Approaches to Culture (UoA)

Undergraduate | 2026

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Mode
Mode
Your studies will be on-campus, and may include some online delivery
On campus
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Area/Catalogue
ANTH 1003
Course ID icon
Course ID
205189
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Campus
Adelaide City Campus
Level of study
Level of study
Undergraduate
Unit value icon
Unit value
6
Course owner
Course owner
Adelaide University
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Course level
1
Work Integrated Learning course
Work Integrated Learning course
No
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Inbound study abroad and exchange
Inbound study abroad and exchange
The fee you pay will depend on the number and type of courses you study.
No
University-wide elective icon
University-wide elective course
No
Single course enrollment
Single course enrolment
No

Course overview

The contemporary humanities and social sciences are the product of a cultural turn: away from dry, functionalist theories of society and towards an appreciation of culture as the medium in which meanings are made and shared, and identities are formed. This course will introduce students to a number of ways to understand culture, and equip them with a variety of tools for analysing the cultures of everyday life. The course content includes topics such as fashion, taste, race, gender, online (sub)cultures, and the environment. It includes Indigenous perspectives on the relationship between nature and culture and addresses contemporary debates about identity. Approaches to Culture will introduce first year students to several of the major thinkers in the Humanities and Social Sciences, whose influence continues to be felt across the disciplines. The course is also the entry point for the Cultural Studies major.

Course learning outcomes

  • Define Cultural Studies as a distinctive disciplinary formation with the Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Be conversant in the ideas of some of the major figures who have shaped thought in the Humanities and Social Sciences across the twentieth century
  • Employ a variety of interpretive tools and strategies to decode the meanings and messages that circulate in our culture
  • Use group enquiry in class settings to articulate aspects of students' own cultural practices, and learn about those of others
  • Critique cultural objects and practices from a variety of viewpoints, and with an awareness of others' identities and subjectivities
  • Understand the distinctive contribution of Indigenous knowledges to contemporary understandings of the relationship between nature and culture.

Prerequisite(s)

N/A

Corequisite(s)

N/A

Antirequisite(s)

  • must not have completed CULTST1001 Approaches to Culture at the University of Adelaide

Assumed knowledge

N/A

Textbook(s)

N/A

Inherent requirements

N/A

Other resources

N/A

Assessment

N/A

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The Student Contribution amount displayed below is for students commencing a new program from 2021 onwards. If you are continuing in a program you commenced prior to 1 January 2021, or are commencing an Honours degree relating to an undergraduate degree you commenced prior to 1 January 2021, you may be charged a different Student Contribution amount from the amount displayed below. Please check the Student Contribution bands for continuing students here. If you are an international student, or a domestic student studying in a full fee paying place, and are continuing study that you commenced in 2025 or earlier, your fees will be available here before enrolments open for 2026.