Aims

The module examines the relationship between different notions of, and the representation of identity and belonging, the social, cultural and political contexts in which experiences and meanings attached to them are produced. It aims to enable students to interrogate and develop a thorough understanding of the critical links between these sometimes conflicting issues of representation, identity and culture through analysis of a diverse range of contemporary and historical themes, case studies, sites, images, texts, exhibitions and other means.
1.       A comprehensive understanding of the ways in which the representation and notions of identity and belonging impact on, and relate to contemporary society, and are themselves shaped by society.
2.       Understand and critically appraise, using well established principles, the various approaches to and debates surrounding identity and belonging, on a personal and collective level and a local, national and international scale.
3.       The ability to integrate knowledge and understanding of identity and belonging within the larger frameworks of media studies, cultural studies and communication studies.
4.       An understanding of the significance issues of identity and belonging in contemporary political, economic and social contexts, as well as international, national, ethnic or religious contexts.
5.       A familiarity with key theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of identity and belonging.

Outline Of Syllabus

Learning and teaching activities will be divided into the following themes:

Identity and Belonging
1.       Theorising Identity and Belonging: Concepts and Debates
2.       Belonging, Place and Home
3.       Identity, Belonging, Memory and Narratives of Selfhood
4.       Identity, Belonging, and the Structure of Taste (Class, Consumerism and Habitus)
5.       Identity Politics and Globalisation
6.       Against the Politics of Recognition: ‘Identity and Violence’
7.       National Identities in Contemporary Britain and Europe
8.       Constructing National Identities through Uses of the Past
9.       National Identity, Memory, Forgetting and Silence
10.       National Identities, Migration and Global Societies
11.       Postnationalism Transnationalism, and Cosmopolitanism
12.       The Future of Identity and Belonging

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The lectures in the module will introduce students to key concepts, debates and ideas.
Small group teaching will enable these theoretical issues to be discussed and explored in a more informal setting, including the presentation of case studies and readings relevant to the themes of the module.
The examples of case studies will also consolidate the appropriation of research methods that have applicability for an
integrated approach to media studies, cultural studies and communication studies.
The fieldtrip to a relevant cultural institutions (details to be confirmed at the start of the module, as exhibitions change) will enable the students to explore the issues which they have previously encountered in a new framework, to allow them to explore specific contemporary or historical cases in light of the theoretical approaches and case studies delivered previously.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The first part of the assessment is the undertaking of a case study analysis, written in up to 1,000 words.
Guidance and examples will be provided by the module leader..

The second part of the assessment involves the writing of a 3,000 word essay to be selected from a list of questions relating to key topics and themes addressed on the module. Critical thinking will be assessed across both assessments as will academic research, writing and referencing skills.