Dr. Katja Schmieder
Assistant Lecturer for American Studies
Room 3502 | Phone: (0341) 973 7334
Office Hours: during Summer Term: Thursday, 1-2 pm (no office hours on: 17 May; 31 May)
http://americanstudies.uni-leipzig.de/faculty/schmieder
schmieder@uni-leipzig.de
Bio
In 2008 I earned my doctorate degree at the University of Leipzig, where I had also received my M.A. in 2001. Born and raised in Germany, and still living here, I enjoy traveling – including study trips to the U.S., Italy, and Greece, or vacations in Russia and North Africa. My field of interests stretches from literature of every shade via art and art history to the natural sciences along with their history and philosophy. However, I am equally dedicated to cats, music, and movies.
Teaching
My teaching activities largely coincide with my personal interests as they correspond to my research: They focus on American literature and literary theory, science, popular culture – and the manifold interdisciplinary relations between them. Therefore I have been teaching courses like “Psychoanalysis and Literature,” “Intertextuality and Intermediality,” and “Crime Fiction.”
Research
In my doctoral thesis I explored the relevance of C. P. Snow’s statement about the allegedly unbridgeable gap between the “two cultures” – literature and science – and argued for their reconciliation in American crime novels of the late 20th century. Thus it comes as no surprise that – along with my regular participation in meetings and symposia in the field of American Studies – I attempt to engage in seemingly unrelated areas of research. In this context I attended conferences for forensic psychiatrists, visited a real-life postmortem, and participated in conferences of the Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts. Due to a series of severe personal setbacks I missed a lot of opportunities, as I had to reject, among other things, an internship at the University of Montana in Bozeman during my graduate years and a dissertation fellowship from the University of Siegen. Still, I maintain inspiring contacts with international scientists and authors from diverse disciplines, such as a forensic biologist, a gynecological surgeon, a physicist, and a crime profiler.
Community Service
At our institute, I serve as an academic advisor for students (and – frequently – parents) and as the link to the Akademische Auslandsamt (International Centre), with the latter function being owed to my longstanding work as a project coordinator of the Ohio-Leipzig European Center and the Arizona Summer School.
Related to my profession it seems only natural that I am involved in a lot of voluntary projects: As a member of the steering committee of a children’s home I support homeless and abused children and adolescents, always nourishing hope that one day their lives will change for the better. Serving a similar purpose, I counsel high school students who want to spend a year abroad with the student exchange association Carl Duisberg. At the Leipzig student club Moritzbastei I help organize teenager projects, music events, the famous Leipzig Fahrradrallye as well as the annual children’s Christmas party (with the organizers starring in staged fairy tales).
For many years, I have been a member of the American Studies Alumni Association e.V. at our university, of the DGfA (German Association for American Studies), and of the Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts at the Johns Hopkins University.
Selected Honors, Publications, Papers and Talks
- 2002 – Admission to the Leipzig Graduate Studies Program
- 2002 – "Betrachtungen zur Rezeption amerikanischer Kriminalliteratur in Deutschland." in: K. Kanzler and H. Paul (eds.). Amerikanische Populärkultur in Deutschland. Leipzig: Universitätsverlag. (review e.g.: http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/rezensionen/4630.pdf)
- 2003 – Nominee for the Sächsische Landesstipendium
- 2003 – “Science and Detective Fiction.” (Paper. Doktoranden- und Habilitanden-Symposium. Humboldt Universität/Berlin.)
- 2004 –“Science as Constituting Element in Contemporary Crime Fiction.” (Published Conference Paper. International Conference of the Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts. Cité Universitaire/Paris.)
- 2005 – “Native American Life on the Waterhen Reservation in Canada.” (Public Talk. Translator for Norman Martell of the Cree Tribe. Grassi Museum/Leipzig.)
- 2006 – “The Image of Science in Popular Culture.” (Conference Paper. International Conference of the British Society for Literature and Science. Imperial College/London.)
- 2008 – “The Very Last Christmas. A Holiday ‘To Die For.’” (Annual Christmas Lecture of the ASAA. Villa Tillmanns/Leipzig.)
- 2010 - "Weird Economies: Fictionalizing Reproduction, Medicalization, and Gender." (Conference Paper. DGfA / GAAS Convention. Humboldt Universität/Berlin.)
- 2011 - "'Do Not Cross' - TV Women Doctors Trespass on Male Territory." (Conference Paper. International Conference on Literature and Medicine. Philipps-Universität/Marburg.)
- 2011 - "Weird Economies: Fictionalizing Reproduction, Medicalization, and Gender." in: Eva Boesenberg, Reinhard Isensee and Martin Klepper (eds.) American Economies. Heidelberg: Winter. (forthcoming)
- 2011 - "'Crime Scene - Do Not Cross: Fernsehärztinnen erobern männliches Territorium." (Talk. Center for Women's and Children's Health at the Medizinische Fakultät/Leipzig: http://americanstudies.uni-leipzig.de/blogs/30/asl-goes-truly-interdisciplinary)
- 2012 – Current Project: Interdisciplinary project with members of the Medical Faculty at Leipzig University “Gynecologists as Serial Killers: Fictional and (F)actual Serial Murder Committed by Healthcare Professionals in Gynecology and Obstetrics." (working title)