Cultural Studies programme
Cultural Studies is one of many programmes of special subjects that you can study as part of your degree in Medieval and Modern Languages. The programme consists of:
- a core Special Subject Seminar (mandatory)
- one Special Subject from a choice of comparative and/or language specific Special Subjects which will mainly be taught in tutorials
Core Seminar
The core seminar, entitled ‘Studying Culture’, is spread over Michaelmas and Hilary terms and aims to give students a grounding in some important methodological and thematic issues associated with Cultural Studies.
Possible sessions of the core course might include topics such as:
- Studying the everyday
- Studying the City
- Censorship and Culture
- The culture industry/ the case of popular culture
- Uses of cinema
- Written and Visual Narratives in Contemporary Culture
- Gender performances and popular culture 1 (Case study: Camp)
- Modernism and Popular Culture
Special subject
In their second Special Subject, graduates will be able to study one relevant topic in greater depth. The precise coverage will be decided in consultation with a tutor, and will be shaped in a language specific or a comparative context. An indicative list of Special Subjects that tutors across the Faculty can offer includes (but is not confined to):
- European Cinema and Literature
- German cinema
- German cultural history in the 20th century
- Coming to terms with the past: the culture of memory in post-war Germany
- Cinema and politics in contemporary Italy
- Fascist culture
- Literature and film adaptation in Italian culture
- Foucault and the history of science
- New Queer cinema
- Cinema and migration
- Popular music and literature
- Greek cinema and social change
- The national idea in Russia
- Cultural outsiders
Standard MSt in Modern Languages requirements apply: students need to show proof of linguistic ability in at least one European language outside English, commensurate with advanced literary study and an interest for literary and cultural theory.
The Core Special Subject Seminar on Studying Culture can also be taken as an optional Special Subject by students following other programmes.
Faculty members participating include:
- Catriona Kelly
- Michael Sheringham
- Reidar Due
- Sara Brandellero
- Guido Bonsaver
- Ben Morgan
- Dimitris Papanikolaou
Convenors: Dr Dimitris Papanikolaou, Dr Guido Bonsaver, Dr Ben Morgan.