50108 Contemporary Cultures

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: Writing and Contemporary Cultures
Credit points: 6 cp
Result Type: Grade, no marks

Handbook description

This subject explores further some of the main concepts and methods of the field of cultural studies introduced in Rethinking Culture. It presents critical readings in the three broad areas: techniques of cultural memory (such as the photograph and the Australian landscape), cultural poetics, concepts and methods (such as 'new-anthropology', critical ethnography, feminist poetics and Asian studies), and techniques of cultural performance (such as comedy, dance music culture, and youth culture).

Subject objectives/outcomes

to give students a broader introduction to the field of a cultural studies through critical and creative engagement with subject materials
to introduce students to the different perspectives available within the field of historical and contemporary cultural studies
to place an understanding of the study of popular cultures in Australia in perspective against those of the wider world
to foster scholarly and critical approaches to the literatures of the field
to stimulate students to carry out independent and original research in carrying out project work
to encourage imaginative and forward-looking approaches to the development of their own investigations.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject supports the development of the following elements of the graduate profile which states that students will:

have a broad range of skills and knowledge, making for creative and critically informed communication professionals
have a critical knowledge of Australian cultural traditions, industries and institutions
have a critical knowledge of cultural and aesthetic debates, and their implications for cultural policy developments
be able to think critically and creatively about future developments in cultural industries
have a strong awareness of the needs of specific communities and the ability to evaluate a range of strategies for dealing with cultural and social problems, and
be able to function within groups and be sensitive to the multiple dimensions of social and cultural difference.

Content

This subject provides an introduction to cultural studies and builds on work already done in Rethinking Culture by providing global and historical background. The subject is composed of three parts:

Techniques of Cultural Memory, that, using the history of painting and photography as a point of entry, canvasses the relationship of the visual image to memory and its cultural potency in the formation of nations.
Cultural Poetics: Concepts and Methods, that, through a diversity of critiques of anthropological theory and practice, focuses on history as the temporal site of metaphor, allegory and the emergence of different narratives about belonging to the country. A further 'cultural poetics' are developed with methods to analyse the cultures of sound.
Techniques of Cultural Performance, that, in a series of in-depth case studies, addresses major movements that have and do concern themselves with extreme cultural behaviour and theatricality.

Assessment

Assignment 1: Seminar presentation

Objectives	a, d, e
Value	25%
Due	Not applicable
Task	You are required to attend seminars on a regular basis, participate in discussion and deliver one tutorial presentation, either individually or as a member of a group. The seminar presentation may overlap with your essay topic, provided the essay researches the topic in more depth. The presentation will be assessed in class.
Assessment criteria	Demonstrated ability to: recognise and apply critical concepts relevant to the interpretation of cultural studies concepts introduced in lectures, seminar or subject readings. identify principal concepts of cultural studies. participate effectively in a variety of seminar exercises, including group discussion and reporting, seminar presentation, critical interrogation of subject readings, and analysis of cultural texts.

Assignment 2: Short essay (1000 words)

Objectives	c, d
Value	25%
Due	Week 3
Task	Describe and critically evaluate an example of 'cultural memory'
Assessment criteria	Evidence of reading, critical approaches to the study of culture, creative ideas, ability to analyse a cultural process or artefact closely and critically evaluate it as well as discuss its broader applications to culture and society in general.

Assignment 3: 2500 Word essay or project of comparative length/substance

Objectives	b, c, d, f
Value	50%
Due	Week 14
Task	A list of essay topics will be distributed in Week 4. Students can also devise their own topic in consultation with their tutor. Projects can comprise text and audio-visual materials (images, video clips, mpegs, sound recordings etc.) in different combinations and be delivered in different formats. A two-page commentary-description is required for non text-based assignments. A bibliography/filmography must be incorporated in the project materials. You must consult your tutor before proceeding with a non-prescribed essay topic project whether it is to be produced as an essay or not.
Assessment criteria	evidence of primary/first hand research in the topic addressed by the project capacity for enthusiastic engagement with the material offered by the subject capacity for imaginative, creative and innovative work in the project-area selected capacity to arrive at a form of presentation of project-work that most suits the choice of topic, its research, the integration of the research with methodological approach and the realisation of all these in a vivid and memorable way.

Minimum requirements

Students are expected to read the subject outline to ensure they are familiar with the subject requirements. Since class discussion and participation in activities form an integral part of this subject, you are expected to attend, arrive punctually and actively participate in classes. If you experience difficulties meeting this requirement, please contact your lecturer. Students who have a reason for extended absence (e.g., illness) may be required to complete additional work to ensure they achieve the subject objectives.

Attendance is particularly important in this subject because it is based on a collaborative approach which involves essential workshopping and interchange of ideas. Students who attend fewer than ten classes are advised that their final work will not be assessed and that they are likely to fail the subject.

Indicative references

Tim O'Sullivan [et al.] Key concepts in communication and cultural studies, 2nd ed. London ; New York : Routledge, 1994.

Roland Barthes, Mythologies, (trans. A. Lavers), London: Paladin, 1973,

John Berger, Ways of Seeing, Penguin, 1972.

Bendelow, Gillian, and Williams, Simon J (1998) 'The Body in 'High' Modernity and Consumer Culture,' in their The Lived Body: Sociological Themes, Embodied Issues, Routledge, London and New York, 67-93.

James Clifford, Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late Twentieth Century, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997.

Gary Hall and Clare Birchall (eds.) New Cultural Studies : Adventures in Theory, Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 2006.

Shane Homan & Tony Mitchell (eds.) Sounds of Then, Sounds of Now : Popular Music in Australia, Hobart: Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies, 2008.

Meredith Jones, Skintight : An Anatomy of Cosmetic Surgery, N.Y. : Berg, 2008.

Laura U. Marks, The Skin of the Film, Durham: Duke University Press, 2000.

Simon Schama, Landscape and Memory, London : Fontana Press, 1996.

Additional Readings for week 10
http://www.guerrillagirls.com
http://www.theatlasgroup.org
http://www.sarai.net
www.bewareofthegod.org
www.getup.org.au
www.chainworkers.org
www.theyesmen.org

Michel De Certeau, 'General Introduction' The practice of Everyday Life, Berkley, Los Angeles, London: The University of California Press, 1988.

Journals in the Area:
The Cultural Studies Review, Cultural Studies, The International Journal of Cultural Studies, Perfect Beat, The European Journal of Cultural Studies, Meanjin, Antithesis, Social Semiotics, Postcolonial Studies, Public Culture…