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Fall 2021  |  CSCL 1301W Section 001: Reading Culture: Theory and Practice (21320)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
Completely Online
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/07/2021 - 12/15/2021
Mon, Wed, Fri 11:15AM - 12:05PM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
Enrollment Status:
Closed (25 of 25 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Culture and cultural conflict. Reading cultural theory/texts such as film, literature, music, fashion, commercial art, and built environment.
Class Description:
This course engages in readings of culture, i.e. the interpretation and analysis of various things, materials, products, forms, and contexts in which culture is produced, consumed, and understood. "Theory" in the title of this course refers to the various ways of thinking about culture and conceptualizing culture; "Practice" refers to the modes of reading and writing critically about these concepts and theories in order to analyse how culture is imagined, produced, and understood. For this reason, the course is not an arts appreciation course, or a survey of any particular period, form, or genre of culture, nor a study of specific ethnic, national, or cultural groups. Instead, the course is focused on a series of cultural practices: seeing (on art and visual culture), reading (on language and literature), listening (on sound and music), playing (on sports and games), eating (on taste and food), "surfing" (on the internet and new media), and remembering (on history and the past). We will learn to theorize these practices by reading a number of canonical texts in criticism, cultural studies, and its related fields. Readings include Theodor Adorno, bell hooks, John Berger, Susan Sontag, W.J.T. Mitchell, Virginia Woolf, Raymond Williams, Jonathan Sterne, Franz Fanon, Roland Barthes, C.L.R. James, Margaret Mead, Lev Manovich, Paul Connerton, Svetlana Boym, and more. We will pair these classic readings with our own analyses of timely case studies.
Who Should Take This Class?:
Anyone interested in the critical, interdisciplinary, and theoretical humanities; anyone interested in the study of word, image, and sound across various media and cultural practices. This is an introductory course to Cultural Studies and its related fields; no prerequisites and no prior knowledge is required. (This is not an art/culture appreciation class and you will not learn the specific form and history of a particular genre or period; the readings and the essay(s) you will be required to write are critical, analytical, academic papers.)
Learning Objectives:
CSCL 1301W fulfils the Liberal Education Core requirement in Arts and Humanities: Works in Humanistic Studies reflect on the common and familiar human condition - our human limitations and unique failures together with our distinctive human capacities and achievements. In this course we examine works that invite or compel critical thought. Reflection on such works will enrich students' lives and make them more thoughtful and perceptive members of our communities. Courses in the Arts explore the ways in which art derives its value from various histories and perspectives, means and methods. Among the specific traits fostered in the course are thoughtful analysis, flexibility, experimentation, and ingenuity in problem solving and making use of complex concepts. These courses are designed to initiate a lasting connection to the arts for students as creators, viewers, listeners, or participants.

Student Learning Outcomes:
- Can locate and critically evaluate information: Students will develop a sophisticated understanding of cultural meaning as a philosophical, political, and social problem. Students will be able to identify and critically evaluate culture, art, media, and theories about these things through reading and analysis. They will hone their skills through discussion, presentation, and writing.
- Understand diverse philosophies and cultures within and across societies: Students will be exposed to a variety of theories, philosophical writings on culture. The course is fundamentally comparative and seeks to make students draw connections across different periods, areas, cultures, and genres.
- Have mastered a body of knowledge and a mode of inquiry: Building upon a set of readings of canonical texts the students are introduced to the field of cultural studies and build a sense of the variety of approaches of "reading" culture this interdisciplinary field is characterized by. Through discussion leading, in-class presentations, and writing exercises the students learn to ask questions and carry out analyses framed by the language, methods, and theories of cultural studies.

Grading:

Class participation (15%): Participation in class discussions and one in-class presentation/discussion-lead.

In-class final (10%).

Written assignment(s) (75%). There are two options:

1.) 4 response essays. 3 - 4 page essays asking you to respond to questions and problems raised in class and readings. Focus in these assignments is on your close reading and analysis skills and on your ability to define concepts, use terminology from the readings, and analyze and interpret culture in response to the texts we have read in class. (Due in weeks 3, 7, 11, 15; one revision).

2) Final research project. 12 - 15
page essay on a topic of your choosing. While you may draw on the material from the course you will need to do reading and research on your own. Focus in this assignment is on your ability to design and carry out individual research and use it to write an academic paper. You may first hand in a full draft of the paper and then be able to correct errors and elaborate from my comments before handing in the final version. (Draft due in week 13, revision due in finals week.)

Class Format:
Class will alternate between lecturing and class discussion, plus sometimes group work. Lectures and discussions will always have the assigned readings and examples as their starting point, but we will aim to find connections between the different texts, examples, and perspectives that broaden our understanding of the topics even more. Therefore, you must not only read the texts closely, but also reflect upon them; and class participation does not just mean that you are in attendance, but that you take part in class discussion. Reading, as suggested in the title, is essential for this course. If you have not read the assigned readings you will not be able to profit from my lectures and our discussions.
Workload:
Readings are generally short, but somewhat difficult. Plan on using a couple of hours prepping for each class session. As this is a writing intensive course plan on using a substantial amount of time crafting your essay(s).
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/21320/1219
Past Syllabi:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/vadxx003_CSCL1301W_Fall2018.docx (Fall 2018)
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
30 May 2018

Fall 2021  |  CSCL 1301W Section 002: Reading Culture: Theory and Practice (21321)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/07/2021 - 12/15/2021
Tue, Thu 02:30PM - 03:45PM
UMTC, East Bank
Folwell Hall 31
Enrollment Status:
Open (24 of 25 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Culture and cultural conflict. Reading cultural theory/texts such as film, literature, music, fashion, commercial art, and built environment.
Class Description:
CSCL 1301W Reading Culture: Theory and Practice 4 credits, meets Lib Ed req of Other Humanities Core; meets Lib Ed req of Writing Intensive Instructor: STAFF Description: This course turns on one central question: How do things 'mean?' Specifically, how do cultural texts mean in relation to each other and to human life in society and across history? 'Cultural texts' are made objects and forms of communication that encode messages and values, and that produce effects--anything from movies, TV shows, magazine ads and rock concerts to 'high art' (paintings, classical music, plays, poems, etc.). The course specifically examines: (1) the role played by cultural forms in creating, maintaining or challenging social boundaries and power relationships; and (2) the ways art and culture function as sites where creative and alternative visions of 'the good life' come into being. Small classes emphasize close reading, discussion, and practice in critical writing. An introductory course in every sense, it's a good place to start thinking about what "culture" is and how it works. It will also help you develop reading and writing techniques useful for many courses and majors. Class Time: 40% lecture, 60% discussion
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/21321/1219
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
8 November 2007

ClassInfo Links - Fall 2021 Cultural Stdy/Comparative Lit Classes

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