Arts Sociology

Uitgebreide vaknaam	Arts Sociology
Leerdoelen	Learning outcomes of the course unit Upon successful completion of the course unit, students are able to: 1. Describe in their own words art sociological theories and core concepts from these theories to an audience of informed listeners. (Learning outcomes: A1, A2, A3, A4, A7). 2. Formulate questions and design a problem definition based on the literature and knowledge of a field of their own expertise (e.g. theatre, music, literary or film studies). (Learning outcomes: A1, A2, A4, A7, B1, B2, C1). 3. Draft and advice a research design to studying the problem definition and provide commentary on methodological choices. (Learning outcomes: B2, C1, C2, C3). 4. Discuss art sociological theories in relation to empirical findings; comment on practices in the field from the perspective of theoretical approaches and critically review theories in light of empirical data (Learning outcomes: A1, B1, B2, C1, C2, C3, E1). 5. Engage in open and critical discussions of theories, own work and the work of others. (Learning outcomes: D1, D2, D3, E2). 6. Present their work, orally and in written form, in a clear and well-structured manner (Learning outcomes: D3, E2)
Omschrijving	This course focuses on classic and current theories within sociology of art and how these theories can be put to use in empirical studies. The course starts by recapitulating the distinction between art and commerce, which informs grand narratives about the relationship between art and society and plays out in most studies of fields of artistic productions. Week two, the theme on the agenda is art as collective action, a potentially controversial argument, which in recent years has been expanded to also include non-human actors, leading to a perspective inspired by ANT on creativity as a distributed activity. In week three, we look into the decisive work carried out by gatekeepers and other so-called cultural intermediaries, which is a notion that originates from Bourdieu that has been developed with inspiration from economic sociology in recent years. Week four addresses work and working conditions in cultural industries, starting from the crucial discussion about whether self-creation in cultural work is self-fulfillment or self-exploitation. In week five and six, we turn attention to cultural consumption, particularly how cultural consumption patterns relate to social stratification. To do so, week five focuses on the notion of the cultural omnivore that highlights how cultural consumption is not restricted to specific taste preferences today. In week six, we consider the concept of subculture and whether it still has relevance or should be replaced by post-subcultural concepts such as neo-tribes. In the weeks two-six, students make presentations of empirical examples that can be used to illustrate and discuss the theories. In the last week of the course, students make presentations of their research ideas for the final paper. The final exam of the course is a written assignment on a self-chosen topic.
Uren per week	4
Onderwijsvorm	werkcollege
Toetsvorm	actieve participatie, essay, presentatie
Vaksoort	master
Coördinator	dr. S.M. Strandvad
Docent(en)	dr. S.M. Strandvad
Verplichte literatuur	Titel Auteur ISBN Prijs see Course unit syllabus
Entreevoorwaarden	Bachelor's degree Arts, Culture and Media Studies or an equivalent qualification in the opinion of the Board of Examiners.
Opmerkingen	Students should have a basic knowledge of art sociology and methodology for the social sciences. For students with a different BA than the Arts, Culture and Media BA, specialisation Arts, Policy and Management of the University of Groningen, three extra lectures are scheduled to get up to speed with the theoretical background needed for this course. These lectures and homework are compulsory.
Opgenomen in	Opleiding Jaar Periode Type Course units for exchange students 4 semester I b verplicht Ma Kunst- en Cultuurwetenschappen (Kunsten, Cultuur en Media/Kunstgeschiedenis)  (Ma Arts, Culture and Media: Arts, Policy and Cultural Entrepreneurship) 1 semester I b verplicht