Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0335 - Mass Culture Seminar

This course is designed as a seminar in mass culture & media/cultural studies, and is appropriate for advanced Division II and Division III students. Topics to be addressed include historical efforts to theorize mass culture, the relationship between the mass and the popular, and questions of value, ideology, cultural production, representation and consumption. Readings will be drawn from the work of Adorno & Horkheimer, Benjamin, Kracauer, Macdonald, Althusser, de Certeau, and Hall, as well as recent critical writings in media and cultural studies. The course will be structured as a workshop for students to develop and revise portions of Division III projects or independent work to be included in the Division II portfolio, and will incorporate peer review sessions and oral presentations. At least one previous course in media or cultural studies is required.

Writing and Research Independent Work In this course, students are expected to spend 8- 10 hours weekly on preparation and work outside of class time.