Sociology of Culture

In this course we will investigate basic ideas about culture, power, and identity, and investigate how they are used to understand the cultural distinctiveness of modernity. We will then explore how sociology has analyzed tensions among art, science, technology and social interaction in the modern world, and explored distinctions among "high," "popular," and "mass" culture. Particular attention will be paid to the rise of the media, "the culture industry," and the formation of subcultures. The course links these topics together in a concluding discussion of cultural modernism, postmodernism, and globalization. 3 hrs. lect./disc.