FINAL TAKE-HOME EXAM & Upcoming Case Study Presentations « Introduction to Cultural Studies Class Blog

Next week, April 30th, the following students will be presenting their case studies to the class:

Corey G.
Nick M.
Janet P.
Victoria & Cara
Shannon F.
Corbin B.
Karli F.
Andy M.

FINAL TAKE-HOME EXAMINATION:

I suggest that you all use the remaining two weeks to begin working on your final take-home exam, so that you are not overwhelmed at the end and in a rush. Your responses to the exam must be EMAILED to me (not posted on the blog) by Wednesday, May 14th at NOON, as a word attachment (typed, double-spaced with your name, etc. on upper left corner of first page).

The questions for the final exam are posted below:

Short Answer Questions:

Answer any five of the following sets of question below in approximately one paragraph each. All answers should be in your own words. Each answer counts for 5 points (for a total of 25 points).

What is theory, and why is it important to our understanding of culture?
In your own words, explain your understanding of cultural “signs.” Using your own example, explain how a cultural sign can have both implicit and explicit meanings.
Explain how democracy is an example of an ideology (do NOT tell me what democracy is, but rather HOW it is an example of an ideology). Be sure to consider the main elements inherent within the concept, ideology.
What is interpellation, and how does it work? Provide your own example of interpellation as you discuss the concept.
In class we discussed how meaning is never fixed. Using your own example, explain how a cultural artifact can have multiple meanings and/or change in meaning over time (even though the actual artifact itself never changes)?
What is hegemony, and how does ideology play a role in creating hegemonic societies?
How do individuals within the panopticon become agents of their own oppression? Provide an example.
What are some of the criticisms of the concept and/or practices of “multiculturalism”? Be sure to briefly explain the reasoning behind the criticisms.
What is fetishism, and how does it work to the benefit of advertising, ideologies, hegemony, or commodity culture, in general? Provide an example.
Does an author’s (or cultural producer’s) gender, class, ethnicity, sexual preference, etc. make any difference in the perception and making of meaning? Why or why not? Provide an example.

Long Answer Questions:

In no less than one full (double-spaced) page, and in your own words, answer two out of the following sets of questions. Each answer counts for 10 points (for a total of 20).

What does it mean to “read” a cultural artifact? What things would you consider when doing a cultural “reading”? Why?
Explain your understanding of the following sentence: “Gender is a social construction.” Provide an example, and be sure to explain the various ways in which gender, or our understanding of gender, might be constructed.
Who or what produces meaning? How and why? Be sure to use an example of your own when discussing how meaning is produced.
What does this following quote mean? “It is value, rather, that converts every product into a social hieroglyphic. Later on, we try to decipher the hieroglyphic, to get behind the secret of our own social products; for to stamp an object of utility as a value, is just as much a social product as language.” Be sure to respond to this in your own words and make connections to the relevant concepts we’ve discussed in class. Also, provide examples when discussing the ideas within this quote.
How might the term “American” be viewed or perceived depending on geography? Class? Political affiliation? Ethnicity or race? Why? How? Be sure to discuss some of the connections between your response and various concepts and theories we’ve covered in class (for example, how does your answer to this question speak to subjectivity, the production of meaning, ideology, power and identity, etc.).

Response to the film, FIRE, which we watched in class: Answer any two of the following questions for 15 points each (total of 30 points). Length is not as important as the quality of your response.

Which characters, within the film, FIRE, challenge social and cultural “defaults” (traditions, customs, and how? In what ways does this film disrupt hegemonic (dominant cultural) historical narratives?
Deepa Mehta, the producer of FIRE, was born in India and spent the first 23 years of her life there, but has spent the last 20+ years living in Canada, which calls up questions of “authenticity” – can Mehta accurately portray the lives of Indian women? Is there is some sort of authentic experience that only “real” Indian women can have access to? Why or why not?
In the film, Sita says to Radha that “there is no word in our language that can describe us, how we feel for each other.” What significance does that have to our understanding of the lesbian subject within Indian culture?
What symbols or signs do you see in the film that carry specific meanings? How are those meanings produced? How might they change within various contexts? Give examples of scenes from the film when discussing.

Reading of a Cultural Artifact:

Consider the following cultural artifacts/phenomenon. Choose one and conduct a critical cultural reading. In no less than two (double spaced) typed pages, discuss your understanding of your chosen image as it relates to any of the relevant concepts covered within this class (such as ideology, race, hegemony, commodities, fetishism, identity, power, signs, production of meaning, etc.). Be sure that you do not simply write something like “This is an example of ideology,” but thoroughly, thoughtfully, critically, and logically explain HOW and WHY your image relates to the concept/s you discuss.

Regardless of which image you choose to do a cultural reading of, consider some of the following questions below, which are offered as a guide to help you get started. You certainly do not need to try to answer all or even most of the questions, but be sure that you do consider a broad number of possible concepts when discussing your image.

* There is no right or wrong way of reading either image; rather, I will be assessing your ability to apply some of the concepts you have learned in this class to a critical interpretation of a cultural artifact or phenomenon.

* Your answer will count for 25 points.

What do you think the image means? How do you interpret this meaning? In other words, what signs suggest meaning and how?
What are both the implicit and explicit meanings within the image? And how might meaning change in differing circumstances (such as time, place, who is viewing it, who produced it, etcj.)?
What do you think is the purpose or function of the image? Explain.
If a commodity is obviously present, what is the commodity? How is it being sold? What ideologies are inherent within the image to help sell the product?
What, if any, symbols of power or hegemony are present within the image? Why and how?
How might context change the meaning? In other words, would the image mean something in one context and something totally different in another? How so? Explain.
In what ways might the image speak to race, class, ethnicity, or social status? What does it say about any of the above? How?
What assumptions are you making in your reading? And how might those assumptions change the actual meaning of the image?
Who carries more authority over meaning in either of the following images? The author/artist? The viewer? How so?
What, if any, historical context might be important to consider when attempting to “read” the image? Why?