Winter 2000
English 417 Senior Seminar: Introduction to Cultural Studies

Tobin Siebers

 
3267 Angell Hall 
Tel: 764-5481; tobin@umich.edu 
Hours: MW 1:30-2:30 and by appointment 
  
 Books available at: 
Shaman Drum Bookshop 
315 South State Street 
Coursepack available at: 
        Kolossos 
        310 East Washington Street
 REQUIREMENTS FOR A PASSING GRADE:  
 
  •  Final project 
  •  Weekly locks and keys 
  •  Final Debate Project
  •  Participation 
  •  Attendance 
    •   NO
  •  INCs 
  •  Extensions 
  •  Late work 
  •  Exceptions 
    		•
     

    Course Description

    "Culture" is a concept that floats between extremes, pitting civilization against primitiveness, table manners against toolmaking, high art against popular art. What does it mean to have "culture"? And what impact has culture had as an ideal used to distinguish between the good, the bad, and the ugly? between "savages" and "sophisticates"? between men and women? This course will begin by tracing the history of the idea of culture in the writings of various 19th and 20th century thinkers: Marx, Freud, Edward Tylor, and Emile Durkheim. We will continue by asking how these ideas influence cultural and interpretation theory. Finally, we will look at the loose collection of thinkers doing Cultural Studies. Our texts will be painting, the sculpture of George Segal and Jackie Winsor, films--Aliensand Metropolis--advertisements, and literary works. Some topics include natural versus cultural man, woman and culture, technology and the human, aesthetics and democracy. Students will workshop their project and go through at least two revisions before handing in the final version.
     
     

    January
     

     5      Introduction
    10     Richard Hamilton, "Popular Culture and Personal Responsibility," COURSE PACK (CP)
    12     Theories of Culture: Edward Tylor, from Primitive Cultures, CP
    17     Emile Durkheim, from Elementary  Forms of Religious Life, CP
    19     Cont. Karl Marx, Selections; Terry Eagleton, "Literature and History," CP
    24     Cont. Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents
    26     Cont. Clifford Gertz, "Thick Description." CP
    31     Woman and Culture (Unit One): Fritz Lang, Metropolis
     

    February
     

     2       Cont. Fritz Lang, Metropolis
     7       Cont. Donna Haraway, "A Cyborg Manifesto," CP
     9       Cont. Raymond Williams, "The Metropolis and the Emergence of Modernism," CP
    14      Cultural Studies Today (Technology and the Human): Richard Hamilton, "$he and Other Works," CP
    16      Cont. Walter Benjamin, "Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," CP
    21      Cont. Advertising, Fredric Jameson, "Postmodernism and Consumer Society," CP
    23      Cont. Advertising, John Hoberman, "The Sportive-Dynamic Body as a Symbol of Productivity," CP;
              First draft of final project due in class.
     
    VACATION February 26 to March 5
    March
     
     6     Writing Workshop
     8     Woman and Culture (Unit Two): Ridley Scott, Alien
    13     Cont. Harvey Greenberg, "Reimagining the Gargoyle: Psychoanalytic Notes on Alien," CP
    15     Cont. Second draft of final project due.
    20     Aesthetics and Politics? Fascism (Unit One): Peter Adam, Art of the Third Reich.
    22     Cont.
    27     Cultural Studies Today (Identity): George Segal's sculpture, Advertising
    29     Cont. Jean Baudrillard, "Simulacra and Simulations."  Final version of project due.
     

    April
     

     3      Aesthetics and Politics? Democracy (Unit Two):
             Jackie Winsor's sculpture; Dean Sobel,   "Jackie Winsor's Sculpture: Mediation, Revelation, and Aesthetic Democracy."
     5      Cont. Jean-François Lyotard, "What is Postmodernism?"
    10     Debates on Contemporary Issues:
             Arthur C. Danto, "Memo to Bill"; John Sisk, "The  Tyranny of the  Aesthetic";
             Régis Debray, "Universal Art: The Desperate Religion"; Robert Hughes, "The Assault on  Culture";
             Newt Gingrich "Cutting Cultural Funding: A Reply." CP
    12     Cont.

     
    Course requirements:

    Attendance, participation, one project paper (15-20 pp.) and participation in the Final Debate Project, which will take place April 10, 12. Grades will be determined as follows: daily participation 20% and 40% per the two projects. No incompletes, late projects, no exceptions.
     

    Books available at Shaman Drum Bookshop and course packs at Kolossos:

    Peter Adam. Art of the Third Reich. Abrams 1992
    Sigmund Freud. Civilization and Its Discontents. Norton 1961.