Modes of Cultural Analysis

1 Unit · Graduate

This class is designed to prepare students to engage in the cultural analysis of communicative forms, genres, and practices as situated in given contexts and historical moments. As such, it begins with the examination of some of the complex, even contradictory concepts of 'culture' that have been used to describe and analyze the constitution and consequences of communicative behavior. Drawing on political economy, critical cultural theory, and the literatures on identity, subjectivity, and community formation, this course introduces students to the challenges involved in connecting rhetoric and culture. Attention will be paid to British Cultural Studies, the Frankfurt School, and other significant discourses engaging with cultural theory.