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Unit of study_
AMST4112: Cultural Capital: Kant to Kardashian
2025 unit information
A cornerstone myth of American Exceptionalism is that the US is a classless society, but the consumption of popular culture is a classed phenomenon. This unit interrogates the principles of American studies by analyzing US pop culture. Part intellectual history of taste, part pop bonanza, it combines the trashiest cultural exploits (B movies, pulp novels, gossip sites) with the most brilliant meditations on cultural value, exploring why people like what they like, and what it says about them.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
DVC (Research)
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | United States Studies Centre |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. demonstrate a critical understanding of the construction of the American cultural canon
- LO2. produce aesthetic judgements and critical responses to popular culture
- LO3. demonstrate an advanced capacity for oral, visual, and written communication.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
There are no availabilities for this year.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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