SO53042A Researching Culture: case studies
(SO53042A)


The course is designed to develop in depth issues in the sociological analysis of culture through the use of case study methods. The use of the case study form will engage with a range of other research methods (textual analysis, ethnography, audience analysis, political economy) for the analysis of culture in its many forms and contexts. It has three main aims:

- To introduce students to empirical case studies of the structures and continuities of cultural phenomena, and the concepts and theories which inform these studies, through the analysis of the social processes involved in the phenomena.

- To demonstrate, through selected case studies, the role of culture in sustaining existing social orders and facilitating social changes and to focus on micro-macro relations between social structure and culture in historical and comparative contexts.

- To enable, through identification of coherent topics and selection of appropriate methods, the development and production of sociological case studies of cultural processes in institutional contexts selected by students on the course.

The structure of the course consists of lecture presentations by the course tutors of case studies on different substantive topics in sociology of culture. Details of suggested reading are contained in the course outline and include one study which will be the topic of a workshop/discussion which will follow the lecture. These sessions should provide the basis for selecting a topic for the work to be submitted for assessment at the beginning of the spring term. Assessment is by a case study in sociology of culture, on a topic to be chosen in consultation with one of the course tutors, of about 5,000 words. This will be due for submission no later than the departmental deadline of January 9, 2007. You are strongly advised to keep a copy of your submission. Please note that the assessment that you produce for this course must differ substantively from, cannot be reproduced in, or overlap with the content of your Dissertation or assessment work for other courses.

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