Department of Cultural Studies
Tezpur University
| Open Elective Courses offered in the Department of Cultural Studies (For students pursuing PG/UG programmes other than MA in Cultural Studies) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course Title | L | T | P | CH | Cr |
| CP522: Basics in Cultural Theory | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| CP523: Cultural Studies and Media: The Basics | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| CP524: Ethnicity, Identity and Culture | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| CP525: Understanding Gender | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| CP526: Introduction to Performance Studies | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| CP527: Cultural Heritage Management | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| CP528: Gender in Visual Art and Culture | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| CP522: Basics in Cultural Theory | |
|---|---|
| L = 3, T=0, P=0, CH=3, CR=3 | |
| Course Outcomes: | |
| CO1: Demonstrate understanding of the essential theoretical concepts of Cultural Studies. | |
| CO2: Develop critical perspectives to analyze literary/cultural texts and lived experiences. | |
| Course Contents: | |
| Unit 1: “History of the Subaltern Classes: The concept of a Ideology”; “Cultural Themes: Ideological Material” by Antonio Gramsci “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception” by Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno. | |
| Unit 2: “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” by Walter Benjamin “The Romantic Artist” by Raymond Williams, “Panopticism” by Michel Foucault. | |
| Unit 3: “Encoding/Decoding” by Stuart Hall “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” by Laura Mulvey. | |
| Textbooks: | |
| The various readings mentioned in the syllabus are the core reading in this course. | |
| Suggested Readings: | |
| Durham, M. G., & Kellner, D. M. (Eds.). (2012). Media and cultural studies: Keyworks. John Wiley & Sons. | |
| Rainbow, Paul. (ed). (1984). The Foucault Reader. Pantheon, New York. | |
| Williams, Raymond. (1983). Culture and Society 1770-1850. Columbia University Press, New York. | |
| *L = Lecture, T = Tutorial, P = Practical, CH = Contact Hour, CR = Credit | |
| CP523: Cultural Studies and Media: The Basics | |
|---|---|
| L = 3, T=0, P=0, CH=3, CR=3 | |
| Course Outcomes: | |
| CO1: Demonstrate understanding of the basic theoretical perspectives of media studies. | |
| CO2: Explain emergent media forms and contents in the light of acquired theoretical perspectives. | |
| Course Contents: | |
| Unit 1: Understanding Media: Chomsky, Baudrillard and Habermas. | |
| Unit 2: Journalistic roles Vis-à-vis Commercial roles; Global, National and the Local MediaPublic Opinion, Knowledge, Beliefs and Assumptions. | |
| Unit 3: “Media, Politics and Nation; Media Inclusion and Exclusion. Media Propaganda. | |
| Unit 4: Production of Audience; Counterculture and contemporary trends. Pop Culture. Fashion; Tabloids; New Media; Advertising. | |
| Textbooks: | |
| Durham, M. G., & Kellner, D. M. (Eds.). (2012). Media and cultural studies: Keyworks. John Wiley & Sons. | |
| Suggested Readings: | |
| Herman, E. S., & Chomsky, N. (2010). Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. Random House. | |
| Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and Simulation. University of Michigan press. | |
| Curran, J., & Morley, D. (Eds.). (2007). Media and Cultural Theory. Routledge. | |
| *L = Lecture, T = Tutorial, P = Practical, CH = Contact Hour, CR = Credit | |
| CP524: Ethnicity, Identity and Culture | |
|---|---|
| L = 3, T=0, P=0, CH=3, CR=3 | |
| Course Outcomes: | |
| CO1: Demonstrate understanding the essential concepts of identity in the realms of gender, ethnicity and nationality. | |
| CO2: Link identity with the cultural geography of North East India. | |
| Course Contents: | |
| Unit 1: Race and ethnicity: concepts of race, different racisms, emergence of the notion of ethnicity as a source of power and politics of difference; ethnicity and identity, identity conflict, culture conflict, cross cultural encounter | |
| Unit 2: Gender, ethnicity and nationhood; the ethnic woman vis-à-vis North East India. | |
| Unit 3: Ethnicity and the politics of language, ideologies of identification, representation of the North East India in Media. | |
| Textbooks: | |
| Baruah, S. (1999). India Against Itself: Assam and the Politics of Nationality. University of Pennsylvania Press. | |
| Fenton, S. (1999). Ethnicity: Racism, Cass and Culture. Rowman & Littlefield. | |
| Suggested Readings: | |
| Bhabha, H. K. (2012). The Location of Culture. Routledge. | |
| Back, L., & Solomos, J. (Eds.). (2000). Theories of Race and Racism: A Reader. Psychology Press. | |
| Baruah, Sanjib. (2006). Durable Disorder: Understanding the Politics of North East India. OUP, New Delhi. | |
| Bhabha, H. K. (Ed.). (2013). Nation and Narration. Routledge. | |
| Danda, A. K. (1991). Ethnicity in India. Inter-India Publications. | |
| Farnen, R. F. (Ed.). (2017). Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Identity: Cross National and Comparative Perspectives. Routledge. | |
| Hutton, J. H. (1961). Caste in India. Oxford University Press, London. | |
| *L = Lecture, T = Tutorial, P = Practical, CH = Contact Hour, CR = Credit | |
| CP525: Understanding Gender | |
|---|---|
| L = 3, T=0, P=0, CH=3, CR=3 | |
| Course Outcomes: | |
| CO1: Demonstrate understanding the cultural construction and maintenance of gender. | |
| CO2: Demonstrate understanding various waves of feminism. | |
| CO3: Demonstrate understanding the basics of feminist research methodology. | |
| Course Contents: | |
| Unit 1: Key Concepts: Sex and Gender, Gender Roles, Representation, Stereotypes, Patriarchy, Femininities and Masculinities, Representation, Socialization Process. | |
| Unit 2: Historical Overview of Feminism: Feminism— Liberal Feminism, Radical Feminism, Marxist Feminism, Socialist Feminism, Psychoanalytic Feminism; Women’s Movement in India; #Me Too and Popular Feminism. | |
| Unit 3: Research Methods: Feminist Research Methodology, gender as a category of analysis, Sexism in Research, Androcentric Cultural Texts. | |
| Textbooks: | |
| Hesse-Biber, S. N. (Ed.). (2011). Handbook of Feminist Research: Theory and Praxis. SAGE Publications. | |
| Whelehan, I., & Pilcher, J. (2004). Fifty Key Concepts in Gender Studies. Sage. | |
| Suggested Readings: | |
| Chaudhuri, Maitrayee (ed). (2004). Feminism in India. Kali for Women and Women Unlimited, New Delhi. | |
| Bristow, Joseph. (2007). Sexuality. Routledge, London. | |
| Butler, Judith. (1993). Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of Sex. Routledge, New York. | |
| Ruth, Sheila. (1990). Issues in Feminism: An Introduction to Women's Studies. Mayfield Publishing Company, California. | |
| Jain, Jasbir and Sudha Rai. (2002). Films and Feminism: Essays in Indian Cinema. Rawat, Delhi. | |
| Lerner, Gerda. (!986). The Creation of Patriarchy. Oxford University Press, New Delhi. | |
| Miles, Maria. (1980). Indian Women and Patriarchy. Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi. | |
| Thapar, Suruchi. (2006). Women in the Indian National Movement: Unseen Faces and Unheard Voices, 1930-42. Sage, New Delhi. | |
| Mary Eagleton (ed.). (1988). Feminist Literary Theory: A Reader. Basil Blackwell, Oxford. | |
| *L = Lecture, T = Tutorial, P = Practical, CH = Contact Hour, CR = Credit | |
| CP526: Introduction to Performance Studies | |
|---|---|
| L = 3, T=0, P=0, CH=3, CR=3 | |
| Course Outcomes: | |
| CO1: Demonstrate the basic understanding of performance in its wider connotations beyond performing arts. | |
| CO2: Link performance with identity and the everyday life. | |
| Course Contents: | |
| Unit 1: Foundations of Performance Studies: Text and Context. | |
| Unit 2: Approaches to Performance Studies – Linguistic, Structural and Performance centered approaches. | |
| Unit 3: Performance and Identity Issues: Ritual, Politics and Patriotism; Performing Gender and Ethnicity; Performance and Social Movements; Performance in Everyday life. | |
| Textbooks: | |
| Bell, Elizabeth. (2008). Theories of Performance. Sage: Los Angeles. | |
| Schechner, Richard. (2002). Performance Studies: An Introduction. Routledge: London. | |
| Suggested Readings: | |
| Auslander, P. (Ed.). (2003). Performance: Critical Concepts in Literary and Cultural Studies. London and New York: Routledge. | |
| Auslander, P. (2008). Theory for Performance Studies: A Student's Guide. London and New York: Routledge. | |
| Counsell, C., & Wolf, L. (Eds.). (2001). Performance Analysis: An Introductory Coursebook. London and New York: Routledge. | |
| Davis, T. (Ed.). (2008). The Cambridge Companion to Performance Studies. Delhi: Cambridge University Press. | |
| Madison, D., & Hamera, J. (Eds.). (2006). The SAGE Handbook of Performance Studies. Thousand Oaks, London and New Delhi: SAGE Publications. | |
| Schechner, R. (2013). Performance Studies: An Introduction (Third ed.). London and New York: Routledge. | |
| *L = Lecture, T = Tutorial, P = Practical, CH = Contact Hour, CR = Credit | |
| CP527: Cultural Heritage Management | |
|---|---|
| L = 3, T=0, P=0, CH=3, CR=3 | |
| Course Outcomes: | |
| CO1: Explore the best institutional practices of collection, care and display of heritage resources. | |
| CO2: Link heritage management with community development. | |
| Course Contents: | |
| Unit 1: Heritage: natural heritage and cultural heritage, tangible heritage, and intangible heritage (oral lore, rituals and practices, belief system), movable heritage (material culture, ethnic art) and immovable heritage (heritage building, archaeological sites), Understanding heritage: heritology as concept; Crafts vs. art, Antiquities and art treasures; Importance/ significance of heritage for present and future. | |
| Unit 2: Heritage and society, heritage and geography, heritage and environment, heritage and development, heritage and science, heritage marketing, heritage and tourism, heritage vis-à-vis sustainable development. | |
| Unit 3: Tangible heritage management vs. intangible heritage management; heritage regulations and laws; Illicit trafficking, cultural properties and countries of origin. Museological approaches: documentation, preservation, conservation and marketing. heritage disaster management, heritage management and community participation. Organizations and agencies responsible for heritage management | |
| Textbooks: | |
| Messenger, Phyllis Mauch, and George S. Smith. eds. (2010). Cultural Heritage Management: A Global Perspective. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. | |
| Sola, Tomislav. (1997). “Museums, museology, and ethics: a changing paradigm” in Edson, Gary, Museum Ethic. pages168 – 175, Routledge, London. | |
| Suggested Readings: | |
| Barthel-Bouchier, Diane. (2016). Cultural heritage and the challenge of sustainability. Routledge, London. | |
| Timothy, Dallen J. and Gyan P. Nyaupane, eds. (2009). Cultural heritage and tourism in the developing world: A regional perspective. Routledge, London. | |
| *L = Lecture, T = Tutorial, P = Practical, CH = Contact Hour, CR = Credit | |
| CP528: Gender in Visual Art and Culture | |
|---|---|
| L = 3, T=0, P=0, CH=3, CR=3 | |
| Course Outcomes: | |
| CO1: Demonstrate critical understanding of gender in relation to its representations in visual arts. | |
| CO2: Relate gender in visual practices with the notions gaze, subjectivity/agency. | |
| Course Contents: | |
| Unit 1: Conceptual Understanding: What is ‘Gender’? What is the history of gender? How it became an important analytical category in theoretical and political formulations? How the questions about the construction of gender came under intense critical scrutiny in the light of various theoretical positions? Importance/ significance of heritage for present and future. | |
| Unit 2: Historical Mapping: What are the ways in which dominant/ normative/ canonical discourses expressed gender in art? When was that ‘Gender’ became a major critical / theoretical engagement in the realm of art as a fervent socio-political discourse? How the questions about the construction of gender came under intense critical scrutiny within the art historical paradigm? What are the formulations of ‘Femininity’ and ‘Masculinity?. | |
| Unit 3: Gender in the Contemporary: What are multiple manifestations of gender in the domain of contemporary visual culture? Discussion of various thematic concerns built around the representational politics in art. Questions of voyeurism, nudity and the gaze. Discussion with focus on various interventional strategies/ movements/events such as the exhibitions of the MOMA and other important galleries, significant women artist groups such as, WAR, Guerrilla Girls etc. | |
| Unit 4: Gender in India: Discussion about Feminism in India to understand the social and political issues associated in the realm of cultural practices as well as constitutional and legal provisions prevalent in India. Deliberation on Indian Feminism will include issues of gender in relation to caste and class along with the related issues of the ‘tribal’/ indigenous identity and cultural politics. Special focus on Modern Indian Art as well as contemporary visual art of North East India. | |
| Textbooks: | |
| Berger, John (2008). Ways of Seeing. Penguin, UK. | |
| Geetha, V. (2007). Theorizing Feminism in India. Stree, Delhi. | |
| Suggested Readings: | |
| Pollock, Griselda. (1987). Vision and Difference: Femininity, Feminism, and Histories of Art. London: Routledge and New York: Methuen. | |
| Kapur, Geeta, (2000). When was Modernism: Essays on Contemporary Cultural Practice in India. Tulika, Delhi. | |
| Glover, David and Cora Kaplan. (2000). Genders: The New Critical Idiom. Routledge, London. | |
| Perry, Gill. (1999). Gender and Art. Yale University Press, Yale. | |
| Pollock, Griselda with Rozsika Parker. (1987). Framing Feminism: Art & the Women’ s Movement. Pandora Press, New York & London. | |
| Pollock, Griselda. (1999). Differencing the Canon: Feminist Desire and the Writing of Art's Histories. Routledge, New York. | |
| Nochlin, Linda. (1989). “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” in Women, Art, and Power: And Other Essays. Avalon Publishing, New York. | |
| Betterton, Rosemary. (1987). Looking On: Images of Femininity in the Visual Arts and Media. Routledge, London. | |
| *L = Lecture, T = Tutorial, P = Practical, CH = Contact Hour, CR = Credit | |