Introduction to Cultural Theory

A survey of theories and methodologies in the interdisciplinary study of culture, the course examines how cultural practices are codified, disseminated, interpreted, and appropriated as texts across a range of human endeavors. It explores questions that relate to the production of culture, the social implications of theory, the use of critique, and the aesthetics of form. Organized around the most influential theoretical paradigms in cultural theory today, it encourages the student to appreciate the relevance of culture in forming human societies and in securing the survival of the planet.

Learning Outcomes

1. Write an interdisciplinary essay that draws on a range of critical concepts in cultural theory;
2. Discern  the connection between and among the disciplines, for example, in an interdisciplinary essay; and
3. Practice interdisciplinary thinking in an applied study or project.

Topics

1. Key theoretical movements in the study of cultural texts from material culture to  neuroscience;
2. Recent interdisciplinary methodologies in animal studies, digital humanities, visual culture, popular culture, affect studies, race and ethnicity, the anthropocene, and public humanities;
3. Standard approaches to cultural analysis from close reading, to thick description, to visual analysis, to ethnography, to big data.

Sample Syllabi and Modules

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