This course will introduce students to the burgeoning field of cultural studies. Instead of going over the various schools and scholars in the field, I hope to familiarize students with the basic premises and practices of cultural studies through an in-depth study of one of the classic works on the subject. The objective of the course would be to equip students with the proper conceptual and analytic tools so that they can conduct their own studies of our rapidly changing culture. As we go through the readings, students will be asked to contribute their own observations of cultural phenomena and compare them with the theories and examples from the readings. Students will also form small research groups and carry out their own chosen class project to be presented at the end of the semester.

(Hints: When reading scholarly works such as our textbook, it is important to bear in mind that the book is organized into chapters and sections to present a schemework of some sort. As you read, always ask yourself: (1) what the author is trying to say in that section--boil it down to one sentence or a few key words if possible, (2) how that section hangs together with other sections, and more importantly (3) what ideas and questions are being brought up in your head by the reading. One more word of warning: the Chinese translation is quite a distance from the original. Do not resort to it unless you plan to make it a practice to pick out all the mistakes in the translation.)

聯絡教師: joseho@educities.edu.tw

Grading:

Factors that will benefit you when it is grading time:

• active participation in class discussion
• respectual contribution to group research and presentation
• interesting writing performance
• 2-page personal reflection after the course has ended

Texts:

• Fiske, John Understanding Popular Culture. Boston: Unwin Hyman, 1989.
• 性／別研究室剪報檔案、《不同國女人》
• 可能會派發的其他文章，也歡迎建議和提供

Tentative Schedule: