Courses Summer 2021

1402-1 Lecture: US-American Literature: Beginnings to Present

Wednesday, 5 – 7 pm
Prof. Katja Kanzler

Exam: written examination (90 min) covering the entire module

This lecture will provide a survey of US-American literary history from its colonial pre-history to the present. It will discuss important themes, modes, and genres that characterize US literature throughout its history, its cultural contexts, and the literary periods into which these developments have been organized. In the course of this survey, we will explore the – partly very different, partly continuous – ways in which texts across these periods define ‘Americanness,’ in which they approach human nature and social differences, and the ideas about the role and operations of literature that they reflect.

1402-2 Seminar: American Cultures and Society

Choose one out of seven seminars (1402-2a-g):

1402-2a/b/c US Cultural History and Politics: Values and Institutions

either                      a) Tuesday, 11 am -1 pm
Dr. Eleonora Ravizza

or

b) Tuesday, 1 - 3 pm
Dr. Eleonora Ravizza

or

c) Wednesday, 1 - 3 pm
Dr. Eleonora Ravizza

This class will cover how historical, political, and social developments in the United States were and are influenced by the rapidly changing national landscape. In this seminar, we will discuss various topics relevant to both historical and contemporary United States in terms of what determines American values and how they have shaped and empowered (or undermined) certain institutions. We will then look at how traditional American values such as freedom, justice, and equality have evolved through time and how they have influenced the socio-political realm. Topics will include racial inequality, political corruption, the healthcare system, and the justice system.

In addition to gaining knowledge about the historical background, students will also have the opportunity to apply their findings in group discussions about a variety of texts, such as newspaper articles, magazine articles, and online videos. The seminar thus invites an interdisciplinary dialog between history, politics, and cultural studies.

Please note that all seminars will start in the week of April 19.

1402-2d/e/f/g US Cultural History and Politics: Myths and Narratives

or

d) Wednesday, 11 am - 1 pm
Stephanie Sommerfeld

or

e) Wednesday, 1 - 3 pm
Stephanie Sommerfeld

or

f) Thursday, 11 am - 1 pm
Stephanie Sommerfeld

or

g) Thursday, 1 - 3 pm
Stephanie Sommerfeld

Historical, political, and social developments in the United States have always been influenced by long-standing myths and narratives. In this seminar we will accordingly discuss how (popular) cultural imaginations have shaped social and political realities, considering topics such as the American Dream, immigration, the myth of Manifest Destiny, notions of individuality and self-reliance, and others. We will also engage with the reverse perspective, looking at how these myths and narratives have been shaped by social and cultural realities.

In addition to gaining knowledge about the cultural and historical background, students will also have the opportunity to apply their findings in group discussions about a variety of texts, such as newspaper articles, magazine articles, and online videos. The seminar thus invites an interdisciplinary dialog between history, politics, and cultural studies.

Please note that all seminars will start in the week of April 19.

Seminar: “Timeless Age”

Thursday, 11 am – 1 pm
Dr. Katja Schmieder

Everybody and everything ages, and age as a topic, trope, and analytical lens enjoys a dubious popularity. Even though “age” has finally been established as the “fourth category” of difference in cultural studies, it is still underrepresented on curricula and in scholarship. In this seminar, we will examine and discuss how age “as a cultural script, a biomedical condition, and a social-political status” (Kunow) impacts fiction and non-fiction texts – and, after all, the field of American studies. With the help of scholarly input from Gulette, Woodward, Kunow, and Maierhofer we might talk about texts ranging from Poe’s “Morella,” Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, and Roth’s The Dying Animal to movies such as Harold and Maude (1971) or Hard Candy (2005).

Seminar: Sex in American Literature

Tuesday, 5 - 7 pm
Sheila Heti (Picador Guest Professor)

We will be discussing depictions of sex in American writing (mostly novels), to understand how sex is used to reveal not only character, but cultural values, the political moment, and the author’s and the character’s views on gender, justice, race, and the soul. Students should look forward to reading some of the following writers (this list is subject to change): Nathaniel Hawthorne (The Scarlet Letter), Henry Miller (Tropic of Cancer), James Baldwin (Giovanni’s Room), Gayl Jones (Corregidora), Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again), Hubert Selby Jr. (The Demon) Joan Didon (Slouching Towards Bethlehem), Kathy Acker (Blood and Guts in High School), Leslie Feinman (Stone Butch Blues), Max Valerio (The Testosterone Files), Helen DeWitt (Lightning Rods), Tamara Faith Berger (Little Cat), Marie Calloway (What Purpose Did I Serve in Your Life), and Garth Greenwell (Cleanness). Students will be expected to read around 100 pages a week (sometimes a bit more), and submit several informal responses to texts of their choosing.

Please note that the first session of this seminar will take place in the week of April 19.