CUS 001

Contemporary Cultural Studies

Spring 2003

Instructor: Mr IP Iam Chong

E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]

URL: http://www.geocities.com/hegelchong/teaching_material/

Lecture Time: Friday 9:30-11:20 Tutorials: 2 groups

Contact no.: 2616-7443

Description

This course introduces some key concepts of cultural studies by reflecting on some conventional wisdom about “culture”, including culture and literacy, national culture, global/ local culture and gender/ sex politics. It aims at strengthening students’ critical thinking of their everyday life. Some guest speakers are invited to share their experience and ideas of the related issues with the students.

Requirement and Assessment

1. Tutorial (35%)

Each student is required to make presentation of some articles, reflect upon their field observations and facilitate the group discussion.

2. Assignments (35%)

-Assignment I (deadline 14/3)

-Assignment II (deadline 8/5)

*Late submission of Assignment I or II will be subject to penalty.

*You can conduct an individual or group project instead of assignment. But you need to submit an abstract and obtain my approval before 7/3. You are encouraged to discuss with me about it as early as possible.

3. Final Examination (30%): essay-form questions

Syllabus

1. “There is no culture in Hong Kong.”

“Culture” is often defined as the heritage of the social elites and Hong Kong is conceived as “desert of culture.” The founders of cultural studies called in question this elitist concept of “culture” and emphasized the relation of culture to everyday life. Their ideas enable us to have an alternative understanding of local people’s way of life.

2. “Culture is the mirror of the society.”

The meaning of culture is always understood as the dominant ideology of the society. Instead of reducing “culture” to the so-called “society”, it is redefined as a contested field of plurality. The discussion of culture leads us to notice the creativity of human practices.

3. “Media is shaping our (or children’s) mind.”

Our age is always characterized as that of mass media. Media culture is imagined as a powerful machine producing or shaping our mind. The relationship between media and individual or collective consciousness deserves further explorations.

4. “National education enables us to learn the culture of our ancestors.”

The assumption of nation as a primordial origin of people is challenged. The imaginative process and inventing procedures of “nation” in Hong Kong (such as textbook and mass media) are closely examined.

5. Dialogue I (national education)

6. Generation: “Young people remain immature in various aspects.”

Young people’s subcultures and their alternative styles of life attract people’s attention and arouse social disciplines. They are seen as subjectivities that are yet to be fully “developed” by the mainstream system (family, education, etc.). The power relations between “youth” and “adult” are explored in this part.

7. Dialogue II (Youth culture)

8. Gender and Sex: “Gender relation is biologically determined.” “Sex / sexuality is sacred and should not be involved in money transaction.”

The social and ideological constructions of gender relation and sexuality are examined. This part focuses on the institutional process and power relations implicated in gender system and sexual relation.

10. Dialogue IV (Sex education)

11. Education: “Education is technical training and enable people to become educated. ”

This part attempts to open up the “black box” of education and reveal the politics and dominant ideology in education system and space. Some cultural studies on education are introduced.

12. Dialogue III (Education reform)

13. Conclusion