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ethnography which focuses on the lived experience aspect of culture); andstudies of thepolitical economy of culture (which have tended to draw on Marxism and focus on theproduction and distribution of cultural texts and their political economy).

Questions of method will be approached throughout the seminar using a diverse body of

theoretical and applied texts that we will examine in terms of the relation between thetheoretical questions addressed and the methods used to address those questions. Theseminar aims to show that theoretical questions should always inform the choice ofmethods, and that, in turn, methods used well will generate new theoretical questions.Ideally, the seminar should achieve the followinginterconnectedobjectives:

To help students understand the epistemological and methodological foundations ofcultural studies and the cultural studies approaches to culture;

To familiarize students with the wide range of methods used in cultural studies researchand provide them with a critical how-to guide to conducting cultural studies research;

To help students question their methodological assumptions when they approach texts orstudy practices; that is, to be more aware and critical of the questions they ask about culturaltexts and practices, why the ask them, and how these questions might pre-determine themethods they use and the interpretations they are likely to produce; and finally

To help students learn to examine cultural phenomena in the context of their socialtotality (which, here, refers to the concrete unity of all interacting spheres of social lifecultural, economic, and political), that is, by pursuing their hidden interactions andinterconnections in real life.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Johnson, Richard et al. The Practice of Cultural Studies. London: SAGE Publications, 2004.

Saukko, Paula. Doing Research in Cultural Studies: An Introduction to Classical and NewMethodological Approaches. London: SAGE Publications, 2003.

Seale, Clive. Researching Society and Culture. London: SAGE Publications, 2006.

RECOMMENDED TEXTS:

Chandler, Daniel. Semiotics: The Basics. New York: Routledge, 2002.

During, Simon, ed. The Cultural Studies Reader. Routledge: 2000.

Grossberg, Lawrence et al., ed. Cultural Studies. New York: Routledge, 1992.

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McGuigan, Jim, ed. Cultural Methodologies. London: SAGE Publications, 1997.

Storey, John. Doing Cultural Studies: The Story of the Sony Walkman. London: SAGEPublications, 1997.

GRADING SCHEME:

REFLECTION PAPERS 10%PARTICIPATION AND MINI-PROJECTS 20%METHOD STATEMENT 20%PRESENTATION OF METHODSTATEMENT AND PROJECT 20%FINAL PROJECT 30%

ATTENDANCE:

I will take attendance on a weekly basis. Three absences will be allowed, but if you missmore than three classes,you will begin to lose points from your participation grade. You need tocome to class weekly prepared to discuss the assigned readings.

ASSIGNMENTS:

REFLECTION PAPERSA one-page critical reflection on the weekly readings. Your reflections should help youcontribute to and augment our class discussions.

METHOD STATEMENTA five-to-eight-page statement on/review ofAT LEAST TWO cultural studies methods ofyour choice. It is recommended that you choose a method or a set of methods that you willuse for your final projects. This assignment is due on Monday, April 20, 2009.

FINAL PROJECTA five-to-eight-page cultural studies analysis (using a method or a combination of methodsof your choice) of some cultural text or practice. This assignment is your main courseproject. I will provide initial materials to help you begin your work. The goal is to practicewhat we have learned about methods and methodologies throughout the course. This

assignment is due on Monday, May 11, 2009.

PRESENTATIONA 10-to-15 minute oral presentation of your Method Statement and final research project.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:The Columbia College Chicago Student Code of Conduct prohibitsall forms of

dishonesty including cheating [and] plagiarism (page 6). Plagiarism is when you use the

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words or ideas from another person or source and pass them off as your own, withoutdue acknowledgement. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense and is grounds forfailing the assignment, and maybe the whole course. Should you need assistance indocumenting your sources, please talk to me.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

Students with disabilities should see me early in the semester to make any necessaryarrangements or accommodations.

SYLLABUS:

MondayJanuary 26, 2009: Introduction and Overview of the Course

A discussion of the course syllabus, policies, and requirements.

What do you expect to get out of this class? What will be covered in class?

UNIT ONE: EPISTEMOLOGICAL AND METHODOLOGICALFOUNDATIONS OF CULTURAL STUDIES

Monday February 2:

Part I: Cultural Studies and Researching Culture. Read Cultural Studies and the Studyof Culture: Disciplines and Dialogues in Richard Johnsons The Practice of CulturalStudies(PCS) pp. 9-25.

Part II: Working Practices and the Ethics of Research. Read Suki Ali and Moira KellysEthics and Social Research in Researching Society and Culture (RSC) pp. 115-127 and TheResearch Process: Moments and Strategies in PCSpp. 62-84.

Monday February 9:

Part I: Combining Methods in Cultural Studies. Read Multiplying Methods: FromPluralism to Combination in PCSpp. 26-43. Read also Combining Methodologies inCultural Studies in Doing Research in Cultural Studies (DRCS) pp. 11-35.

Part II: Self-Reflexivity and Forms of Self-Narration. Read Method and theResearching Self in PCSpp. 44-61.

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Example: Read Angela McRobbies Young Women and Consumer Culture in CulturalStudies. Volume 22, Issue 5. pp. 531-550.

UNIT TWO: PLACES, SITES, AND SPACES IN CULTURAL RESEARCH

Monday February 16:

Part I: Bringing Place and Space into Focus. Read Make Space! Spatial Dimensions inCultural Research in PCS. pp. 105-118. Read also Analysis of Reality and Space in DRCSpp. 155-175.

Part II:The Analysis of Multiple Sites and Spaces. Read Studying Multiple Sites andSpaces in DRCSpp. 176-197.

Part III: A Workshop on the Method Statement assignment.

A One-to-two-paragraph Method Statement project proposal DUE TODAY inclass.

UNIT THREE: USING LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES FOR

CULTURAL RESEARCH

Monday February 23:

Individual Conferences

UNIT FOUR: HISTORICAL DIMENSIONS OF CULTURAL RESEARCH

Monday March 2:

Part I:Archives and their Implications for Cultural Studies Research: Read Doing

Historical and Archival Research in RSCpp.249-264.

Part II: Library Workshop.

UNIT FIVE: TEXUAL ANALYSIS OF CULTURE

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Monday March 9:

Part I:Always Historicize! Always Historicize! Read Time Please! HistoricalPerspectives in PCSpp.119-134.

Part II:Writing Cultural Histories. Historical Methods and Methodologies

Monday March 16:

Part I: Structuralist and Poststructuralist Approaches.

Read Reading Popular Narratives: From Structure to Context in PCSpp. 157-169.

Read also Genealogical Analysis pp. 115-134 and On Deconstruction and Beyond pp.135-152, both in DRCS.

Part II:Semiotics and Cultural Studies. Read the following online notes onSemiotics:

http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/semiomean/semio1.html

UNIT SIX: POLITICAL ECONOMY AND CULTURAL STUDIES

Monday March 23:

Spring Break. No Class.

Monday March 30

Part I:Texts, Readings, and Power Relations. Read Reading Texts of or forDominance in PCSpp. 170-186. Read also Reading Ideology pp. 99-114 in DRCS.

Part II: How to Read Fictional Texts? Read Reading Fictions, Reading Histories inPCSpp. 187-199.

Here's a chance to evaluate the course so far! Dont miss it!

Monday April 6:

Towards a Political Economy of Culture: Read Douglas Kellners Critical Theory andCultural Studies: The Missed Articulation pp. 12-41 in CM. Read Culture, Power, andEconomy in PCSpp. 135-152.

http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/semiomean/semio1.htmlhttp://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/semiomean/semio1.htmlhttp://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/semiomean/semio1.htmlhttp://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/semiomean/semio1.html

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Example: Read Kurt Borchards and David R. DickenssMystification of the LaborProcess in Contemporary Consumer Culture in Cultural Studies: Critical Methodologies.Volume 8, Issue 4. pp. 558-567

UNIT SEVEN: STUDYING LIVED EXPERIENCE AND

AUDIENCE STUDIES

Monday April 13:

Part I: Analysis of Lived Experience. Read Studying Lived Resistance pp. 39-54 inDRCS. Read also Learning from Experience in Jim McGuigans Cultural Methodologiespp.87-105.

Part II: Studying AudiencesRead also Rosalind Brunts Engaging with the Popular: Audiences for Mass Culture andWhat to Say about Them in Lawrence Grossbergs Cultural Studiespp. 69-80.

Example: Read James Thomass From People Power to Mass Hysteria: Media and PopularReactions to the Death of Princess Diana in International Journal of Cultural Studies. Volume11, Issue 3. pp. 362-376.

UNIT EIGHT: CRITICAL ETHNOGRAPHY

Monday April 20:

Part I: Reflections on Fieldwork and Ethnography.

Read Doing Ethnography in RSCp.p. 226-237. Read also New Ethnography andUnderstanding the Other pp. 55-73 and Between Experience and Discourse pp. 74-95 inDRCS.

Read also Doing Social Surveys, Qualitative Interviewing, Using Focus Groups, andMaking and Managing Audio Recordings, all in RSCpp. 163-207.

Method Statement Due in Class Today.

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Monday April 27:

Part I:Workshop on Textual Analysis (Semiotics, Structuralism, Post-Structuralism,and Deconstruction): Build-A-Bear Workshop/Women Magazine/Reality TV as

Case Studies.

Part II: Workshop on Political Economy/Production-Based Analysis: Build-A-BearWorkshop/Women Magazine/Reality TV as Case Studies.

Monday May 4:

Part III:Workshop on Ethnography and Fieldwork Research: Build-A-BearWorkshop/Women Magazine/Reality TV as Case Studies.

Monday May 11: Student PresentationsCourse Summary and Evaluation

FINAL PROJECTS DUE TODAY in class. END OF SEMESTER