Cultural Sociology ((3))

Catalog description

An overview of the sociological study of culture, one of the most important components of social life. Specifically, this course will explore the various aspects of culture through the following questions: What is culture? How do people use culture in their daily lives? and How is culture a part of the larger social structure in society? In addition to learning the theoretical and methodological approaches to studying culture, there will be an in-depth look at some of the substantive areas of culture such as: 1) the creation, distribution, and reception of cultural objectives and ideas, 2) how people consume culture; 3) the differences between high culture and popular culture; and 4) how culture creates, maintains, and reshapes social identities through race, class, gender, nation, age, religion, and/or special interests (i.e., subcultures).