Course for international guest/part time students

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences

Organization

TÁTK Department of Sociology

Code

ESZOCBA63

Title

Sociology of Culture

Usual semester

Spring

Published semester

2025/26/2

ECTS

4

Language

en

Learning outcomes

Within the disciplinary framework of the sociology of culture, this course will focus on the sociology of art. Main goal of the course is to discuss the various sociological approaches of art and to acquire a critical thinking of the field of cultural production and consumption.

Course content

The sociological approach of art interprets works of art as forms, reflections and sometimes critiques of social practices. Besides discussing the history of the discipline of the sociology of art, as well as the most significant theoretical approaches within it, a special attention will be given to the sociological interpretation of the concepts of the artist, institutions and the audience, moreover to the complex relationship between them. As a special case study, at the end of the semester we will discuss the topic of (socially engaged) public art.

Assessment method

Please note that during the Spring semester of 2024/2025 this course will be held partly ONLINE and partly OFFLINE. During the semester students should closely follow the weekly readings and submit mini assignments in relation to those. Students are also required to write a mid-term and a final exam. The mid-term exam will be a take home exam where students will be required to write a short essay. The final exam will be a test with open questions that students need to take during the exam period at the university. Throughout the semester students can collect 100 points (mid-term essay: 30, final exam: 70 points), but it is also possible to collect 10 extra points through active participation in the discussions on Canvas.

Bibliography

Recommended bibliography

Zolberg, V. 1990. Constructing a Sociology of the Arts. Cambridge University Press. Tanner, J. 2003. Sociology of Art: A Reader. Routledge. Alexander, Victoria D. 2003. Sociology of the Arts. Wiley-Blackwell. Inglis, D. R. & Hughson, J. 2005. The Sociology of Art: Ways of Seeing. Red Globe Press.

Programmes of the course