HUM 263 – Urban Culture and Communication

Course Content:

This course offers students the opportunity to explore various aspects of urban culture and everyday life in depth. Within the scope of the course, it aims to provide a critical interpretation capacity regarding the dynamics of city life through the framework of phenomena such as spatial discrimination, social exclusion, the right to the city, and memory, starting from the theoretical knowledge and social theories related to everyday life. Furthermore, it develops skills in analyzing the social and cultural structure of urban spaces and everyday life through case studies from urban ethnographies. Students will develop analysis and critical thinking skills through theoretical discussions and methodological approaches within an interdisciplinary framework.

Topics Covered:

Week 1: Introduction to the Course
Week 2: Everyday Life and Social Theory I: Discussions on Social Culture
Week 3: Everyday Life and Social Theory II: Postmodernism
Week 4: Everyday Life and Social Theory III: Cultural Turn
Week 5: Critique of Everyday Life
Week 6: Everyday Life and Space
Week 7: The Postmodern City
Week 8: Introduction to Urban Ethnography
Week 9: Spatial Discrimination and Social Exclusion
Week 10: Urban Marginalities: Ghetto, Suburb, Favela, Slum
Week 11: Right to the City
Week 12: Memory: Remembering and Forgetting
Week 13: Methods and Case Studies in Everyday Life Studies
Week 14: Methods and Case Studies in Everyday Life Studies

Instructor

Assoc. Prof. Ozan UŞTUK