The Politics of Popular Culture

Overview

*This course profile is financed by Dora Plus Action 4: Marketing of study and employment opportunities in Estonia (European Regional Development Fund).

The Politics of Popular Culture course takes full advantage of the interactive and immersive learning environment in Tartu, to introduce students to the most important issues affecting the relationship between politics and popular culture in Estonia and beyond. 

Morning sessions involve focused seminars and lectures, which provide opportunities for students to engage with theoretical, practical and methodological issues affecting the ways politics interacts with popular culture. These themes are further enhanced in afternoon sessions, which include unique study visits to some of Tartu's key cultural institutions and meetings with leading experts and practitioners.  

Learning Outcomes  

Students completing the course will:  

• Gain an overview of the ways politics and popular culture interact in a wide range of contexts. 
• Be introduced to methodological tools, which can be used to examine relationships between popular culture and politics in academic research, including Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), and Multi-Modal Discourse Analysis (MMDA) 
• Explore specific case studies of their own interest through a class project. 
• Produce an optional written assignment with the opportunity to publish with an established online media outlet. 

Assessment format: Group exercise (pass/fail): Students will give a presentation on a case study of their choice, which demonstrates and explores an aspect of the relationship between politics and culture.