INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL STUDIES
| Title | ΕΙΣΑΓΩΓΗ ΣΤΙΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΙΚΕΣ ΣΠΟΥΔΕΣ / INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL STUDIES |
| Code | ΜΔΣ1-180 |
| Faculty | Philosophy |
| School | English Language and Literature |
| Cycle / Level | 1st / Undergraduate, 2nd / Postgraduate |
| Teaching Period | Winter/Spring |
| Common | No |
| Status | Active |
| Course ID | 600008027 |
Programme of Study: 2024-2025
Registered students: 0
| Orientation | Attendance Type | Semester | Year | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KORMOS | Compulsory Course | Winter/Spring | - | 6 |
| Academic Year | 2026 – 2027 |
| Class Period | Winter |
| Instructors from Other Categories |
|
| Weekly Hours | 3 |
| Total Hours | 39 |
| Class ID | 600312700
|
Course Type 2021
Specific Foundation
Course Type 2016-2020
- Background
Course Type 2011-2015
General Foundation
Mode of Delivery
- Face to face
Digital Course Content
- e-Study Guide https://qa.auth.gr/en/class/1/600312700
- At the Website of the School: https://enl.auth.gr/course.asp?Id=41
- eLearning (Moodle): https://elearning.auth.gr/course/view.php?id=183
Erasmus
The course is also offered to exchange programme students.
Language of Instruction
- English (Instruction, Examination)
Learning Outcomes
This course will introduce students to key concepts in cultural studies. It begins with a short historical account of how the discipline came to existence through the work of Raymond Williams, Richard Hoggart and Stuart Hall, reviewing at the same time the main principles, areas, key terms and problematics that are pertinent to the field. One of the main goals of the course is to familiarize students with foundations of essential theoretical readings such as those by Karl Marx, Michel Foucault, Sigmund Freud, etc. by contextualizing them in the study of networks of power relations within contemporary culture. After establishing the theoretical part necessary for understanding the field, a significant part of the course will chart the areas modern Cultural Studies are covering by looking at topics such as (new) media, consumption cultures, post-modernism, gender studies, social networking, subcultures, etc.
Learning outcomes:
• Students will learn to differentiate key concepts of cultural analysis and familiarize themselves with its various research methodologies.
• The introduction to cultural analysis will inform the student’s understanding of cultural phenomena.
• Students will learn to take a critical approach to the cultural sphere.
General Competences
- Apply knowledge in practice
- Adapt to new situations
- Work autonomously
- Appreciate diversity and multiculturality
- Demonstrate social, professional and ethical commitment and sensitivity to gender issues
- Be critical and self-critical
- Advance free, creative and causative thinking
Course Content (Syllabus)
Week 1 - Defining Cultural Studies (Part I): History, Development & Scope
Week 2 - Defining Cultural Studies (Part II): Key concepts
Week 3 - The Intellectual Strand of Cultural Studies
Week 4 - Culture & Ideology (Part I)
Week 5 - Culture & Ideology (Part II)
Week 6 - Biology, the Body and Culture
Week 7 - Postmodernism
Week 8 - Ethnicity, Race & Nation
Week 9 - Sex, Subjectivity & Representation
Week 10 - Television, Texts and Audiences
Week 11 - Digital Media Culture (Part I)
Week 12 - Digital Media Culture (Part IΙ)
Week 13 - Revision
Keywords
Culture, mass culture, media, ideology, representation, postmodernism, identity
Educational Material Types
- Slide presentations
- Multimedia
- Interactive excersises
- Book
Use of Information and Communication Technologies
Use of ICT
- Use of ICT in Course Teaching
- Use of ICT in Communication with Students
- Use of ICT in Student Assessment
Description
Powerpoint, YouTube, Doodle, Google Docs, Slido, Thinglink, Ted Lessons, Khan Academy, Moocs
Course Organization
| Activities | Workload | ECTS | Individual | Teamwork | Erasmus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 117 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Reading Assigment | 30 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Exams | 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Total | 150 |
Student Assessment
Description
A final written examination is the primary form of assessment.
Student Assessment methods
- Written Exam with Multiple Choice Questions (Summative)
- Written Exam with Short Answer Questions (Summative)
- Written Exam with Extended Answer Questions (Summative)
Bibliography
Additional bibliography for study
Barker, Chris. Culture Studies: Theory and Practice. London: Sage, 2000.
Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd ed., Manchester University Press, 2009. [pp. 78-82]
Cambell, Neil and Alisdair Kean (eds.). American Culture Studies: An Introduction to American Culture. London: Routledge, 1997.
Easthope, Antony and Kate McGowan (eds.). A Critical and Cultural Theory Reader. Toronto: University of Toronto P, 1992.
Grossberg, Lawrence, et.al. Cultural Studies. New York: Routledge, 1992.
Hsu, Hua. “Stuart Hall and the Rise of Cultural Studies.” The New Yorker, 17 Jul. 2017, https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/stuart-hall-and-the-rise-of-cultural-studies. Accessed 26 February 2021.
Longhurst, Brian et al. Introducing Cultural Studies. 2nd ed., Pearson-Longman, 2008. [pp. 41-42]
McGuigan, Jim. Cultural Methodologies. London: Sage, 1997.
McRobbie, Angela. “What is cultural studies?”. The British Academy, 18 Aug. 2020, https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/what-is-cultural-studies/. Accessed 26 February 2021.
Monaghan, Leila and Jane E. Goodman (eds.). A Cultural Approach to Interpersonal Communication: Essential Readings. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2007.
Smith, Philip. Cultural Theory: An Introduction. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2001.
Stores, John. What is Cultural Studies? A Reader. London: Arnold, 1996.
Thomas, Helen and Jamilah Ahmed (eds.). Cultural Bodies: Ethnography and Theory. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2004.
Thornham, Sue. Feminist Theory and Cultural Studies: An Introduction. London: Arnold, 2000.
Last Update
13-06-2025
