Culture, Identity and Everyday Life

This subject introduces cultural studies by discussing media, identities and practices in everyday life. Media saturate almost every aspect of our experience and provide a powerful lens for understanding ourselves, others, and the world around us. We address representation and social practice, drawing case studies from popular transnational media, including advertising, television, film, music and online cultures. We consider people's interactions with media in everyday life, particularly when constructing identities and groups through, for example, fandom and youth culture. This subject helps students reflexively appreciate contemporary culture and grasp the complex relationships between formations of social power and audience pleasures. It offers students a deeper understanding of many naturalised aspects of their lived experience, and advanced critical skills in evaluating media texts and cultural practices.