Throughout the last decades, culture has been reconceptualized in Social Sciences and its study has been boosted in different disciplines. As an autonomous
field in constant growing and change and heavily influenced by Cultural Studies, the Sociology of Culture gives centrality to the concept of culture
and its role in contemporary societies.
This course introduces the student into the different areas of study of the Sociology of Culture and offers her an overview of works and different approaches
developed by varied authors and schools. First, the concept of culture and some major works focusing in culture from classical authors are introduced.
Second, the course approaches culture starting by its connection with the self and progressively moves on towards collective dimensions (organizations,
nations, institutional production, massive reception, etc.) embedded in Macrosociology.
Lectures will cover the following topics:
1. Culture: definitions and uses.
2. Study of culture in Classical Sociology (Durkheim/Weber/Marx/Simmel)
3. Schools of the Sociology of Culture and interdisciplinarity.
4. Culture and identity (cognitivism/structuralism)
5. Class, power and culture (hegemony/ideology/discourse)
6. Gender and ethnicity.
7. Cultural production (organizations/institutions)
8. Cultural reception.
9. Culture and mass media.
10. Culture of citizenship (local/national/global)