Today virtually all BA programs in English at German universities place a strong focus on
Cultural Studies. However textbooks that introduce first-year students to the subject are rare
and the few existing ones are too complicated or not comprehensive enough. By contrast this
textbook introduces the key theories and concepts of Cultural Studies systematically and
thoroughly. It puts particular emphasis on their application aiming to enable students to do
their own analyses of cultural artefacts and practices. The author draws on many sample
examples mostly taken from American culture but in each chapter he applies the ideas
introduced to The Hunger Games franchise and the Coronavirus pandemic to show how different
theories can lead to very different interpretations of the same phenomenon. Each chapter ends
with exercises that allow students to apply what they have learned.
