Question #1

1) Why do cultural studies theorists separate words with capital letters from those without, even when the words in question are not proper nouns (e.g., woman vs. Woman)? Explain why we do this (i.e., what is the convention a shorthand for), and what significance it has. (30-50 words)

Cultural studies theorists use capital letters to place the word in the level of symbolic rather than the real. By capitalizing the word it elevates it into a concept such as an ideological construction. While capitalizing the word elevates the meaning of the word, when the word is not capitalized the author often intends for it to be interpreted by the reader for its actual and real meaning. An example of this with the term "women." When it is written as Women, the meaning of the word is elevated and, groups women as a concept rather than a real, actual women, which we think of when the word isn't capitalized.