ATS2263 · Popular culture in Europe

Overview

This intensive unit uses popular culture as a prism for the cultural, social, and political history of Europe from 1945 to the present. Drawing on the disciplines of history, media studies, literary/cultural studies, and anthropology, this unit examines the ways Europe rebuilt itself after the ravages of war, faced Cold War divisions, and continued to grapple with defining what it meant to be European after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The specific modes of popular culture under examination may include topics such as popular music, literature, fashion, and film, as well as cultural exchange, including through mega-events such as the Eurovision Song Contest and the Olympic Games, which serve both as platforms for national identity express and forums for crafting a pan-European identity. How did nations choose to represent themselves—to themselves and to one another? What is Europe as an idea and as an identity, as seen through the lens of popular culture?

Areas of study: International Studies

Offerings

The Handbook publishes no offerings for this unit.

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. identify and discuss major influences on national and transnational identity in modern Europe;
2. apply an interdisciplinary approach to the study of cultural expression in modern Europe;
3. discuss key critical debates from a range of disciplines regarding the transformation of European identity from the postwar to contemporary period;
4. analyse a range of texts and cultural products;
5. collaborate with peers;
6. communicate research effectively through writing.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.