Contemporary culture is 'now-time' culture, but when did 'now' begin - and will it be over before the course starts? This module focuses on analysing contemporary culture and media and aims to demonstrate the range of possible interpretations that mediated culture can be open to. It raises questions about how culture can be viewed from aesthetic, political, ethical and economic perspectives. What is culture really for? Is it product or a process? Who owns it? Is it for fun or is it deadly serious? In order to think through contemporary issues such as gender relations, sexuality, multiculturalism and otherness, and what they might imply about our changing perceptions of space, place, and belonging, we'll be taking a case study approach to a range of cultural products and objects, media and institutions, and post-modern practices of communication. This module aims to understand the transformation of culture and media and everyday life we are living through and the way it changes who we are.
Total contact hours: 22
Private study hours: 128
Total study hours: 150
As a compulsory module:-
BA Cultural Studies and Media
BA Film and Cultural Studies
BA Criminology and Cultural Studies
BA Cultural Studies and Social Anthropology
BA Cultural Studies and Comparative Literary Studies
BA Cultural Studies and Art History
BA Philosophy and Cultural Studies
BA Cultural Studies and Media and Journalism
BA Cultural Studies and Media with Journalism
As an optional module or students on other degree programmes, including as a wild module
Main assessment methods
Examination (2 hours) – 50%
Coursework - essay (1500 words) – 30%
Coursework - class participation – 20%
Reassessment methods
100% coursework.
C.Barker (2000) Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice, London: Sage
P. Hodkinson (2017) Media, Culture and Society, London: Sage
A. Kirkby (2009) Digimodernism, Oxford: Continuum
J. Lewis (2002) Cultural Studies: The Basics, London: Sage
S. Lindgren (2017) Digital Media and Society, London: Sage
J. McGuigan (1999) Modernity and Postmodern Culture, Buckingham: Open University Press
A. McRobbie (2005) The Uses of Cultural Studies: A Textbook, London: Sage
M. Ryan (ed) (2008) Cultural Studies: An Anthology, Oxford: Blackwell
J. Storey (1993) An Introductory Guide to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, London: Harvester
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
8.1 Situate the idea of 'contemporary culture and media' and the idea of 'the contemporary' within a philosophical and historical context.
8.2 Implement key analytical approaches for the study of contemporary culture and media through case studies.
8.3 Understand contemporary culture and media through an inter-disciplinary body of work.
8.4 Understand the contemporary cultural conjuncture as a political, economic and social phenomenon.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
9.1 Understand the advantages of applying cross-disciplinary approaches to examining social and cultural phenomena.
9.2 Understand how to apply theory to analysis.
9.3 Demonstrate presentation and debate skills.
9.4 Assess scholarly theory, hypotheses, theses, and their implications.
9.5 Demonstrate library-based study skills, including the use of web-based resources and the discipline of close reading of key texts in cultural
and media theory.
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