Culture: Theory and Research, 7.5 credits

Main field of study

Course level

Advancement level

Course offered for

• Master´s Programme in Computational Social Science

Entry requirements

A bachelor's degree or equivalent in the humanities, social-, cultural-, behavioural-, natural-, computer-, or engineering-sciences.
English corresponding to the level of English in Swedish upper secondary education (English 6/B).

45 ECTS credits completed in Computational Social Science.

Intended learning outcomes

After completion of the course, the student should at an advanced level be able to:

• describe and analyze the market constraints and coping strategies of actors in cultural industries
• assess the roles and importance of intermediaries positioned between producers and consumers in cultural markets
• dissect and explain consumer behavior in fast-paced and socially visible market settings
• apply theories and formal models of peer influence and social diffusion
• critically discuss the current state of empirical research on cultural markets
• evaluate the application of statistical, mathematical, and computational methods to research on cultural markets

Course content

This course is about cultural markets and their dynamics. Cultural markets are constituted by sets of actors, including interconnected producers, consumers and intermediaries, who are embedded in systems of exchange involving cultural goods, such as books, music, movies, etc. Actors who participate in cultural markets are differentiated, and the strategies they use to navigate these markets are analyzed. The course frames cultural markets as valuable testing grounds for theories of socially influenced behavior prone to complex collective dynamics and hard-to-predict outcomes. Classical and contemporary theories of cultural production and/or consumption are employed and evaluated. This includes the application of formal models and statistical techniques from social diffusion research. Content will especially focus on state-of-the-art research using computational methods to study peer influence and social dynamics in cultural markets and consumer markets more generally.

Teaching and working methods

The teaching consists of lectures, readings, and seminars. Homework and independent studies are a necessary complement to the course.

Language of instruction: English.

Examination

The course is examined through written assignments (individual and group), active participation in seminars, and a written individual final assignment. Detailed information about the examination can be found in the course's study guide.

Students failing an exam covering either the entire course or part of the course twice are entitled to have a new examiner appointed for the reexamination.

Students who have passed an examination may not retake it in order to improve their grades.

Grades

Other information

Planning and implementation of a course must take its starting point in the wording of the syllabus. The course evaluation included in each course must therefore take up the question how well the course agrees with the syllabus. 

The course is carried out in such a way that both men´s and women´s experience and knowledge is made visible and developed.

Department