14801

WiSe 22/23: Module I - Introduction

Friederike Schäfer

Information for students

First meeting on October 27, 2 pm (c.t.) to 5.15 pm (including a 15 min break), then bi-weekly (10.11., 24.11., 08.12., Christmas break, 05.01., 19.01., 02.02., final session on 09.02.). The texts for the first session will be sent to you at the beginning of the semester via e-mail. The syllabus and reading list will then be finalized during the first meeting; please bring your reading suggestion to class! close

Comments

This seminar has been specifically conceived as part of the curriculum of the interdisciplinary Doctoral Studies Program “History and Cultural Studies”. It thus takes the question of the origins of cultural studies only as a starting point to then focus on its capacities as an interdisciplinary field that advanced a range of theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches, and engendered a reconceptualization of the notion of “culture,” as such. After an introductory session with readings on the relatively young history of the discipline, specifically in regard to its different genesis within the Anglo-American and German academic systems (by Stuart Hall, respectively Doris Bachmann-Medick), we will focus on selected key terms/concepts/debates, including central issues and challenges, to discuss how these theoretical shifts are interrelated with new methodological approaches. In view of the temporal and spatial scope of the Department of History and Cultural Studies with its 17 institutes, particular attention is given to issues in relation to space and time, and the epistemological implications that the shift to a global perspective has brought to the field. In the last session we will share and review some recent, thought-provoking and/or methodologically challenging research papers, for example, from queer studies, indigenous studies or transcultural studies. The goal is to generate a common understanding of cultural studies as an interdisciplinary framework—by way of partaking in an active academic debate and critical analysis of pertinent literature and different research approaches—and, last but not least, to provide the atmosphere for students to critically reflect their own research plan, also in regard to their positionality. In accordance with this concept, the Doctoral candidates will be able to suggest relevant readings based on their own research, in addition to the syllabus provided in the first session on October 27. The course is organized in bi-weekly sessions to provide ample time for both text-based discussions and further debate, and to enable all participants to schedule the required readings to come to class well-prepared. The course is taught in English, with the option to discuss German texts, depending on the language-skills of all participants. close