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The terms ‘postmodern', ‘postmodernity', or ‘postmodernism' are used to describe a vast heterogeneous array of cultural practices and occurrences. Rather than possessing a clear-cut definition, these terms exhibit a fluidity of meaning which makes them hard to pin down. Then again, this may just be the defining notion 21st century society. In this seminar, we will begin by looking at a number of current concepts, theoretical approaches and definitions of ‘the postmodern' to set up some necessary categories and methodological tools for the analysis of popular culture that follows. In the second half of the seminar we will thus analyse excerpts of Anglophone films and TV series and investigate how and in which way they function as a means of staging the postmodern.
A Reader for this course will be available in the copy-shop in "Reckhammerweg" at the beginning of the semester.
Please note: Although this is NOT a pure film / TV series seminar, we will deal with a relatively large number of recent films and series (for instance, Lost, Scrubs, The Simpsons, Inception, Battlestar Galactica ...). Consequently, a good working knowledge of these series is strongly recommended, if not required.
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