Aspects of Cultural Studies

Week 1: Introduction to Cultural StudiesPurpose:The purpose of Week-1 is to introduce students to the key concepts and origins of cultural Studies, providing a foundational understanding of its characteristics and the historical and cultural context in which it emerged. This week will also expose students to various global issues of 1950s and 1960s that necessitated the intellectual interventions of the university teachers and scholars in the public affairs. By the end of this week, students should have a clear grasp of what defines Cultural Studies, how it emerged and what were the necessities of its emergence.Major Focus:1.Key Concepts2.Culture and Definitions of Culture3.Culture and CultureIndustry4.Representations5.Hierarchy of Cultures6.Globalisation and Multiculturalism7.Modern Scapes8.New Left ideology9.Organic Intellectualism10.Free Floating Intellectuals11.Global Crises of 1950’s and 60’sWeek 2:Theoretical Legacies of Cultural StudiesPurpose:Week-2 would enlighten students with several theoretical paradigms that shaped the birth of cultural studies. It would bring in essays and works of Theodore Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Benjamin, Richard Hoggart, Stuart Hall, E. P. Thompson, Antonio Gramsci, etc. to enunciate the theoretical and epistemological conditions of cultural studies. Both the Frankfurt School (German) and the BCCCS (Brimingham Group, England) schools to provide a detailed historical account of the rise of Cultural Studies. Lectures in the week-2 would empower students with intellectual formations which immensely modelled the nature and purpose of cultural studies.Major Focus:1.Circuits of Culture2.Encoding and Decoding,3.Articulation Theory4.The Politics of Culture and Technology5.Social Organization and Control6.State Apparatus7.History from below, Subaltern history8.Hierarchy of Labour: mental vs physical labourWeek 3:Conjectures of Cultural Studies: Historical and Philosophical ContextsPurpose:The purpose of Week-3 is to delve deeper into the historical and philosophical genesis of Cultural Studies, particularly the influence of phenomenologists like Edmund Husserl, Wolfgang Iser, Gadamer, Merleau Ponty, etc; post-positivists like Thomas Kuhn, Karl Popper, Karl Mannheim, etc; and philosophers, such as Kant, Heidegger, etc. The purpose of this week is to equip students with a thorough understanding of the cultural and intellectual developments during 2oth and 21s centuries that underscore Cultural Studies. Key Focus:1.Phenomenology2.Post-positivism3.Paradigm, Paradigm Shift4.Sociology of knowledge5.Crisis of Humanities6.Evolving Global Crises7.Meaning making process8.Theis, Antithesis, SynthesisWeek 4:Cultural Studies and Proliferation of Interdisciplinary Studies: A Few Examples Purpose:After the tree weeks of deliberations on the history of origin, development, and theoretical legacies of Cultural Studies, in the concluding week, i.e., in Week-4, the focus shall be to summarize the aesthetics, natures, objectives and methodologies of Cultural Studies. To enunciate the natures and objectives of cultural studies, students will be shown a few examples of cultural studies, such as Animal Studies, Queer Studies, Disability Studies, studies on food and fashion, etc. Through a detailed analysis of such types of cultural studies students will not only understand the areas but they will also master knowledge and confidence to chalk out subjects and areas of cultural studies for themselves. It will also help the students to select and prepare proposal for their projects, assignments and PhD dissertation. Most significantly, it will also make them interested to participate and contribute to the cultural issues of their times as young organic intellectuals, thereby bridging the gap between classroom and the outside world. Major Focus:1.What cultural studies actually do2.Features of Cultural Studies3.Critical Pedagogy and Intellectual responsibilities4.Problems of Methodologies of Cultural Studies5.Animal Studies6.Disability Studies7.Queer Studies8.Food and Fashion Studies