Research Methodologies in European Cultures and Societies

Recommended Prerequisites

NA

Teaching Methods

Online theoretical lectures, with pratical online and offline joint sessions and individual tutorials, including the autonomous development of tasks and one final essay, videocast or podcast project on a given topic of interest.

Learning Outcomes

Students will
a. acquire methodologies to understand and question, in original ways, cultural and social dynamics, trends and challenges faced by European Cultures and Societies in contemporary and historical contexts
b. develop problem-solving skills in new contexts from multidisciplinary angles related to cultural and societal problems in Europe c. apply scientific methodologies for Cultural Studies and the Social Sciences to case studies in Europe
d. integrate and deal with complex critical judgements based on limited information, especially those associated with social and ethical responsibilities
e. locate and manage specialised bibliographic sources and archives in Cultural Studies and correspondent technologies in the Social Sciences
f. develop advanced analytical methods for critical interpretation and awareness of texts and practices from cultural and social scientific angles
g. communicate findings, underlying knowledges and rationales; develop autonomous learning.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

This course will be divided into three sections:
1. It will introduce students to the main methodological issues one has to bear in mind when doing research in Social Sciences and the Humanities, whilst highlighting the specific focus of both of these areas.
2. It will explore research methods and methodologies specific to Cultural Studies
3. It will examine, more widely, how these relate with research methodologies in the Social Sciences.
Our overall concern will be to introduce students to a number of tools of research and emblematic case studies that will allow them to explore issues of citizenship, policy and politics (from foreign policy and security agendas to cultural strategies), hospitality, mobility and migration, from an informed but critical standpoint.

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Participation in class: 20.0%
Project: 80.0%

Bibliography

Balibar, E. (2009). Europe as Borderland. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 27(2), 190–215. https://doi.org/10.1068/d13008
Bennet, T., Grossberg, L., Morris, M., & Williams, R. (Eds.). (2005). New Keywords. A Revised Vocabulary of Culture and Society. Blackwell.
Giles, J., & Middleton, T. (Eds.). (2008). Studying Culture. A practical introduction. (2nd ed.). Blackwell.
Hall, S. (Ed.). (2011). Representation: Cultural Representation and Signifying Practices. Sage & Open University. (Original work published 1997)
Höhne, S. (2013). Kulturwissenschaft(en) im europäischen Kontext. Peter Lang Verlag.
Mezzadra, S., & Neilson, B. (Eds.). (2013). Border as Method, or, the Multiplication of Labor. Duke University Press
Pratt, M.L. (2007). Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation. (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203932933