Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - CMNS 830 G100

Media & Cultural Studies (5)

Class Number: 4801

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Wed, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines current debates in media and cultural studies, including hegemony, biopower, affect, subjectivity, cultures of capitalism and cultures of resistance.

COURSE DETAILS:

Media and Cultural Studies:  Affective Publics (updated 10 Nov. 2025)

Overview:

Affects, emotions, sentiments and feelings have long played a role in both theories of social and political life and cultural studies.  However, it wasn’t until the late 1990s that media and cultural studies took an “affective turn", marking a major rethinking of the place of the psychoanalytic subject and representational politics in the field.  The radical agenda set by this deconstructive queer and feminist work has converged over the past few decades with the intensified digital mediation of everyday life, which has situated the affective dimension of social and political life as a key site of value extraction.  In this class, we consider some of the foundational texts in the cultural studies of affect alongside applications of these ideas and methodologies in the study of contemporary communication and culture.  By the end of the course, you will be familiar with some of the key texts in this area and feel confident in using the concepts and ideas in your own work.

All members of the seminar are expected to be actively engaged by giving presentations and sharing work, listening and responding on a weekly basis.

Grading

  • Seminar Presentation (lead part of the class discussion on one week) 10%
  • Seminar Participation (includes final presentation of work-in-progress) 20%
  • Bi-Weekly In-Class Response Papers (6 @ 5%) 30%
  • Final Project may take the shape of an essay or an un-essay (due April 15th); with proposal (500 words plus preliminary bibliography) due March 18th; in-class presentation of work-in-progress on April 8th 40%

NOTES:

The School expects that the grades awarded in this course will bear some reasonable relationship to established university-wide practices.  In addition, the School will follow Policy S10.01 with respect to Academic Integrity, and Policies S10.02, S10.03 and S10.04 with regard to Student Discipline.  For further information visit:  www.sfu.ca/policies/Students/index.html.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All readings will be made available on the course Canvas as PDF;s, or through local bookstores.

Susan Sontag, Regarding the Pain of Others. Picador, 2003.


Judith Butler, Frames of War: When is Life Grievable?  Verso, 2016.


Alva Gotby, They Call it Love: The Politics of Emotional Life. Verso, 2023.


RECOMMENDED READING:

Arlie Russell Hochschild, The Managed Heart:  Commercialization of Human Feeling. U. California Press, 2012.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.