Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Philosophy of Popular Culture Syllabus - Mumbai University 2026

Syllabus for Philosophy of Popular Culture

Minor · Philosophy · Semester 5 · TY BA · 4 credits · 100 marks · 60 hours

The University sets this paper under Minor only, so your college may not run it.

1 Definition of Philosophy: Introducing philosophical inquiry through the works of Plato, Aristotle, and Descartes.
2 Meaning of Culturology: Exploring the foundations of culturology through the perspectives of Clifford Geertz and Edward Tylor.
3 Discourse on popular culture: Analyzing the concept of popular culture through the lens of Stuart Hall's cultural studies and Michel Foucault's theories of power and discourse.

1 Meaning of Culture and Popular Culture: Investigating culture and popular culture using Raymond Williams' cultural theory and Dick Hebdige's subcultural studies.
2 Conceptualizing understanding of tradition and civilization: Examining the notions of tradition and civilization through the works of Arnold Toynbee and Samuel Huntington.
3 Dimensions of Culture: Exploring the multiple dimensions of culture with reference to Edward Said's Orientalism and Homi Bhabha's concepts of hybridity and mimicry.

1 Anthropological approach: Interpretation of Culture & Popular Culture:Applying the anthropological approach to popular culture with reference to Clifford Geertz's thick description and Mary Douglas' cultural theory.
2 Cultural Hegemony: Understanding cultural hegemony through the writings of Antonio Gramsci and Raymond Williams.
3 Post-Colonial Perspectives: Analyzing post-colonial perspectives on popular culture using the works of Frantz Fanon and Homi Bhabha.

1 Popular Cultural Studies: Methods and Approaches: Applying methods and approaches of popular cultural studies with reference to John Fiske's semiotic analysis and Angela McRobbie's feminist cultural studies.
2 Indian Popular Cinema and Television: Mythology and Contemporary Themes:
Investigating Indian popular culture, particularly cinema and television, with focus on mythology and contemporary themes influenced by scholars such as Ravi Sundaram and Ashis Nandy.
3 Popular Literature Forms or Case Study: Folk Songs about Nature & Bhakti
Movement: Examining popular literature forms and case studies such as folk songs about nature and the Bhakti movement through the works of A.K. Ramanujan and Wendy Doniger.

Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books.
Tylor, E. B. (2017). Primitive Culture: Researches Into the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Art, and Custom (Vol. 1). Routledge.
Williams, R. (1983). Culture and Society, 1780-1950. Columbia University Press.
Hebdige, D. (1979). Subculture: The Meaning of Style. Routledge.
Said, E. W. (1979). Orientalism. Pantheon Books.
Bhabha, H. K. (1994). The Location of Culture. Routledge.
Gramsci, A. (1971). Selections from the Prison Notebooks. International Publishers.
Fanon, F. (2004). The Wretched of the Earth (R. Philcox, Trans.). Grove Press.
Kosambi, D. D. (1965). The Culture and Civilization of Ancient India in Historical Outline. Vikas Publishing House. 12 Following is the proposed paper pattern for (4 Credits) (A) External /

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