Research Methods in Cultural Studies 3700-MSK2-1-MBK

This course introduces students to the key research methods and tools employed in contemporary cultural studies. It provides an overview of the main methodological traditions and research methods characteristic of cultural studies, including hermeneutics, semiotics, structuralism and narratology; anthropological, ethnographic, historical, sociological and philosophical methods; and interdisciplinary approaches, as well as the tools of the New Humanities and cognitive science. Classes are both theoretical and practical: students learn to formulate research problems, critically assess the methods employed in scholarly texts, select appropriate analytical tools and apply them when working with cultural material (textual, visual and symbolic). The course also aims to develop students' methodological competence and their ability to conduct independent cultural studies research from diverse perspectives and research traditions.

During the lectures, students will become acquainted with the genesis, assumptions, structure of argumentation and scope of applicability of particular methods, as well as their place in the development of contemporary cultural studies.
Laboratory classes are practical and focus on the analysis of selected scholarly texts representing various methodological traditions, ranging from philosophy and archaeology to anthropology, semiotics, and contemporary relational and cognitive approaches. Students learn to formulate research problems, critically assess the methods used in scholarly literature and select appropriate interpretive tools to consciously analyse diverse 'texts of culture'. The course aims to develop reflective, interdisciplinary research skills, enabling students to conduct independent cultural studies analyses and recognise the strengths and limitations of specific methods. Students will also learn to make conscious use of the variety of interpretive perspectives that shape the contemporary cultural studies landscape.