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Humanitaarteaduste ja kunstide valdkondHumanitaarteaduste ja kunstide valdkonna dekanaatJakobi 2, r 116-121 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Ajaloo ja arheoloogia instituutJakobi 2 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Eesti ja üldkeeleteaduse instituutJakobi 2, IV korrus 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Filosoofia ja semiootika instituutJakobi 2, III korrus, ruumid 302-337 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Kultuuriteaduste instituutÜlikooli 16 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Maailma keelte ja kultuuride instituutLossi 3 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0UsuteaduskondÜlikooli 18 50090 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Viljandi kultuuriakadeemiaPosti 1 71004 Viljandi linn, Viljandimaa EST0Humanitaarteaduste ja kunstide valdkonna emeriitprofessorid0Humanitaarteaduste ja kunstide valdkonna emeriitdotsendid0Sotsiaalteaduste valdkondSotsiaalteaduste valdkonna dekanaatLossi 36 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Haridusteaduste instituutJakobi 5 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituutLossi 36, ruum 301 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0MajandusteaduskondNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Psühholoogia instituutNäituse 2 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0ÕigusteaduskondNäituse 20 - 324 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Ühiskonnateaduste instituutLossi 36 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Narva kolledžRaekoja plats 2 20307 Narva linn, Ida-Virumaa EST0Pärnu kolledžRingi 35 80012 Pärnu linn, Pärnu linn, Pärnumaa EST0Sotsiaalteaduste valdkonna emeriitprofessorid0Sotsiaalteaduste valdkonna emeriitdotsendid0Meditsiiniteaduste valdkondMeditsiiniteaduste valdkonna dekanaatRavila 19 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTBio- ja siirdemeditsiini instituutBiomeedikum, Ravila 19 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTFarmaatsia instituutNooruse 1 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTHambaarstiteaduse instituutL. Puusepa 1a 50406 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTKliinilise meditsiini instituutL. Puusepa 8 50406 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTPeremeditsiini ja rahvatervishoiu instituutRavila 19 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTSporditeaduste ja füsioteraapia instituutUjula 4 51008 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTMeditsiiniteaduste valdkonna emeriitprofessorid0Meditsiiniteaduste valdkonna emeriitdotsendid0Loodus- ja täppisteaduste valdkondLoodus- ja täppisteaduste valdkonna dekanaatVanemuise 46 - 208 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTArvutiteaduse instituutNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTGenoomika instituutRiia 23b/2 51010 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTEesti mereinstituutMäealuse 14 12618 Tallinn, Harjumaa EST0Füüsika instituutKeemia instituutRavila 14a 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Matemaatika ja statistika instituutNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Molekulaar- ja rakubioloogia instituutRiia 23, 23b - 134 51010 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTTartu observatooriumObservatooriumi 1 61602 Tõravere alevik, Nõo vald, Tartumaa EST0TehnoloogiainstituutNooruse 1 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTÖkoloogia ja maateaduste instituutJ. Liivi tn 2 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTLoodus- ja täppisteaduste valdkonna emeriitprofessorid0Loodus- ja täppisteaduste valdkonna emeriitdotsendid0Bioinseneeria instituutNooruse 1 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTAkadeemilise sekretäri tegevusvaldkondPersonaliosakondUppsala 6, Lossi 36 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Finantsjuhi tegevusvaldkondRahandusosakondJakobi 4 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Kantsleri tegevusvaldkondInfotehnoloogia osakondUppsala 10 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0KantseleiÜlikooli 17 (III korrus) 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Kinnisvaraosakond0Turundus- ja kommunikatsiooniosakondÜlikooli 18, ruumid 102, 104, 209, 210 50090 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Õppeprorektori tegevusvaldkondÕppeosakondTeaduskoolUppsala 10 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Üliõpilaskonna bürooÜlikooli 18b 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Õppimis- ja õpetamiskeskusLossi 36-401 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTTeadusprorektori tegevusvaldkondTartu Ülikooli raamatukoguW. Struve 1 50091 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0GrandikeskusRaekoja plats 9, III korrus 51004 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTArendusprorektori tegevusvaldkondEttevõtlus- ja innovatsioonikeskusNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Loodusmuuseum ja botaanikaaedVanemuise 46 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Rahvusvahelise koostöö ja protokolli osakond0MuuseumLossi 25 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Rektori tegevusvaldkondRektoraadi bürooÜlikooli 18 50090 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTSiseauditi büroo
The Politics of Popular Culture
On-site in Tartu 28 July - 11 August 2024
Though often dismissed as “just a bit of fun” (Way, 2021), popular culture’s role in influencing and reflecting broader political developments is finally starting to receive the academic attention it deserves. From Banksy’s street art, to the Olympic games, via Eurovision song contest and even our favourite food, popular culture is the medium through which we most often experience and consume politics as part of the “taken for granted everyday world” (Machin, 2013). Yet it is precisely this inseparability from the ideologies and power relations with which it is infused (Machin, 2013), that makes popular culture such a challenging and important subject for academic research. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in Ukraine, where cultural fields including sport, art and music have been described by the British government as a crucial “third front” in the ongoing war with Russia (BBC, 2021).
This course provides an overview of the methodological tools required to assess a diverse range of research questions related to politics and popular culture, including Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Multi-modal Discourse Analysis (MMDA). Interactive seminars and lectures on the course introduce students to the key theoretical, practical and methodological issues affecting the ways politics interacts with popular culture. Students will also have numerous opportunities to apply the relevant theoretical knowledge and analytical frameworks to analyse concrete case studies in both group and individual tasks.
In 2024, the course will also take full advantage of the interactive and immersive learning environment in Tartu during the city’s year as European Capital of Culture, enabling students to explore some of the most important issues affecting the relationship between politics and popular culture in Estonia and beyond.
| Focus area: | Political Studies | Coordinating unit at UT |
Faculty of Social Sciences |
| Study Field: | Political Studies | Course Leader | Michael Cole, University of Tartu |
| Format | Summer course | Location | Tartu, Estonia |
| Course dates: | 28 July - 11 August 2024 | Apply by: | 30 April 2024 |
| ECTS: | 3 | Fee: | 550 EUR |
| Study | MA/PhD and advanced BA | Language | English |
Lecturer:
- Michael Cole, University of Tartu
Preliminary Course Schedule
Sunday, 28 July
Arrival
Monday, 29 July: What is the politics of popular culture?
- Class Introduction and Welcome
- Lecture and Seminar "What is the politics of popular culture?" (Focus on Ukraine)
- Biopolitics and Popular Culture (Focus on Georgia and Poland)
Tuesday, 30 July: The politics of popular music
- Lecture and Seminar - The politics of music part 1 (Focus on Narva, Estonia)
- Lecture and Seminar - The politics of music Part 2 (Using CDA and MMDA)
- Introduction to group project work
Wednesday, 31 July: The politics of music continued
- Lecture and Seminar – The politics of music part 3 (Focus on Tallinn Music Week)
- Introduction to course assignment – how to write a popular science article
- Individual consultations and time for group work
Thursday, 1 August: The politics of street art
- Lecture and Seminar - The politics of street art (Focus on Poland)
- Lecture and Seminar - The politics of street art part 2 (Using MMDA)
- Political street art “treasure hunt” in Tartu
Friday, 2 August: The politics of street art continued
- Group task – (Examining Tartu Street Art)
- Exploring Intertextuality (Focus on Tartu Street Art)
- Guest Speaker(s) or Tartu2024- based activity
Saturday, 3 August: free day
Sunday, 4 August: free day
Monday, 5 August: The politics of sport
- Lecture and Seminar – The politics of sport part 1 (Focus on populism and football)
- Lecture and Seminar - The politics of sport part 2 (Focus on football and the far right)
Tuesday, 6 August: The politics of sport continued
- Lecture and Seminar - The politics of sport part 3 (Focus on the 2024 Olympics)
- Discourse (Post-foundationalism and critical discourse theory)
- Group Work
Wednesday, 7 August: The politics of popular culture in Estonia (Music and Arts of Survival)
- Excursion to Viljandi or Tartu 2024-based activity (TBC)
Thursday, 8 August: The politics of food
- The politics of food (Focus on populism and social media)
- The politics of food and identity (Focus on Estonia)
- Group Work
Friday, 9 August: Presentations and course end
- Group project presentations
- Course summary and feedback
Saturday, 10 August/Sunday, 11 August
Departure
Individual work will be given to the students before and during the course.
Entry requirements:
- Online application form
- Motivation letter (up to 1 page) that demonstrates the applicant’s motivation to participate, his/her expectations about the programme, how participation in the summer programme relates to his/her studies and interests, and how the applicant plans to use the gained experience and knowledge in the future.
- Transcript of academic records
- Copy of passport
PS: Only complete applications including all annexes submitted by the deadline will be considered for selection.
Learning Outcomes
Students completing the course will:
- Gain an overview of the ways politics and popular culture interact in a wide range of contexts.
- Be introduced to methodological tools, which can be used to examine relationships between popular culture and politics in academic research, including Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), and Multi-Modal Discourse Analysis (MMDA)
- Explore specific case studies of their own interest through a class project.
- Produce an optional written assignment with the opportunity to publish with an established online media outlet.
Assessment format: Group exercise (pass/fail): Students will give a presentation on a case study of their choice, which demonstrates and explores an aspect of the relationship between politics and culture.
For additional course credits, students can produce a short op-ed style assignment (Max 2000 words) on the same or a related topic for submission to a suitable outlet for publication.
In collaboration with DAAD, the University of Tartu offers 5 scholarships for the course The Politics of Popular Culture for German students.
More information and the application form are on the DAAD scholarship page.
Two weeks prior to the start of the programme an information file will be sent to all participants. This file contains the daily schedule and relevant contact information of the programme managers.
Students are responsible for their travel, accommodation and travel insurance (visa arrangements if needed) from their home country to Tartu and back to their home country. It is recommended to visit the Tartu Welcome Centre website and arrival and housing section to find accommodation opportunities.
The programme provides in-depth knowledge about core topics of political science such as modern political institutions, elections, political behaviour and ethics, combined with data-driven governance, e-democracy and critical thinking in the digital society. This is reinforced by training in data analytics, research methods and quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques.