The module combines theoretical and methodological approaches from sociology, cultural and media studies, history and literature to examine how our understandings of the past, present and future are formed, framed, mediated and remediated in a variety of social, cultural and political contexts. It aims to introduce students to key themes and issues related to the social experience of time. It will encourage them to reflect on how this experience informs our approaches to social problems, relationships of power and inequality, and the formation of collective identities. Over the course of the term, we will debate and critically explore the roles of heritage, nostalgia, the imagination, narrative and experience at the heart of both processes of social change and cultural continuity. We will question what it is that forms the constitutive narrative of a cultural identity, its foundations, expression and trajectory. We will also examine the material and symbolic construction of social groups such as generations, classes and communities.
Total contact hours: 22
Private study hours: 128
Total study hours: 150
BA Cultural Studies and Media and associated programmes
Main assessment methods
Essay (4000 words) (70%)
Essay Preparation Assignment (800 words) (20%)
Class Participation (10%)
Reassessment methods
Reassessment Instrument: 100% coursework
Barthes, R. (1972) Mythologies. Jonathan Cape.
Boym, S. (2001) The Future of Nostalgia. Basic Books.
Cowie, J. and J. Heathcott (2003) Beyond the Ruins: the Meanings of Deindustrialisation. ILR Press.
Dicks, B. (2000) Heritage, Place and Community. University of Wales Press.
Edmunds, J. and B.S. Turner (2002) Generations, Culture and Society. Open University Press.
Erll, A. and A. Rigney (2009) Mediation, Remediation and the Dynamics of Cultural Memory. DeGruyter & Co.
Levitas, R. (2013) Utopia as Method: The Imaginary Reconstitution of Society. Palgrave Macmillan.
Macdonald, S. (2013) Memorylands: Heritage and Identity in Europe Today. Routledge.
Misztal, B.A. (2003) Theories of Social Remembering. Open University Press.
Rieff, D. (2016) In Praise of Forgetting: Historical Memory and its Ironies. Yale University Press.
Russo, J. and S.L. Linkon (2005) New Working-class Studies. ILR Press.
Samuel, R. (1994) Theatres of Memory, Volume 1: Past and Present in Contemporary Culture. Verso.
Smith, L. (2006) Uses of Heritage. Routledge.
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 Critically approach and analyse key debates surrounding the ideas, practices and institutions of cultural heritage.
8.2 Use cultural, sociological, historical and media theories and approaches to discuss and debate the study of personal and collective
memory, and the social experience of time.
8.3 Develop a critical understanding of processes of mediation and remediation in the narrative construction of personal and collective
identities.
8.4 Relate the concepts and practices of heritage, narrative construction and memory to wider sociological issues of inequality, power and
identity.
8.5 Contextualise specific cultural texts and practices within a variety of social, cultural, historical and political frameworks.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
9.1 Critically evaluate varied multidisciplinary theoretical and analytical approaches to the subjects and materials examined.
9.2 Analyse and contextualise theoretical and empirical case studies within both the module's key themes and a broader academic discourse.
9.3 Draw on relevant materials and analytical tools to develop considered arguments and evaluations, and be able to present these clearly in
oral and written forms.
9.4 Work in co-operation with others to debate, discuss and develop ideas and understandings of the materials and approaches presented.
University of Kent makes every effort to ensure that module information is accurate for the relevant academic session and to provide educational services as described. However, courses, services and other matters may be subject to change. Please read our full disclaimer.
