CSCL1001W

What does it mean to be a part of this thing we call "society"? Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary and critical field that examines culture as “a whole way of life” (Raymond Williams) and a site of meaning, identity, and power. Drawing on sociology, anthropology, art history, literary studies, gender studies, philosophy, and more, it explores how what people think, create, and do shapes their identities, values, and practices. Cultural studies asks key questions: How do things come to mean what they do? How do power, wealth, and value take shape? How do humans organize themselves and relate to the world? By interrogating these questions, we'll grapple with what it means to be part of society, offering tools to analyze and understand the structures and dynamics that define our shared existence.