ADM5196 CULTURAL POLITICS
| Course Code: | 3105196 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 8.0 |
| Department: | Political Science and Public Adm. |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Graduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Prof.Dr. AYLİN TOPAL |
| Offered Semester: | Fall or Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
This course aims to present key theoretical frameworks for understanding the cultural arena. These include foundational and contemporary theories of popular culture, including the Frankfurt School’s critique of the culture industry, Birmingham School’s emphasis on subcultural resistance, Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital, and de Certeau’s tactics of everyday life.The course also attempts to examine how ideology operates within cultural production and consumption, interrogating the dynamic between dominant structures and subversive practices in mass media, folklore and digital platforms.
Course Content
The course is designed to provide students with analytical tools to conceptualise the field of popular cultural practices. It represents a critical review of contemporary theoretical positions on popular culture, particularly the ones developed by the Frankfurt School, neo-Gramscian Marxism and Birmingham School, Bakhtin, de Certeau, and Bourdieu. A brief introduction to the theory of ideology, with which most students are likely to be unfamiliar, will be made as it constitutes the basic analytical premise of popular culture studies. Special attention will be paid to the interplay of ideology, culture and power, the transformations of the field of cultural practices, and the contestatory character of popular cultural forms. Among the themes to be explored are the elite/mass or high/popular culture binaryism, the dichotomies of resistance versus domination and opposition versus ideological incorporation, the so-called postmodern collapse of cultural hierarchies, the pragmatics of diversionary practices in everyday life, and the politics of cultural transgression. Within this context, various popular cultural forms, texts and narratives (e.g. popular music, sports, and folktales) will be referred to as well.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will be able to
Compare and contrast major theoretical approaches (Frankfurt vs. Birmingham Schools, Gramscian vs. Bourdieusian analyses) in their treatment of cultural power relations.
Explain how ideology shapes cultural production and consumption, using examples from advertising, social media, or folk traditions.
Decode cultural texts (e.g., pop songs, sports events, viral videos) to reveal embedded power dynamics, resistance strategies, or hegemonic reinforcements.
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | The ability to interpret and assess the ways in which power is generated and used socially, institutionally, economically and culturally at the local, national and international levels. | ✔ | |||
| 2 | The ability to conduct interdisciplinary studies and research when assessing the social phenomena in the field of Political Science and Public Administration. | ✔ | |||
| 3 | To attain a sound formation regarding the basic topics, like state-society relations, history of political thought, organisational theory, Turkish politics and comparative politics, in the field of Political Science and Public Administration. | ✔ | |||
| 4 | The ability to use the classical and new approaches in social sciences comprehensively and critically. | ✔ | |||
| 5 | To acquire the methodological knowledge and scientific skills which would enhance the capacity to conduct scientific research and produce publications including a M.S. thesis. | ✔ | |||
| 6 | The ability to evaluate the different dimensions of the problems in the policy areas which are studied through the use of different theoretical perspectives and to develop strategies on this basis. | ✔ | |||
| 7 | To uphold ethical principles in science, academy and life. | ✔ | |||
| 8 | To approach the issues by an independent, critical and inventive cognitive orientation, which could also support the professional career development. | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution