on, is revived, or is in fact 'dead.' On this open question, you will be able to do some analytic work of your own by studying recent trends in transatlantic/global cultural processes, investigating audiences and consumers and arriving at your own conclusions about the journeys of 'cool' and its contemporary destinations.