International Cultural Studies (ICS) take a look at key concepts in cultural studies as well as their application in historical and contemporary contexts. They focus on internationality, interculturality and interdisciplinarity:
Lectures and courses
The lecture “International Cultural Studies” is the flagship course of ICS. It offers an introduction to cultural studies and provides an overview of key concepts and key figures of the last 300 years, from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Karl Marx, to bell hooks. During the sessions and the complementary discussions, participants study influential texts, thinkers, and theories. The lecture thus gives an insight into the development of cultural studies and highlights the value of the field for making sense of social life.
The hands-on seminars approach contemporary cultural studies phenomena from intercultural perspectives and in interdisciplinary contexts. They are taught by faculty from different disciplines, accentuating the diversity of ICS beyond the mainstream. From Intercultural Communication, Environmental Humanities, and Postcolonial Studies to Hip Hop Studies, Critical Queer Theory, or Video Game Studies and much more, students can choose from a wide selection of seminars each semester.
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Credit: Leonie KopetzkiCulture matters. Cultural texts and practices shape our understanding of society, politics, history, and culture. They carry value systems and world views but can also question and transform them. Cultural studies seek to understand and critique these dynamics. In our increasingly complex world, an international perspective is indispensable. ICS encourages a change in perspective to challenge the historical-cultural premises and the basic assumptions of our own disciplines that shape our (academic and social) positions.
In the courses, participants become acquainted with basic topics, theories, questions, and problems, and methods of cultural studies with an international focus. They gain an overview of key concepts such as race, class, gender, identity, globalization, popular culture, postcolonialism, and their historical development. This problem-oriented outlook enables students to identify and analyze the structural links between issues in cultural studies and their multifaceted settings.
