Cultural Studies

In class on Monday, we discussed the origins of cultural studies and the conflict between cultural studies and literary studies in many English programs. We also performed our own miniature cultural studies exercise by analyzing one of the Talking Heads' most famous videos.

After reading Culler's chapter on cultural studies and engaging in our analysis, what place do you think cultural studies has in an English program? Does it, as some of its detractors claim, threaten the sanctity of the literary arts? Does it weaken the methodologies associated with literary study, such as close reading? How does the excerpt from Barthes' Mythologies--an early influence on the rise of cultural studies-- compare to more traditional studies that take novels and poetry and short stories as their objects of study?

For more resources on the topic, check out the following sites:
Cultural Studies and Critical Theory
Wiki page
Cultural Studies Central
Cultural Studies Resource Page