Learning outcome

After successfully completing the course, the candidate will have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence.

The candidate:

• Has knowledge of cultural analysis, cultural theory and sociological theory
• Can explain the various forms of identity politics, such as nationalism and multiculturalism
• Can describe, differentiate and discuss concepts such as culture, modernity, globalization, majority, minority, ethnicity and identity
• Can discuss various phenomena related to adolescents in the light of theories about youth culture, subcultures and countercultures
• Has skills in being able to apply different theoretical concepts and perspectives to examine and discuss the phenomena as deviations, marginalisation and social exclusion
• Has developed skills in academic and professional writing and can use these skills in written work

Course Description

This course focuses on understanding and explaining how children and adolescents are shaped by society and how society changes as a result of human action and interaction. The course covers some cultural-analytical perspectives; empirical examples will be used. One approach will concern how the construction of meaning takes place in the context of social structure, power, powerlessness and resistance. Other areas addressed include: modernity and globalization, majority and minority. The different understandings of the concepts of culture, ethnicity and youth will also be focused on. The course will contribute to increased awareness and understanding of social integration, marginalisation and social deviance. The aim is partly to describe, understand and explain the social construction of deviance and different processes behind marginalisation and social exclusion. In addition to such knowledge great importance is attached to the further development of students’ writing skills and their ability to apply knowledge of the discipline in their own written work.

The course includes the following topics:

• Cultural analytical perspectives and contemporary sociological theory
• Modernity and globalisation
• Ethnicity and nationalism
• Subcultures and youth culture

Teaching and Learning Methods

The course includes different teaching and learning methods designed to enhance students’ learning and create an active learning environment. It includes lectures, discussions, seminars, discussion groups, feedback on assignments, student presentations and individual work. The workload corresponds to that of a full-time course of studies.

All the seminars are mandatory, as are the assignments outlined in the course plan. Students must meet the attendance requirement of at least 75% of the obligatory seminars and all assignments must be approved before students will be allowed to sit the final examination. The seminars and assignments have been made obligatory to ensure that students will be able to develop the foundation skills required for studying the Master’s degree courses and writing a Master’s thesis.

Assessment Methods

Course code: 981-E3: Cultural Analysis

One-week take-home examination

The assignment will comprise between 4000-4500 words.

Graded (A-F).

The course grade will be entered on the diploma.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean