ZUR393c Culture, Media and Identity in Global Societies

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2014
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Pascaline Lorentz, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Lukas Blinka, PhD. (lecturer)
Mgr. Pavel Sedláček (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. David Šmahel, Ph.D.
Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Bc. Pavlína Brabcová
Supplier department: Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 11:30–13:00 AVC
Prerequisites
No previous knowledge is needed. Classes are taught in English.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 14 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
This course is an introduction (undergraduates and postgraduates) to main questions brought as a result of globalization process. We will enquire how global and individual levels have been interwoven claiming a higher emphasis on the specific aspect of each. Touching on identity construction as well as media’s importance, the course aims to make students thinking about their own place in their society as a global citizen. Students are required to bring any device for having access to Internet in class as there will be quizzes using Kahoot as part of the overall grading. No previous knowledge is needed. Classes are taught in English.
Syllabus
  • 1. WHEN CULTURE AND SOCIETY MEET UP In this session, we will devote some time to coin the term culture and try to understand relationships between culture and society. For doing so, we will present input of both humanities and social sciences to culture definition. A stress will be made on overlaps in the cultural object in order to present cultures as networks and ways of expressing ourselves. Example: Greetings – How Are You Today? 2. THEORIZING CULTURE By browsing different sociological traditions scrutinizing the relationship between culture and meaning, we will figure out that culture actually gives meaning to individuals’ life. In fact, every cultural activity channels meaning that provide a reason for living. Example: Beliefs and Video Games – What do you believe in? 3. CULTURE AS SOCIAL CREATION IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY As our course is entangled in global societies, we will approach a broader perspective in this session underlying the fact that cultures are collective production. We will stress on the collective aspect of culture creation in order to figure out the interrelation between the macro level and the micro level of the society. Example: Global Geek Culture 4. TRANSLATING CULTURAL PRODUCTS FOR MAKING SENSE This session will move to another angle that is the audience’s perspective. In effect, we will envision culture through communication and representation. Talking about signs and meanings, and about its context, but also about the ability of the audience to deconstruct and reconstruct a message, we will begin to encompass further actors in culture production. Therefore, culture is based on an exchange between producers and receivers. Example: New Languages - Do You Speak MSN? :D 5. CULTURE AS A WAY TO PRODUCE AND REPRODUCE INEQUALITIES This session will bring a new aspect to the topic by mentioning power relationship related to culture. In real, we will widen the scope by talking about globalization and its effects on inequality. Plus, resistance strategies of individuals will be exposed. Example: Video Gaming for Dummies Workshop Session. 6. POWER, CULTURES AND RESISTANCE Bringing the input of cultural studies here, we will go through the topic of politics to identify what politic is. How is power translated in politics? The emergence of the defense of identity rights carried many cultural politics topics. Bound between power and performance will be raised here as we will study the expression of power with buildings too. Example: Video Gamers are Deviants 7. IDENTITIES, PROBLEMS, AND MOVEMENTS This section will talk about the subtle process of construction of a social problem and its consequences. We will look at all standpoints of some social global problems in order to understand how their construction benefits some institutions or others. Retracing links between actors and events will help us to understand the power relationships that shape the display of information regarding this problem. Example: The Silent Revolution of Video Gamers 8. CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY IN A GLOBAL WORLD. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU! This course will be devoted to the relationship between space and representations, plus the meaning which is conveys in these areas. The point is to study relationships of power, knowledge and meaning in places, old, new and renewed. Notions of space, place and landscape, will be associated to power by explaining meanings channeled through space. Example: The Virtual Third Place 9. CONSUMPTION AND INFORMATION SOCIETY. YOU ARE WHAT YOU BUY! Consumption and its understanding will attract our attention during this section of the course as we aim to explain the reasons why consumption is so prevalent in our societies. What is the consumption of products? What does it mean to buy something? Do we all purchase similar items for the same reasons? We will approach the concept of ‘cathedrals of consumption’ to study enchantment, or dis-enchantment, of our world thanks to consumption. Example: Iphone or Galaxy? 10. CULTURE AND CONNECTION. ARE WE ALL CONNECTED? This section will absorb our questions regarding information society and its relation to culture. Networks connected us all and therefore gave birth to the ‘global village’. We are today, supposed to be all together all the time. So why do we feel so left alone? Example: “Avalon” by Mamoru Oshii (2001) 11. SUBCULTURES, POST CULTURES AND FAN CULTURES. AM I WHO/WHAT I LIKE? This course will concentrate on how culture is received by audience and critics. We will closely look on how moral panics around some cultural products have been established without any foundation during the past two centuries. Example: Moral panic around cultural products (Treasure Island, Rock’N Roll, TV, Video games, SNS) Workshop Session. 12. CULTURED AND COMMUNICATIVE BODIES. IS YOUR BODY A COMMUNICATION TOOL? The last section of this course will be devoted to visual culture and more especially to the presentation of the body and its meaning. The representation and perception of the body have greatly evolved through times and cultures. Still today, the body is very subversive aspect of culture. This section will touch on gendered bodies, visual bodies, and political bodies. We will have a closer look to advertisement ways of presenting body. Example: Fashion, Pictures and Lies. 13. VISUAL CULTURE AND POWER IN RL AND VL. I BELIEVE IN WHAT I SEE. REALLY? The last section of this course will be devoted to visual culture. Everything is now visual, visible and seen. In the past, pictures stood for showing the reality whereas they present now a better reality. Seeing and being are in constant competition, what does it mean to see something? So to be seen? What the city has to give to be seen? Who watch what and why? Example: Advertise YourSelf
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Please check study material
Teaching methods
Lectures, in-class activities, games, personal file to build over the semester.
Assessment methods
THE SEMESTER STUDENT PERSONAL FILE (60%) Every week we will cover different concepts and ideas. You will write after the class a short text (500-750 words) about this topic taking your personal situation as an example. • On week 5 and week 11, you will share your comments and notes in-class with few class mates. Afterwards, you will write your comments about the changes you are making as a result of the discussion. • The objective is for you to bridge the knowledge you glean in class and during your readings with your daily life experience. You will be asked to reflect on your analyses. • This file will weight for 60% of the global grade. IN-CLASS QUIZZES AND FINAL BIG QUIZZ (20%) • In each class, you will have few question quizzes. Their answers will be saved online and they will be part of the overall grading. These quizzes have a weight of 20%. PRESENCE AND PARTICIPATION (20%) • You must attend classes in order to pass the course and to take part of the in-class quizzes. • You are expected to bring your opinions and ideas into in-class conversations.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught only once.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2014/ZUR393c