BA Seminar: American Theory of Culture 4219-ZS026
Breaking down into nine thematic blocks, this course engages into a diachronic analysis of American cultural theory: from its dawn to its contemporary incarnation. Preoccupied with the analysis of theoretical diagnoses by most prominent American scholars (past and contemporary), this course aims to systematize the understanding of a variety of phenomena, emblematic to American culture, tracing them socially, historically and critically. The seven blocks will focus on specific problems such as: patriarchy, youth cultures, normalcy, Hollywood, gender, hippie culture, American New Age. The goal is to show the trajectories of American cultural criticism as it has developed alongside its European counterpart. It is also to show the importance of critics and how the discovery of cultural awareness has impacted the understanding of the social and its subsequent make-over. Important in this debate is the role of popular culture, popular media and popular technologies in this process.
Type of course
B.Sc. seminars
Learning outcomes
Upon the completion of the course, students:
• have a basic knowledge of the subject matter.
• are aware of the cultural influences of American cultural criticism and its historical conditioning.
• has a systematic knowledge of notions, trends and terms related to the subject matter.
• can well use the course-related critical terms.
• can use critical theory related to the course.
• is aware of the cultural importance of the subject matter.
• is open to new ideas about culture and its practices.
Bibliography
a selection:
Arthur Asa Berger. 1995. Cultural Criticism: A Primer of Key Concepts
David Murray (ed). 1995. American Cultural Critics
Lin Xiang. 2020. Post-Sixties Narratives as Cultural Criticism: Seeking Radical Change in America.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: