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Home > Comparative Austrian and European Youth Cultures: Theories and Practices

Comparative Austrian and European Youth Cultures: Theories and Practices

Center: 
Vienna
Program(s): 
Vienna - Music [1]
Vienna - European Society & Culture [2]
Discipline(s): 
Anthropology
Sociology
Course code: 
AN/SO 345
Terms offered: 
Fall
Credits: 
3
Language of instruction: 
English
Instructor: 
Dr. Natalia Waechter
Description: 

The course on youth culture covers youth culture theories, history of Austrian youth culture, as well as insights in selected youth cultures of Europe today, based on young people’s changing life worlds. We will explore and analyze youth cultural activities, forms of expression and trends from a sociological perspective through lectures, discussions, and excursions.

Prerequisites: 

Previous course in social science is recommended, though not required.

Learning outcomes: 
  • basic knowledge of youth cultural theories
  • specific knowledge of Austrian youth cultures and basic knowledge of European youth cultures
  • basic knowledge of young people’s life worlds in a changing social and economic environment
Method of presentation: 

Lectures, student presentations, discussions, film viewing and excursions

Required work and form of assessment: 

There will be a midterm and a final exam. The students are expected to prepare between lessons, to present in class and to participate in class. Additionally, they have to provide a shorter written analysis on a contemporary youth culture of their own choice (3-5 pages). The course is graded as follows: midterm exam 30%, final exam 40%, shorter written analysis 10%, class participation 10%, presentation in class 10%.

content: 

The participants of the course will acquire basic knowledge about youth culture from a sociological perspective. The 10-week course will cover four topics. Each topic will be taught during two weeks. The exams will be held in two more weeks.

Week 1

Course Introduction

History of Youth Culture Part 1: The Emergence and Rise of Youth Subculture (when and how did modern youth culture emerge, youth culture under different preconditions and throughout the 20th century).

Required reading:

Whyte, W. F. (1943). Street Corner Society

Nur, O.N. (2005). The relevance of countercultures and visions of the future, pp.37-43

Film viewing and discussion in class:

Video-mix of youth cultural video documents (selected scenes of historical and contemporary youth cultures across Europe from TV documentaries, YouTube clips, etc.)

Week 2

History of Youth Culture Part 2: Youth Countercultures

Required reading:

Willis, Paul (1978): Profane Culture (212 p.)

McRobbie, A. (1993). Shut up and dance: Youth culture and changing modes of femininity, pp.13-31

Excursion in Vienna: Arena: A historical place in Austrian youth culture

Week 3

Theories of Youth Culture Part 1: Subculture, Life Style, Youth Scenes

Required reading:

Muggleton, D. (2005). From Classlessness to Clubculture, pp. 205-219

Bennet, A. (2009). As young as you feel: Youth as a discursive construct, pp.23-36

Giddens, A. (2006). Sociology, (Chapter 6: Socialization, The Life-Course and Ageing, pp. 161-201)

Required film viewing for discussion in class:

Julien Temple, The Filth and the Fury, 1999 (documentary-style film): 103 min

Week 4

Theories of Youth Culture Part 2: Different functions of youth culture (identity, civic and political participation).

Required reading:

Hodkinson, P. (2009). Youth Cultures: A Critical Outline of Key Debates, pp.1-21

Shildrick, T., & MacDonald, R. (2006). In Defence of Subculture, pp.125-140

Excursion in Vienna:

Concert of contemporary subcultural related Austrian band (tba) at the yearly festival of Austrian pop&rock bands at 1010 Vienna.

Week 5

Changing life circumstances for young people, Part 1: School-work-transition, Socialization, Social
Inequalities

Preparation midterm exam

Required reading:

Pohl, A., & Walther, A. (2007). Activating the disadvantaged, pp. 533-553

Walther A., Du Bois-Reymond M., & Biggart A. (Eds.) (2006). Learning, Motivation and Participation in Youth Transitions: theoretical perspectives, pp. 21-42

Midterm exam

Week 6

Changing life circumstances for young people, Part 2: Political and Civic Participation, New Media, Identities

Required reading:

Livingstone, S. (2002). Young People and New Media, pp.1-29

Waechter, N., Cuconato, M., Lenzi, G., & Loncle, P. (2008). Participation and youth cultures, pp. 40-61

Excursion in Vienna: Exploring Viennese Youth Cultural Sites (Walk at Donaukanal)

Week 7

Different Youth Cultures in Europe today, Part 1: Music-oriented youth culture: electronic music

Required reading:

Huq, R. (2009). Resistance or incorporation? Youth policy making and hip hop culture, pp. 79-92

Webb, P. (2009). Hip hop’s musicians and audiences in the local musical ‘milieu’, pp. 175-201

Film viewing and discussion in class:

Karl Folke and Andreas Weslien, Musically Mad - A Documentary On UK Reggae Sound Systems, 2008: 60 min

Week 8

Different Youth Cultures in Europe today, Part 2: Music-oriented youth culture: guitar music; Presentation and discussion of music/video clips covering different scenes (using youtube)

Required reading:

O’Hara, Craig (1999). The Philosophy of Punk: More than a Noise. (pp. 8-25; 28-32; 34-43; 56-
80; 84-95; 113-118; 132-140)

Brill, D. (2009). Gender, status and subcultural capital in the goth scene, pp. 111-125

Week 9

Different Youth Cultures in Europe today, Part 3: Sports- and ideological-oriented youth cultures

Required reading:

Borden, I. (2001). Skateboarding, Space and the City (Introduction pp. 1-12; Subculture pp. 137-
172, Urban Compositions pp. 173-228, Performing the City pp. 229-260) Nayak, A. & Kehily, M. J. (2007). Gender, Youth and Culture, pp.52-75

Film viewing and discussion in class:

Animal Finder, Canvas: A Skateboard Documentary Film, 2008: 10 min
Project Utrecht: Crime Issues of Skateboarders: stereotype or reality, 2007: 5 min

Week 10

Different Youth Cultures in Europe today, Part 4: Computer-, and media-oriented youth culture and fan cultures;
Preparation final exam

Required reading:

Subrahmanyam, K., Reich, S., Waechter, N., & Espinoza, L.(2008). Online and Offline Social Networks, pp. 420-433

Waechter, N. (2006). Chat Rooms – Girl’s Empowerment, pp.109-113

Final exam

Required readings: 

Bennet, A. (2009). As young as you feel: Youth as a discursive construct, in P. Hodkinson and W. Deicke (eds.), Youth Cultures. Scenes, Subcultures and Tribes. New York & London: Routledge, pp.23-36

Borden, I. (2001). Skateboarding, Space and the City. Architecture and the Body. Oxford & New York: Berg

Brill, D. (2009). Gender, status and subcultural capital in the goth scene, in P. Hodkinson and W. Deicke (eds.), Youth Cultures. Scenes, Subcultures and Tribes. New York & London: Routledge, pp. 111- 125

O’Hara, Craig (1999). The Philosophy of Punk: More than a Noise. Edinburgh/San Francisco: AK Press

Giddens, A. (2006). Sociology. Chapter 6: Socialization, the life-course, and ageing. Cambridge: Polity Press, pp. 161-201

Hodkinson, P. (2009). Youth Cultures: A Critical Outline of Key Debates, in P. Hodkinson and W. Deicke (eds.), Youth Cultures. Scenes, Subcultures and Tribes. New York & London: Routledge, pp.1-21

Huq, R. (2009). Resistance or incorporation? Youth policy making and hip hop culture, in P. Hodkinson and W. Deicke (eds.), Youth Cultures. Scenes, Subcultures and Tribes. New York & London: Routledge, pp. 79-92

Livingstone, S. (2002). Young People and New Media. Childhood and the changing media environment. London/Thousand Oaks/New Delhi: Sage

McRobbie, A. (1993). Shut up and dance: Youth culture and changing modes of femininity, in Young, 1(2), 13-31

Muggleton, D. (2005). From Classnessless to Clubculture: a genealogy of post-war British youth cultural analysis. Young 13(2), 205-219.

Nayak, A. & Kehily, M. J. (2007). Gender, Youth and Culture: Young Masculinities and Femininities. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Nur, O. N. (2005). The relevance of countercultures and visions of the future: examining the historical example of Hashomer Hatzair. In: Revisiting youth political participation. Challenges for research and democratic practice in Europe. Strasbourg: Council of Europe, pp.37-43

Pohl, A., & Walther, A. (2007). Activating the disadvantaged. Variations in addressing youth transitions across Europe, International Journal for Lifelong Education, 26(5), 533-553.

Shildrick, T., & MacDonald, R. (2006). In Defence of Subculture: Young People, Leisure and Social Divisions. Journal of Youth Studies, 9(2), 125-140.

Subrahmanyam, K., Reich, S., Waechter, N., & Espinoza, L.(2008). Online and Offline Social Networks: Use of Social Networking Sites by Emerging Adults. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29(6), 420-433

Waechter, N. (2006). Chat Rooms – Girl’s Empowerment. In: Sherrod, Lonnie R./ Flanagan, Constance/ Kassimir, Ron (eds.): Youth Activism: An International Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Company, pp. 109-113

Waechter, N., Cuconato, M., Lenzi, G., & Loncle, P. (2008). Participation and youth cultures. In Patricia Loncle, & Virginie Muniglia (Eds.): Youth participation, agency and social change. Thematic report of the EU funded project „UP2Youth. Youth – actor of social change“, pp. 40-61

Walther, A., Du Bois-Reymond M., & Biggart A. (2006) Learning, Motivation and Participation in Youth Transitions: theoretical perspectives, in A. Walther, M. Du Bois-Reymond, & A. Biggart (Eds.). Participation in transition. Motivation of young people in Europe for learning and working. Frankfurt am Main: Lang, pp. 21-42

Webb, P. (2009). Hip hop’s musicians and audiences in the local musical ‘milieu’, in P. Hodkinson and W. Deicke (eds.), Youth Cultures. Scenes, Subcultures and Tribes. New York & London: Routledge, pp. 175-201

Willis, Paul (1978): Profane Culture. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Whyte, W. F. (1943). Street Corner Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Recommended readings: 

Buckingham, D. (2003): Media Education: Literacy, Learning and Contemporary Culture. Cambridge: Polity

Hodkinson, P. and Deicke, W. (2009). Youth Cultures. Scenes, Subcultures and Tribes. New York & London: Routledge

McRobbie, A. (1991). Feminism and Youth Culture. From Jackie to Just Seventeen. London: Macmillian

Muggleton, D. (2000). Inside Subculture. The Postmodern Meaning of Style. Oxford & New York: Berg Thomas, A. (2006). Youth Online. Identity and Literacy in the Digital Age. New York et al.: Peter Lang Walther A., Du Bois-Reymond M., & Biggart A. (Eds.) (2006). Participation in transition. Motivation of young people in Europe for learning and working. Frankfurt am Main: Lang

For those students with German language knowledge there is also an optional reading list of further Austrian and German literature on youth culture:

Foltin, Robert (2004): Und wir bewegen uns doch. Soziale Bewegungen in Österreich.Wien: edition grundrisse

Henecka, Hans Peter/ Janalik, Heinz/ Schmidt, Doris (Hrsg.) (2005): Jugendkulturen. 6. Heidelberger

Dienstagsseminar. Heidelberg: Mattes Verlag

Kump, Andreas (2007): Es muss was geben. Ein Buch über die Anfänge der alternativen Musikkultur in Linz. Weitra: Bibliothek der Provinz

Lucke, Doris (Hrsg.) (2006): Jugend in Szenen. Lebenszeichen aus flüchtigen Welten. Münster: Westfälisches Dampfboot

Stauber, Barbara (2004): Junge Frauen und Männer in Jugendkulturen. Selbstinszenierungen und Handlungspotentiale. Opladen: Leske + Budrich

Stauber, Barbara (2001): Junge Frauen und Männer in Jugendkulturen. Gewandelte Bedeutungen in der späten Moderne und Konsequenzen für die Jugendforschung. In: Deutsche Jugend. Zeitschrift für Jugendarbeit 2001/2

Wächter, Natalia (2006): Wunderbare Jahre? Jugendkultur in Wien. Geschichte und Gegenwart. Weitra: Bibliothek der Provinz

Wächter, Natalia (2008): Aktuelle Jugendkulturen in Theorie und Praxis. Squatter, Blogger, Gabbas, Boarder, Lookalikes… In Romana Bogner, & Reinhold Stipsits (Eds.), Jugend im Fokus.

Pädagogische Beiträge zur Vergewisserung einer Generation. Wien: Löcker, S.83-105

Wächter, Natalia & Triebswetter, Katrin (2009): „Fashioncore“ oder „echte“ Jugendkultur? –Emo auf dem Prüfstein der Authentizität. In Martin Büsser, Jonas Engelmann, & Ingo Rüdiger (Hg.), Emo: Porträt einer Szene. (S. 12-28). Mainz: Ventil Verlag

Other Resources: 

Julien Temple, The Filth and the Fury, 1999

Karl Folke and Andreas Weslien, Musically Mad - A Documentary On UK Reggae Sound Systems,
2008

Animal Finder, Canvas: A Skateboard Documentary Film, 2008

Brief Biography of Instructor: 

NATALIA WAECHTER, Dr. phil., Mag. rer.soc.oec., graduate in sociology and political science at the
University of Vienna, is senior researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna. From 2003 to
2009 she focused on youth studies at the Austrian Institute for Youth Research, Vienna. In 2007, when she was Post-doc at the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), she participated in research at the Children’s Digital Media Center. In Austria she also lectures at the Department of Educational Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria and at the University of Innsbruck. She has researched and published in the areas of youth research, new media & online communication, gender studies, and sociology of migration. Since 2006 she is member of the executive board of the Research Committee 34 (Sociology of Youth) of the International Sociological Association (ISA).


Source URL: http://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/courses/vienna/fall-2012/an-so-345

Links:
[1] http://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/programs/vienna-music
[2] http://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/programs/vienna-european-society-culture