Courses Summer 2020

Lecture: American Horizons – North American History in a Global Context I: From Colonial Times to the Civil War

Monday, 3 – 5 pm, HS 10
PD Dr. Olaf Stieglitz

The lectures will explore how the unfolding of American history shaped American society and thus the country’s political culture, institutions, and outcomes. Topics to be covered include transatlantic influences on the emergence of an American republic, the formation of republican institutions, the role of religion in shaping American politics and society, the evolution of an American capitalism, tensions between regional and national institutions and cultures, expansion and empire, and war. Next to political history, the class also underscores the importance of social and cultural history and emphasizes the plurality of North America’s population. Moreover, the course integrates global, transatlantic, and international developments to better understand the nature of the American experience and its impact on international affairs.

For students of the BA in American Studies, the course ends with an in-class final exam.

Analytical Seminar

either a) Tuesday, 9 – 11 am, NSG 412
Heather Pruessing

or b) Tuesday, 11 am -1 pm, NSG 412
Heather Pruessing

or c) Tuesday, 1 – 3 pm, NSG 412
Heather Pruessing

Through exposure to a diverse range of primary documents and interpretive essays, the Analytical Seminar seeks to guide students’ in expanding and contextualizing the information covered in the module’s lecture component. Furthermore, the course seeks to develop students’ analytical skills in writing, debate, and presentation.

Tutorial (Übung)

either a) Wednesday, 9 – 11 am, GWZ 2.516
Heather Pruessing

or b) Wednesday, 11 am – 1 pm, GWZ 2.516
Heather Pruessing

or c) Wednesday, 1 – 3 pm, GWZ 2.516
Heather Pruessing

Within the context of American Society, History, and Politics, students in the Praxis Seminar (Tutorial/Übung) will work to improve their writing and argumentation skills in academic English. The goal of this course is to solidify students’ understanding of the lecture and analytical seminar content, while simultaneously improving critical and analytical skills through discussion and written assignments.

1003-1 Vorlesung: Introduction to Synchronic Linguistics

Tuesday, 1 – 3 pm, HS 3
Peter Uhrig (Institut für Anglistik)

Exam: written examination (90 min) covering the lecture and the seminar

The lecture aims at familiarizing students of English with the essentials of (English) linguistics. We will set out to define the field, the study of language, and will work our way through a programme clarifying central terms and issues of the major branches of linguistics. These comprise phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, as well as sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics, sitting at the interface of language to other phenomena. Time permitting, we will also have a look at the historical development of linguistics.

The lecture assumes a thorough knowledge of English, but does not presuppose any previous study of grammar or other aspects of linguistics.

1003-2 Seminar Systemlinguistik: Introduction to Synchronic Linguistics

Von den folgenden Seminarangeboten (a-b) ist ein Kurs zu belegen.

either                       a) Monday, 9 -11 am, NSG 111
Antje Quick (Institut für Anglistik)

or

b) Wednesday, 11 am – 1 pm, NSG 301
Antje Quick (Institut für Anglistik)

Reading list: Students are asked to purchase the reader at “universitätsdruckzentrum” (merkurdruck, Ritterstr. 10) with syllabus, course material and tasks.

Exam: cf. lecture “Introduction to Synchronic Linguistics”

Together with the lecture, this seminar introduces into the scientific branch of linguistics. Whereas in the lecture you familiarize yourself with basic concepts, the seminar focuses on indepth discussion, exercises and task solving. We will start our linguistic journey with phonetics & phonology, and after that move into other traditional areas of linguistics such as morphology, syntax, and semantics. Needless to add, the textbook describes English as used in the USA.

1003-3 Übung Sprachpraxis für Amerikanisten: Written Academic Discourse

Von den folgenden Übungsangeboten (a-c) ist ein Kurs zu belegen.

either                           a) Thursday, 9 -11 am, NSG 225
Bradley Schmidt (Institut für Anglistik)

or           

b) Thursday, 11 am – 1 pm, NSG 225
Bradley Schmidt (Institut für Anglistik)

or           

c) Thursday, 1 – 3 pm, NSG 315
n.n. (Institut für Anglistik)

Exam: written examination (90 min)

Reading list: Williams, Joseph M. Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace. Ed. Joseph Bizup. 5th ed. London: Pearson, 2014. Print. [ISBN-13: 978-0-321-95330-8 / ISBN-10: 0-321953304]

Please have your copy with you in our first class.

The goal of this practical language exercise is the class essay in academic English. Students will practise their analytic and interpretative text production skills in keeping with both the formal genre conventions and current research on academic writing at tertiary levels. Our exercises are geared to helping students mitigate those weaknesses detrimental to structural clarity and target those strengths conducive to enriching the formal elements in their written academic discourse. Our exercises will focus on improving i) the mechanics of academic writing, ii) approaches to text production, iii) patterns of coherence and cohesion, and iv) systematic revision techniques.

Lecture: US-American Popular Culture: History, Media, Methods

Tuesday, 9 – 11 am, HS 15
Prof. Katja Kanzler

This lecture will provide an introduction to US-American popular culture and popular culture studies. It will cover three main areas: First, it will discuss what popular culture actually is – how it has been conceptualized, also in relation to other fields of cultural and literary expression, and what kinds of questions American Studies scholarship has raised about it. Two, the lecture will survey significant milestones in the historical development of US popular culture, from 19th-century minstrel shows to 21st-century (post-)television. Third, it will take a closer look at some of the media that function as carriers of popular culture, how their medial particularities have been conceptualized and what specific methods of analysis they require.

Seminar: Understanding Digital Cultures