Time Schedule:
Ronald Stanley Krabill
BCULST 500
Bothell Campus
Focuses on historical and contemporary forms of cultural studies inquiry, with an emphasis on the local and global questions and problems that shape that inquiry. Offered: A.
Class description
This course provides an integrated understanding of culture, its role in public life, and an analysis of the implications of knowledge production in and across various institutional and community settings. Students will be prepared not only to understand the history and theory of cultural studies as a field, but also to locate and work with those theoretical frames in relation to their own research and community-based emphases. The significance of text, performance, media, visual, and community-based documents for research will be explored.
This course is an opportunity to gain a grounding in existing theories, traditions, and practices of cultural studies, while simultaneously critiquing previous understandings. This will be a thoughtful and gradual immersion in the enterprise as we explore multiple imaginaries. It is an opportunity to envision your own cultural research work along multiple potential paths.
Student learning goals
Learn about the history of Cultural Studies
Explore multiple models and examples of Cultural Studies research
Build comfort and competence with the initial formulation of individual and collaborative research projects
Move beyond critiques of what has been done to visions of how it can be done more effectively within Cultural Studies
Gain awareness of the scope and span of the program, its faculty, staff, resources, and ongoing projects
Identify and assess various forms of cultural research, and begin the process of generating your own cultural research project
General method of instruction
The format of this course, and the MACS program in general, emphasizes collaboration -- among students, faculty, staff, and (eventually) community partners. This course will call upon you to imagine and propose your own research in the context of examining existing models of cultural studies research.
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
You will produce several (3-5) short research proposals identifying the problematic, methods, and ethics of the proposed research, while also identifying patterns, techniques, and broader themes that link your potential studies. These proposals should deploy a variety of cultural studies approaches in order to experiment with multiple methods for framing questions and executing research, including various levels of collaboration with colleagues and community partners. You will be asked to pilot one or more of these projects in subsequent quarters, with the goal of building on your experiences to create a fully-developed proposal for your capstone project.
