Cultural Studies

Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary major offered by the Department of Gender and Cultural Studies, within the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry (SOPHI).

The Cultural Studies major enables students to undertake dedicated Cultural Studies units on topics such as: media and cultural practice; youth cultures; everyday cultures; consumer identities and practices; popular genre studies; and cultural theory as well as a broad study of culture from other disciplines including Media and Communications, English, Art History and Theory, Sociology and Anthropology.

Cultural Studies allows students to explore their own and other cultures, providing them with the tools to analyse a wide range of cultural, political and social issues. The Department is committed to equipping students with research and writing skills that will assist in opening up a range of career prospects. The study of contemporary culture also complements all forms of study in the humanities and social sciences as well as law, the sciences, the arts, government, economics, commerce, education and social work.

Cultural Studies is available at first, second, third year and at fourth year honours level. The first year unit, GCST1601 Introduction to Cultural Studies, is a useful grounding in the discipline and is recommended for students who intend to do a major in Cultural Studies.

A major in Cultural Studies requires 36 senior credit points, including at least FOUR of the following:

• GCST2603 Animal/Human Cultures
• GCST2605 Race and Representation
• GCST2606 Genres in Cultural Context
• GCST2608 Gender, Communities and Belonging
• GCST2612 Youth Cultures
• GCST2613 Everyday Life: Theories and Practices
• GCST3603 Consumer Cultures, Environmental Futures
• GCST3604 Cultural Theory.

The remaining two units may be chosen from any other available Gender and Cultural Studies units. Units from disciplines such as Sociology, Anthropology, English, Media and Communications, Koori Studies, Art History, Asian Studies and Linguistics; are also available as part of this major. Please refer to the list of cross-listed units available on the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences website.

Honours
To proceed to fourth year honours in Cultural Studies, students must have a credit average in senior level Cultural Studies units (including cross-listed units) totalling at least 48 senior credit points.

It is also possible to do joint honours in Gender and Cultural Studies. Prospective students for this joint program should see the departmental website.

Contact/further information
Information on our units of study and staff with whom to discuss the program is available at sydney.edu.au/arts/gender_cultural_studies, or by phoning the SOPHI office on +61 2 9351 2862.