1. Broadening
2. Power and Conflict
3. Cultural, Popular Cultural and Performative

Cultural, Popular Cultural and Performative

Why ‘Cultural, Popular Cultural and Performative’?

Art and culture is not just an aesthetic endeavour, but these forms of expression have been used across history and countries as tools to both uphold and challenge power. Dance, literature, film and artistic works can serve to parody power and public figures, ridicule out-dated practices, highlight the suffering of others, or propose new ways of living or doing politics. Modules in this sub-theme also allow you to trace historical events through cultural commentary, and how cultures have evolved over time to reflect changing social, economic and political contexts. Studying culture of art and performance can help to locate different viewpoints, discord and unrest, as well as to open up our thinking to unfamiliar concepts and ideas. 

Make the most of your discovery modules

The new discovery module PIED 1551 Power and Conflict – An Introduction teaches you to analyse the different ways in which power and conflict functions in all levels of society. The module draws on historical documents, videos, discussion boards, news clips and music.

Each two-week section deals with one of the sub-themes of the Power and Conflict Discovery Theme with material provided by specialist contributors in history, sociology, performance, geography, media, politics and cultural studies, and illustrated through historical and thought provoking case studies. 

In relation to Cultural, Popular Cultural and Performative Power and Conflict, you will learn how popular culture represents power and conflict but also how it can be an instrument of power and a site of political resistance.

If you’re attracted to this sub-theme, you might also like to explore the discovery modules in ‘Media, Culture and Creativity’ and ‘Language and Intercultural Understanding’