50228 Rethinking Culture

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: Writing and Contemporary Cultures
Credit points: 8 cp
Result Type: Grade, no marks

Handbook description

This subject investigates cultural texts and their meanings as they come to appear in present-day Australia and globally. It aims to provide ways of investigating such meanings and how they are produced that are both critical and creative. This reflects the cultural studies approach of this subject which introduces students to some of the key concepts in cultural studies while providing methods for analysing complex cultural phenomenon in a media-saturated environment. Some of the key areas of focus are cultural and social differences, signification and representation, modes of meaning production, genres of intervention and the engaged practice of theory.

Subject objectives/outcomes

At the end of Rethinking Culture students should:

be familiar with some of the texts and debates that pertain to the broad field of Cultural Studies
have expanded your vocabulary in cultural theory
be able to provide accurate, succinct summaries of particular arguments and positions and be able to bring your own perspective to bear on these other positions
have gained an understanding of how to use concepts in cultural studies to make plausible and persuasive arguments
be able to say where certain theories and opinions come from, historically and socially
show a capacity to synthesise ideas in an original manner which show the connections of the ideas and readings to the contemporary world.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject supports the development of graduates who:

have a broad range of skills and knowledge, making for creative and critically informed communications 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
are 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
are able to function within groups and be sensitive to the multiple dimensions of social and cultural difference.

Teaching and learning strategies

Readings
There is a book of readings containing the subject's core readings for each week. The booklet contains the essential, minimum readings for Rethinking Culture. You are expected to pursue further readings of books and journal articles for inclusion in your final essay-project. Some additional readings can be found in the Closed Reserve section of the UTS Library and by pursuing the 'Further Readings' suggestions in your reader and by noted referred to texts in the lectures.

Lectures
The lecture will establish some (but not all) of the issues you will discuss in more detail in your tutorial. The lecture might seem 'personal' to the extent that it represents the lecturer's opinion on a certain issue but it is 'impersonal' insofar as the lecture represents particular traditions of thought that have attached to particular topics. To be prepared for the lecture you must read the articles under discussion that week. It is quite possible that your interest in aspects of that set reading will differ from the emphasis contained in the lecture. This is to be expected. The tutorial is the ideal place to examine communally the different perspectives that the lecture and readings and your interpretations produce. Students must attend eleven out of the thirteen weeks of lectures to pass this subject.

Tutorials
You have two obligations within the tutorial. The first is to read carefully the set readings. Your preparation should be such as would enable you to provide a summary of the arguments contained in each piece of writing. For the week of your tutorial presentation you will have found other readings through research to supplement your arguments. Your second obligation is to respond in a thoughtful manner to ideas expressed by your tutor and classmates and to be active in creating a lively space of intelligent discussion and learning. Students must attend eleven out of the thirteen weeks of tutorials to pass this subject.

Where is Your Voice in All of This?

Students sometimes claim of the Humanities academic environment, 'The lecturers/tutors don't want to know what I think. They only want me to quote other peoples' opinions.'
This is not true. In Contemporary Cultures 1 our slogans are the following:
We want to know what you think about what other people think or have thought.
We want your opinion about other peoples' opinions.
The tutorial is where you display your opinion on other opinions. Whenever we assert an opinion we should be able to say something about its point of origin and its formation. The tutorial is where you show that you have engaged with a received intellectual tradition and modified it in such a way as to demonstrate that you have thought about it seriously and worked out your individual/personal relation to a particular body of thought. How has your thought on a certain topic been altered by your encounter with a new perspective?

Content

In this subject students will:

Be introduced to Cultural Studies as a discipline.
Become familiar with various concepts relevant to Cultural Studies, such as representation, text, Orientalism, ideology, hegemony, discourse, subcultures, the flâneur, etc.
Become conversant with a range of critical and analytical approaches, such as semiotics, textual analysis, discourse analysis, cultural ethnography, ficto-criticism, etc.
Apply a Cultural Studies approach to a range of practical and/or examples and case studies, often related to everyday life, contemporary society, and/or popular culture.

Assessment

Assessment Item 1: Critical discussion paper and presentation

Objectives	a, b, c
Value	30%
Due	The week after your presentation – to be handed to your tutor Presentation times are to be arranged with your tutor in Week 1 or 2.
Word length	500 words (400 on readings, 100 on report of presentation)
Task	This is a key part of this reading focused subject. Students are expected to present a paper to their tutorial class which they will then hand in the following week with an additional section describing what the student gained from the class discussion following their presentation. The paper must show that the student has understood the key arguments and strengths and weaknesses of a set reading/s but also how these themes connect to other examples they have found. Students are encouraged to think laterally about the reading/s and to consider class exercises which might extend their critical content. While the submitted discussion paper will be marked on an individual basis the presentation can be done as a group. The paper is to be presented as a mini essay – papers presented in note or point form will be failed.
Assessment criteria	Ability to critically analyse and engage with the key arguments, ideas and issues raised by the readings. Ability to identify the different viewpoints that the presentation produced and briefly comment on them.

Assessment Item 2: Short Essay

Objectives	c, d
Value	30%
Due	Week 7 (8 April), to be handed to your tutor in class.
Word length	1000 words
Task	Conduct a critical analysis of a cultural text. A 'cultural text' can be anything produced within culture that has meaning and/or significance for the people who use or engage with it. It may be anything from an artwork, a piece of writing, a film, an event, a place or space, an everyday object, a body, a gesture, a piece of clothing, a building, or something more conceptual such as a process or an element of a belief system. 'Cultural texts' are produced and 'read' by subjects (that is you! But also others such as members of a subculture, people of differing sexualities, races or ethnicities). Be aware of how those differences in subject position (ie individual and group identities) change the meaning of the text. Cultural texts have a context and a history which you must investigate. A 'text' is always polysemous, that is, it will have different meanings depending upon who is doing the 'reading'. Try to be imaginative in selecting your cultural text. This task aims to encourage critical thinking and its creative expression through an awareness of the connections between writing, text and culture. You should: Describe the cultural text Contextualise the text (that is put it into its cultural setting which could include the historical period to which it belongs, the cultural movement which gave rise to it, and/or the modes of consumption which have bought it to your attention. Analyse how the text 'works' as a cultural text. That is how does it produce its particular meanings for you or another group?
Assessment criteria	Demonstrate critical reasoning in terms of analysing how your selected cultural text 'works', by effectively applying relevant concepts and themes. Display conceptual flexibility by being able to show that the cultural text is the site of multiple negotiated meanings. Show the required degree of academic research, by demonstrating familiarity with relevant readings and texts. Present the assignment in a coherently written and grammatically and typographically correct form with consistent scholarly referencing of sources.

Assessment Item 3: Major Essay/Project

Objectives	c, d
Value	40%
Due	Week 14. To be handed to your tutor in class.
Word length	1,500-2,000 words
Task	Create a Major Essay/Project/Event. The aim of this assignment is for students to identify and critically evaluate some of the formal techniques and thematic aspects of a cultural text or process. A list of essay topics will be distributed in Week 7. Students can also devise their own topic in consultation with their tutor, but this topic should be closely related to topics, themes and/or concepts that have been covered in Rethinking Cultures. 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 critical commentary is required for non text-based assignments this should outline the conceptual and theoretical basis of the project. 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. Your essay/project should reflect what you have learned in the subject. PLEASE NOTE THAT FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS MAY NOT USE EQUIPMENT FROM THE MEDIA STORE FOR ANY OF THESE ASSIGNMENTS.
Assessment criteria	Evidence of primary/first hand research and reading in the relevant areas/themes that are addressed by the project. Capacity for imaginative, creative and innovative work in the project-area selected, and ability to arrive at a form of presentation of project-work that most suits the choice of topic. Evidence of a clear and well-organised engagement with the issues, concepts, and material offered by the subject. Show the required degree of academic research, by demonstrating familiarity with relevant readings and texts. Present the assignment in a coherently written and grammatically and typographically correct form with consistent scholarly referencing of sources or, in the case of a non essay-based project, present the work in an intelligible and coherently accessible manner with consistent scholarly referencing of sources.

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.