SOC270 Sociology of Mass Culture

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2015
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 12 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. Bernadette Nadya Jaworsky, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Karel Musílek, MSc (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Ladislav Rabušic, CSc.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 15:15–16:45 P24
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 10 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Syllabus
  • Imagine a sociology course where you already “know” much of the empirical material that we will examine during the semester. Television, film, music, art and other forms of non-elite culture provide the data for this intensive investigation of the role of mass culture in contemporary life. Sociological theory provides the lens through which we look at the ways in which mass or popular culture interacts and intersects with society. Moving from capitalism to consumerism and from the Frankfurt School to Fiske on TV theory, we will think about the different effects of the “popular” on our own lives as well as on society as a whole. We’ll consider the many ways in which mass or popular culture has been defined and understood historically and consider how these might affect a globalized future. Topics include gender, race, and ethnicity, class and commodification, subcultures, identities, and the processes of resistance and domination.
  • Literature:
  • Betts, Raymond F. 2004. A History of Popular Culture: More of Everything, Faster and Brighter. New York: Routledge.
  • Grazian, David. 2010. Mix It Up: Popular Culture, Mass Media, and Society. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.
  • Guins, Raiford A. and Omayra Zaragoza Cruz. 2005. Popular Culture: A Reader. London: Sage.
  • Inglis, David. 2005. Culture and Everyday Life. London: Routledge.
  • Mukerji, Chandra and Michael Schudson, eds. 1991. Rethinking Popular Culture: Contemporary Perspectives in Cultural Studies. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Teaching methods
1. Mid-term Exam
2. Final exam
3. Short (4-6 page) essay (optional for replacing either exam)
Assessment methods
50% - Mid-term Exam
50% - Final Exam

OR:

50% - Choice of Exam
50% - Optional Essay
Language of instruction
English
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2013.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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