Macquarie University

Globalising Cultures - FOAR708

Faced with an increasingly interconnected world, disciplines across the humanities and social sciences have taken a “transnational turn” in recent decades. This unit introduces students to transnational and global approaches to the study of global cultural texts. We will examine the competing theoretical frameworks associated with the study of texts and cultures across national borders, including globalisation, postcolonialism, transnationalism, internationalism, diaspora, and world literature. In the process, we will analyse how culture relates to global systems and networks, from the transnational avant-garde to popular culture, from the CIA-funded Congress for Cultural Freedom to revolutionary internationalism, and from “little magazines” to the internet. This unit will adopt a transdisciplinary approach, combining social and political theory, analysis of a wide range of cultural texts and artefacts, and archival research, using both local and digital collections. Students will work towards the development of an independent research essay, and are encouraged to bring their own disciplinary backgrounds to bear in both class and assessments. It will be taught by scholars from across the faculty, and is associated with the World Literatures and Cultures research cluster, whose fortnightly meetings students are invited to join.