Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0293 - 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.

Independent Work Writing and Research Prerequisite: At least one previous course in media or cultural studies is strongly recommended. In this course, students can expect to spend 8-10 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.