Twentieth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

When teaching students from diverse backgrounds, believe it or not, I am still asked, ‘what is cultural studies?’, ‘is it important?’, ‘what will we learn?’ This is my second year in taking up this Merged Module with students from Mumbai, Jaipur and Delhi Campuses. In this paper I respond to Teaching, Learning and Assessment observations that I have made, by proposing areas that can be improvised for better student engagement and outcomes. The paper is divided into three major divisions. The first one is concerned with the reasons for an interest in culture in the first place: why does it become an object of critical study? In answering this question I approach cultural studies as a particular segment within a wider field of study in the Four Year Fashion Design Program. Further I investigate its positioning to preceding and succeeding Modules, Learning Outcomes, Graduate Profile, and finally National and International Employability. The second and third divisions link the Module with selected Conceptual Frameworks, the former being Biggs ‘Constructive Alignment’ and the latter being ‘Self-Regulated Learning’ within which I also refer to Vygotsky’s ‘Scaffolding Theory’. Cultural studies now exists within a wider field of academic study and investigation and which has taken multi-faceted forms with inter-disciplinary subjects. My research questions come from a larger, often academic concern about the content, delivery, duration and assessment methodology.