Contemporary Cultural Sociology
Autumn 2019
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY 

MASARYK UNIVERSITY, BRNO
This course offers an opportunity to
study key themes within
contemporary cultural sociology. Our
approach promotes the ability to use
sociological concepts and theories in
creative ways. Students are expected
to (i) actively participate in seminar, (ii)
write position papers for each seminar
(250 words), and (iii) to write one
academic blog post.
The position paper will address a
specific question within the reading
and offer an interpretation framed
with secondary literature. The
academic blog (250-500 words)
should reflect some current cultural
challenge, addressed via one of the
texts interpreted in the course. The
blog post is due 10th January 2020.
‣ 19. September 2019 at 14.00, Room
36: Introduction
‣ 3. October 2019 at 14.00, Room 36:
Ferreira, Vitor Sérgio. 2016. “Aesthetics
of Youth Scenes: From Arts of
Resistance to Arts of Existence.” Young
24(1):66–81.
‣ 18. - 19. October 2019 at 10.00, Room
34: Participation in the 19th
Conference on Conflict in Identities,
Identities in Conflicts.
‣ 7. November 2019 at 14.00, Room 36:
Reed, Isaac Ariail. 2019. “Performative
State-Formation in the Early American
Republic.” American Sociological
Review
‣ 21. November 2019 at 14.00, Room
36: Kurakin, Dmitry. 2019. “The
Cultural Mechanics of Mystery:
Structures of Emotional Attraction in
Competing Interpretations of the
Dyatlov Pass Tragedy.” American
Journal of Cultural Sociology 7(1):101–
27.
‣ 5. December 2019 at 14.00, Room 36:
Alexander, Jeffrey C. 2018. “The
Societalization of Social Problems:
Church Pedophilia, Phone Hacking,
and the Financial Crisis.” American
Sociological Review.