CM

Week 1

Introduction to Traditional & Popular Culture

  • Course Overview: Introduction to traditional and popular culture and their functions in everyday life.

  • Focus Areas:

    • Folkloric (traditional) texts: oral narratives, musical traditions, belief systems.

    • Popular culture: aspects of shared culture disseminated through mass media (print, television, films).

Course Structure

  • Format:

    • 1 x 2-hour lecture and 1 x 2-hour tutorial weekly.

  • Lecture Details: Mondays, Stedman Lecture Hall “D”, 14:30—16:20.

  • Tutorials: Led by Gary Butler and others; scheduled on various days and locations.

Evaluation Components

  • Quizzes: 2 mid-term quizzes (10% each).

  • Exams: 1 mid-year exam (20%); 1 final exam (20%).

  • Presentations: 2 tutorial oral presentations (10% and 15%).

  • Participation: 15% for tutorial participation.

Culture and Representation

  • Definition of Culture: How we understand ourselves and the social world; involves shared community experiences.

  • Symbolic Communication: Representation through oral, visual, or combined means.

Social Interaction

  • Role of Communication: Language and behavior help organize our understanding of the world.

  • Traditional Culture: Features traditional genres with formal structures and ordered content.

Traditional Verbal Genres

  • Genres Defined: Categories in literature based on structure and content (e.g., folklore, myths, ballads).

  • Oral Literature: Spoken forms contrasted with written literature.

Traditional & Popular Discourses

  • Discourse: Deeper meanings conveyed beyond surface text; reflects cultural values.

  • Storytelling: Reveals what is communicated by the storyteller and how it reflects societal values.

Binary Oppositions in Discourse

  • Examples:

    • Life vs. Death

    • Good vs. Evil

    • Order vs. Chaos

    • Individual vs. Community

Cultural Evolution

  • Nature of Culture: Constantly evolving, influenced by changes in social norms and knowledge.

Perspectives on Culture

  • Anthropological View: Culture as a holistic way of life;

  • E.B. Tylor's Definition: Knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, values, customs.

  • Clifford Geertz: Culture as sustaining shared symbolic experiences.

Characteristics of Oral (Traditional) Culture

  • Communication: Face-to-face interaction; transmission across generations.

  • Features: Variants exist, anonymous authorship, conservative nature.

Folklore, Performance & Verbal Art (Bauman)

  • Verbal Art: Social communicative process; framed for heightened experience.

  • Performance Characteristics: Emergent, context-conditioned, involves artistic interaction.

Context & Performance

  • Dimensions: Temporal, spatial, social contexts influencing situated interaction and cultural communication.