In this course we will seek to critically examine cultural construction of meaning and the ways in which meaning and power are contested. Our readings will challenge us to look in new ways at the world, focusing on cultural production. This course is structured in a west to understand where and how we can develop theoretical insights on the human condition and means to work towards social justice. Core themes of this quest concern the distinction between cultural studies and political economy, how race, gender and sexuality are theorized and efforts to work towards a more just society. In considering these texts/concepts, we will engage with some of the key questions that inform and trouble contemporary theoretical discussions, including questions about the status of the cultural object/text, about the workings of power and knowledge, about constructions of identity, the limits and possibilities of agency/resistance, and about colonial foundations of Western culture. Within each unit we’ll be introduced to key thinkers and concepts. We will work through those concepts via close reading of essays, cultural practices, objects, or texts.
- Instructor: Byron Hauck
- Instructor: Edward Henczel