BA Seminar: American Cultural Studies

B.Sc. seminars
obligatory courses

This seminar is for students with BA projects in American cultural studies: US film, race, gender and sexuality in US cultural history. Participants will receive support in the process of developing their theses: theoretical inspirations, an opportunity to present their work and have it discussed, a series of deadlines and individual consultations.

How does social history impact cultural production? Specifically, how have the social movements and transformations in the realm of race, gender and sexuality been reflected, supported and/or resisted in US cinema?

In the course of the semester each participant will present their work, receive feedback from classmates. We will examine students’ writing in progress, as well as texts they assign for discussion.

Depending on needs, we will hold 2-3 class meetings on various aspects of the writing process: key features of the academic style, citation rules and format, structure of the thesis, how to write a good introduction and conclusion, etc.

Each participant will also have at least three individual meetings with the supervisor to discuss progress.

1. TEXTBOOKS:

The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Wayne C. Booth, et al. The Craft of Research. 2nd ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Karen Gocsik, Richard Meran Barsam, Dave Monahan, Writing about Movies, New York: W.W. Norton, 2018

2. Films and texts assigned by students, related to their research, such as:

Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945)

Pinky (Elia Kazan, 1949)

Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017)

Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell, 2020)

The Assistant (Kitty Green, 2019)

Alison Bechdel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (2006)

Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig, 2017)

Videos with Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Billy Porter.

Williams, Linda. “Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess.” Film Quarterly 44, no. 4 (1991): 2–13.

Butler, Judith. “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory.” Theatre Journal 40, no. 4 (December 1988): 519-531.

KNOWLEDGE:

- knows key theoretical concepts of contemporary cultural studies regarding cultural construction of identity;

- is familiar with a number of outstanding works of US culture, including documentary films, that deal with race, gender and representation in 20th and 21st century;

- understands the historical and cultural context of these works;

SKILLS

- can examine works of culture with respect to style and structure;

- can apply theoretical concepts of contemporary cultural studies in his/her research practice;

- is able to plan and carry out a research project in cultural studies;

COMPETENCES:

- is able to cooperate in a group;

- is open to conflicting readings of specific texts and differing visions of culture and society;

- is able to formulate and defend his/her opinion coherently and with respect of other views

In order to get credit (zaliczenie) a student must finish and submit his/her BA thesis.