Cultural Studies is the over-arching set of theories and approaches to culture and media studies that informs everything we do in MCS. The course introduces students to the basic conceptual tools needed for the study of culture in contemporary society.‘Everything is cultural’:  the way we do things, the ways in which we perceive reality and our identities – these are all shaped by the ‘cultural tool-kits’ we have available.  Culture is the making, circulation and negotiations of meanings. To understand how cultures work is vital for any career in the media, including advertising.The module will look at the three central spaces of media and cultural studies: media institutions (such as TV stations); cultural texts (such as rock videos, adverts and Internet sites); and audiences (what we do with media messages). The centrality of the self-fashioning of identity in our consumerist post-modern times will be explored.