Universität Wien

124264 KO Critical Media Analysis (2024W)

Power, Representation and Meaning: Cultural Studies in the Anglosphere

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle
Th 24.10. 14:15-15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
Register/Deregister for this course

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Thursday 10.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 17.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 31.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 07.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 14.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 21.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 28.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 05.12. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 12.12. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 09.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 16.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 23.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 30.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Raymond Williams (1983) refers to culture as ‘one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language’ (87). This course aims to unpack the complexity of ‘culture’ and provide you with an ample introduction to British Cultural Studies as an academic discipline. Centrally, this class will explore how non-literary texts (meaning anything from advertisements to films to TikToks) shape and reflect power structures, influence representation, and convey meaning. We are going to cover the basics: starting with the history of Cultural Studies and sign systems, and eventually working our way up to topics like gender, race and social class. By critically engaging with various cultural theories and diverse texts from the Anglosphere, we aim to understand the interplay between culture and power and how these forces shape our worldviews and social realities.

The main methods of this class will be close reading in context and critical discourse analysis.

At the end of this course:
• You should be able to correctly express core aspects of foundational terms (culture, signs, power, representation, meaning etc.) within the context of British Cultural Studies.
• You should be able to closely read and interpret different media texts based on content and style as well as be able to discuss and evaluate them both in spoken word and the written word.
• You should be able to recognise and critically evaluate discourses and their representation in different forms of media texts.
• You should enhance your academic writing skills as well as your ability to critically evaluate other’s writing and give productive feedback on such.
• You should be able to compose small analyses and essays, knowing the necessary formal constraints and the particularities to each.
• You should be able to easily connect theoretical concepts to concrete audiovisual examples and assess the consequences.

Assessment and permitted materials

• Portfolio (consisting of 3 tasks, each ca. 500 - 750 words, to be submitted throughout the semester: 2 analyses of two different cultural texts; 1 argumentative essay on a topic of the seminar): 50 points
• Regular attendance and in-class participation, incl. group/feedback work: 30 points
• Reflection: Writing at minimum 5 session reflections in the course Moodle and 3 responses to others (each ca. 100-150 words): 20 points

The course requirements will be discussed in detail during the first session.
Deadlines:
1 analysis: after Christmas break
2nd analysis + essay: first week of February

Note that a late submission will result in deducted points.

The plagiarism detection software Turnitin will be used on the written assignments. The use of AI to create or improve your writing is strictly forbidden. As one of the goals of this class is to build and improve your academic writing skills, you would be doing both yourself a disservice, by robbing yourself of the joyous process of writing, and me, by making me read and grade a machine’s predictive text.

If you find yourself rolling your eyes at me here, I urge you to watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKrfCgWM3Tk

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Students must fulfill and pass each of the 3 course requirements (portfolio, regular attendance and participation, Moodle reflections) and score at least 60 points altogether in order to pass this course.
Grading scale:
1: 100-90 points
2: 89-80 points
3: 79-70 points
4: 69-60 points
5: 59-0 points

The course requirements will be discussed in detail during the first session.

Examination topics

This is an interactive course with continuous assessment (“prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung”). In addition to handing in a written portfolio, participants are expected to read all set texts and actively participate in class throughout the semester as well as hand in tasks and assignments on time.

There will be no written exam.

Reading list

For each session, I will expect you to read the relevant text in preparation for class so that we can then discuss it in detail and answer any and all questions that come up. Texts that are not provided by the university library have been compiled in a reader, which will be available on Moodle. The readings for this class will include chapters/excerpts of the following books:

Giles, J. and T. Middleton. Studying Culture. A Practical Introduction. Blackwell Publishing,
2010.
Rojek, Chris. Cultural Studies. Polity Press, 2007.
Barker, Chris. Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. Sage, 2009.
Barker, Chris and Emma A. Jane. Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. Sage, 2016.
Matias, Cheryl E., and Colleen Boucher. “From Critical Whiteness Studies to a Critical Study of
Whiteness: Restoring Criticality in Critical Whiteness Studies.” Whiteness and Education (Print), vol. 8, no. 1, 2023, pp. 64–81.
Gray, Jonathan (ed.) Fandom. Identities and Communities in a Mediated World. New York
Univ. Press, 2007.
Milner, Andrew. Class. SAGE Publications Ltd, 1999
Longhurst, Brian [et al]. Introducing Cultural Studies. Routledge, 2012.
Sweeney-Romero, Katlin Marisol. “Wellness TikTok: Morning Routines, Eating Well, and Getting Ready to Be “That Girl”” in Boffone, Trevor. TikTok Cultures in the United States. 1st edition, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2022, pp. 108-116.

(Worry not, I don’t expect you to read any of this before the beginning of this class.)

Association in the course directory

Studium: BA 612, BEd 046/407
Code/Modul: BA07.3; BEd 08a.2, BEd 08b.1
Lehrinhalt: 12-4260

Last modified: Fr 06.09.2024 10:06