(Neo-)Slave Narratives [AE_HSSlaveN]

Dozent/in:

Katharina Gerund

Angaben:

Hauptseminar, 2 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Mi, 16:15 - 17:45, KH 0.015
Einzeltermin am 25.5.2022, 16:15 - 17:45, KH 2.012

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Das Seminar gehört in folgenden Studiengängen jeweils zu folgenden Modulen:

• MA North American Studies: Culture and Literature (5) Aufbaumodul Literary Studies (8) Vertiefungsmodul Literary Studies

• MA The Americas/Las Américas: 3b, 4

• BA English and American Studies: Hauptmodul A (für BA-Studierende ist eine Independent Study Group angeschlossen)

• Lehramt Englisch an Gymnasien: Hauptmodul L-GYM Literature
  

Inhalt:

The long-term effects of enslavement continue to shape U.S. society and race relations until today – especially with regard to structural racism and the normative weight of whiteness. In this course, we will examine 19th-century slave narratives before turning to selected works from the late 20th and 21st century that can be categorized as neo-slave narratives. We will analyze how these texts deal with the experience of bondage and the possibilities of freedom as they revisit and revise the history of enslavement and critically interrogate its lasting impact. Our readings of novels by Octavia Butler, Toni Morrison, Colson Whitehead, and Robert Jones, Jr., will pay attention to the dynamics of racialization as well as to questions of gender, sexuality, class, and national identity. Furthermore, we will trace the different literary forms and genres that have influenced contemporary narratives of enslavement (e.g. historical novel, magical realism, fantasy).

Empfohlene Literatur:

Please buy:

• Butler, Octavia. Kindred. 1979. (Headline)

• Jones, Robert, Jr. The Prophets. 2021. (G.P. Putnam)

• Morrison, Toni. Beloved. 1987. (Vintage)

• Whitehead, Colson.The Underground Railroad. 2016.(Fleet)

All other readings will be available via StudOn.

Anti-Intellectualism in US Literature and Culture [AE_HSAntiInt]

Dozent/in:

Stefanie Schäfer

Angaben:

Hauptseminar, 2 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Do, 14:15 - 15:45, A 603 (Bismarckstr. 1)

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Das Seminar gehört in folgenden Studiengängen jeweils zu folgenden Modulen:

• MA North American Studies: 4, 5

• MA The Americas/Las Américas: 3b, 5, 7

• BA English and American Studies: Hauptmodul A (für BA-Studierende ist eine Independent Study Group angeschlossen)

• Lehramt Englisch an Gymnasien: Hauptmodul L-GYM Literature

Inhalt:

Almost 60 years ago, Richard Hofstadter published Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, a study on US politics and culture that became a go-to reference. In the aftermath of the Trump presidency, with its populist outbursts, fake news and climate change denial culture, we critically revisit Hofstadter’s theses and ask about their tenacity then and now. Readings range from 19^th-century literature and drama through contemporary political satire. We critically examine the intellectual types Hofstadter sketches, anti-intellectualism in frontier and founding discourses, gendered and intersectional perspectives in contemporary politics. Next to regular attendance and reading, in-semester tasks include reading responses and rhetoric analysis. The course credit will be awarded based on a final paper and on the Independent Study Groups tasks (for BA students).

Empfohlene Literatur:

Please purchase Curtis Sittenfeld’s 2020 novel Rodham and Richard Hofstadter’s Anti-Intellectualism in American Life.

Examensvorbereitendes Seminar: Amerikanische Erzählliteratur des 19. Jahrhunderts [AE_ESAmErzL19]

Dozent/in:

Klaus Lösch

Angaben:

Examensseminar, 2 SWS

Termine:

Di, 12:15 - 13:45, C 301

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Modulzugehörigkeit

• Lehramt Gymnasium: Hauptmodul L GYM Literature, mündl. Präsentation mit Thesenpapier (20 %), (Zulassungsvoraussetzung: Zwischenmodul Literature)

• Lehramt Realschule: freier Bereich (5 ECTS)

Inhalt:

Das Examensseminar richtet sich primär an Studierende im Lehramt und dient der Vorbereitung auf die literaturwissenschaftliche Klausur im Staatsexamen. Der Kurs kann jedoch auch als Vorbereitung auf andere literaturwissenschaftliche Abschlussprüfungen besucht werden. Das Seminar vermittelt einen Abriss der literaturgeschichtlichen Entwicklung und thematisiert die inhaltliche und erzähltechnische Bandbreite der amerikanischen Erzählliteratur im 19. Jahrhundert anhand exemplarischer Texte.

Examensvorbereitendes Seminar: Amerikanische Lyrik nach der Romantik [AE_ESAmLyrPRom]

Dozent/in:

Harald Zapf

Angaben:

Examensseminar, 2 SWS

Termine:

Mo, 16:15 - 17:45, C 301

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Modulzugehörigkeit

• Lehramt Englisch an Gymnasien: Hauptmodul L-GYM Literature (Zulassungsvoraussetzung: Zwischenmodul L-GYM Literature)

Inhalt:

In diesem Seminar wiederholen wir Grundlagen der Lyrikanalyse und untersuchen amerikanische lyrische Texte nach der Romantik mit Blick auf die schriftliche Prüfung des Ersten Staatsexamens.

Forschungskolloquium

Dozent/in:

Heike Paul

Angaben:

Oberseminar, 2 SWS

Termine:

Mi, 10:15 - 11:45, C 601

Friendship and Difference in Contemporary North American Narrative Literature [AE_HSFriend]

Dozent/in:

Antje Kley

Angaben:

Hauptseminar, 2 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Mo, 14:15 - 15:45, C 701
Einzeltermin am 30.5.2022, 12:15 - 13:45, C 701

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Das Hauptseminar kann wie folgt verwendet werden:

• MA North American Studies - Culture and Literature: Modul 4,5,7,8

• MA The Americas/Las Américas: Modul 3b

• MA Literaturstudien - intermedial und interkulturell

• MA Ethik der Textkulturen

• Lehramt Englisch an Gymnasien: Hauptmodul L-GYM Literature (Zulassungsvoraussetzung: Zwischenmodul L-GYM Literature)

• BA English and American Studies: Hauptmodul A mit begleitender Independent Study Group

• MA English Studies: "Freie Ergänzungsstudien/Wild Card" mit begleitendem Kurs

To receive credit, students present a paper at the end of the semester at a student conference and extend it into a full written paper to be handed in by mid-September 2022.

Inhalt:

Birds of a feather flock together? Concepts of friendship may suggest that sameness is the basis for understanding each other. However, many contemporary cultural productions suggest that differences are key for friendships. Some of them (like Neil Burger’s 2017 comedy drama Upside) represent friendship as overcoming any obstacle: cultural differences, age, class, and gender differences. Others (like Toni Morrison’s 1984 short story “Recitatif”) emphasize the relevance and the discomfort of acknowledging difference.
With a focus on the last few decades since the 1970s, this seminar invites students to explore narrative and theoretical negotiations of difference and equality in friendships as forms of social exploration and diagnosis. Analysis of various narrative representations of friendship constellations will foster an understanding of the sociocultural conditions shaping both the strategies of forming and maintaining friendships as well as their representation.
The seminar trains students in the practice of text-based, theoretically framed interpretation. The class is supplemented by an interdisciplinary lecture series on four Monday nights at 6pm (May. To strengthen their research competence, students will prepare a paper they will present at a student conference at the end of the semester. A list of suggested text choices for the research project can be found on StudOn.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Please buy the following novels:

• Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Parttime Indian (2007)

• Paul Auster, Sunset Park (2010)

• Sigrid Nunez, The Friend (2018)

Critical material offering conceptual framing will be provided on SutOn. In preparation for class, you may access two introductory articles by a) Ivy Schweitzer and b) by Sabine Hark and Paula-Irene Villa as well as Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” (1984) on StudOn. You may also want to watch Upside, since we will refer to it in our first session.

Grako

Dozentinnen/Dozenten:

Heike Paul, Katharina Gerund, Thomas Demmelhuber, Kay Kirchmann, Silke Steets, Marc Matten, Christian Krug

Angaben:

Oberseminar, 2 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Mo, 14:15 - 15:45, 00.4 PSG

ISG zu HS "O Canada! Canadian Cultural Studies in the 21st Century [AE_ISCanada]

Dozent/in:

Stefanie Schäfer

Angaben:

Übungsseminar, 1 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Zeit/Ort n.V.

ISG zum HS "(Neo-)Slave Narratives" [AE_ISSlaveN]

Dozent/in:

Katharina Gerund

Angaben:

Übungsseminar, 1 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Zeit/Ort n.V.

ISG zum HS "Anti-Intellectualism in US Literature and Culture" [AE_ISAntiInt]

Dozent/in:

Stefanie Schäfer

Angaben:

Übungsseminar, 1 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Zeit/Ort n.V.

O Canada! Canadian Cultural Studies in the 21st Century [AE_HSCanada]

Dozent/in:

Stefanie Schäfer

Angaben:

Hauptseminar, 2 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Do, 10:15 - 11:45, A 603 (Bismarckstr. 1)

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Das Seminar gehört in folgenden Studiengängen jeweils zu folgenden Modulen:

• MA North American Studies: 4

• MA The Americas/Las Américas: 3b, 4, 7

• BA English and American Studies: Hauptmodul A (für BA-Studierende ist eine Independent Study Group angeschlossen)

Inhalt:

“There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada. [Canada is] the first post-national state.”-- Justin Trudeau

Justin Trudeau’s 2015 description of Canada postulates a “pan-cultural heritage”, canvassing a new, paradoxical Canadian exceptionalism and raising questions about how to study Canadian culture in the present day. In our seminar, we address ongoing debates over “Canadianness” across different media discourses and theories, such as the Can’t Lit phenomenon, postcolonial and settler colonial studies, and the concept of “unbecoming nationalisms” (Vosters). We consider Canadian Studies in the context of (North) American Studies by discussing different media from literature through comics and creative nonfiction. Next to contemporary essays on Canadian culture, our reading list includes short fiction by Margaret Atwood, Esi Edugyan’s 2018 novel Washington Black and the graphic collection This Place: 150 Years Retold (2019). The course credit will be awarded based on a final paper and on the completion of the Independent Study Group (ISG) tasks (for BA students).

Empfohlene Literatur:

Please buy the comic collection This Place. 150 Retold and the novel Washington Black by Esi Edugyan.

Poverty, Rurality, & Whiteness [AE_HSWhiteness]

Dozent/in:

Karin Höpker

Angaben:

Hauptseminar, 2 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Di, 16:15 - 17:45, C 601

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Das Hauptseminar kann wie folgt verwendet werden:

• MA North American Studies - Culture and Literature: Modul 4,5,7,8
  

• MA The Americas/Las Américas: Modul 3b
  

• MA Literaturstudien - intermedial und interkulturell
  

• MA Ethik der Textkulturen
  

• Lehramt Englisch an Gymnasien: Hauptmodul L-GYM Literature (Zulassungsvoraussetzung: Zwischenmodul L-GYM Literature)
  

• BA English and American Studies: Hauptmodul A mit begleitender Independent Study Group
  

• MA English Studies: "Freie Ergänzungsstudien/Wild Card" mit begleitendem Kurs

Inhalt:

This class will discuss cultural imaginations of rurality in twentieth and twenty-first century USA with an emphasis on issues of class and race and specifically constructions of poverty and whiteness that have been inscribed into historical narratives of American identity, the “heartland,” as well as “the redneck,” the “hillbilly,” and similar figures. We will focus on literary productions like Donald Ray Pollock’s Knockemstiff (2008), J.D. Vance’s 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy and the ensuing controversy, and include film adaptations like Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone and a selection of episodes from TV series (Ozark, Justified, Mare of Easttown). To explore significant historical contexts and lines of literary tradition we will also read a selection of shorter texts by Willa Cather, Erskine Caldwell, John Steinbeck, Flannery O’Connor, and William Faulkner.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Pls. acquire and read in advance: Donald Ray Pollock Knockemstiff, J.D. Vance Hillbilly Elegy A full reading list will be available on StudOn

PS/MS American Poetry [AE_MSAmPoetry]

Dozent/in:

Harald Zapf

Angaben:

PS (MS, PO 2020), 2 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Di, 16:15 - 17:45, KH 0.015

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Modulzugehörigkeit:

• BA English and American Studies: Zwischenmodul II Literature

• Lehramt Englisch an Gymnasien: Zwischenmodul L-GYM Literature

• Lehramt Englisch an Grund-, Mittel- und Realschulen: Seminarmodul L-UF Litrature

Inhalt:

We are going to discuss classic examples of US-American poetry from different centuries.

Empfohlene Literatur:

All the material will be available on StudOn.

PS/MS Girlhood in American Literature and Culture [AE_MSGirlhood]

Dozent/in:

Stefanie Schäfer

Angaben:

Mittelseminar, 2 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Mi, 16:15 - 17:45, C 301

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Das Seminar gehört in folgenden Studiengängen jeweils zu folgenden Modulen:

• BA English and American Studies: Zwischenmodul II Literature (Zulassungsvoraussetzung: Zwischenmodul I: Thematisches - Kombinationsmodul)

• BA English and American Studies: Zwischenmodul II (Studienrichtung American Studies; Zulassungsvoraussetzung: abgeschlossene GOP)

• Lehramt Englisch für Gymnasien: Zwischenmodul Literature

• Lehramt Englisch für Realschulen: Seminarmodul Literature

Inhalt:

This seminar critically examines constructions of young womanhood in US culture from the 19th century to the present. Our questions include: how can we approach girlhood studies from an American Cultural Studies perspective? How do the aspects of girls’ bodies, minds, and futures play out in the American cultural imaginary? How has girlhood been canonized in American literature? The figures discussed include the tomboy, the flapper, and the cowgirl and topics encompass reproductive justice, #blackgirlmagic, queer theory and non-binary posthuman futures. Next to regular attendance and reading, in-semester tasks include reading a novel independently and presenting your findings towards the end of term as well as exploring contemporary pop culture representations of girlhood. The course credit will be awarded based on a final paper.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Please purchase a copy of Andrea Lawlor’s 2017 novel Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by the beginning of term.

PS/MS The Underground Railroad [AE_MSUGRR]

Dozent/in:

Katharina Gerund

Angaben:

PS (MS, PO 2020), 2 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Mi, 14:15 - 15:45, C 301

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Das Seminar gehört in folgenden Studiengängen jeweils zu folgenden Modulen:

• BA English and American Studies: Zwischenmodul II Literature (Zulassungsvoraussetzung: Zwischenmodul I: Thematisches - Kombinationsmodul)

• BA English and American Studies: Zwischenmodul II (Studienrichtung American Studies; Zulassungsvoraussetzung: abgeschlossene GOP)

• BA English and American Studies: Proseminar Politics and Culture (Studienrichtung American Studies; Zulassungsvoraussetzung: abgeschlossene GOP)

Inhalt:

As a secret network of supporters, routes, and safe houses that facilitated the escape from enslavement in the U.S. South for many African Americans, the underground railroad holds a special place in US history and culture. It has been commemorated in various places, has taken on mythic proportions in popular cultural depictions (e.g. in romanticized stories about Harriet Tubman), and it has been conceptualized as a specifically 'black geography' (Katherine McKittrick). Recent studies have expanded the understanding of the underground railroad beyond its main route to Canada to include, for example, its escape ways to Mexico (Alice Baumgartner) or its 'maritime dimension' (Timothy Walker). In this seminar, we will read historical sources and texts on the underground railroad; and we will analyze examples of memorial culture as well as contemporary cultural representations (e.g. Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad, the TV series Underground, the 2019 biopic Harriet).

Empfohlene Literatur:

Please buy: Whitehead, Colson.The Underground Railroad. 2016. (Fleet)
All other readings will be available via StudOn.

Readings in North American Cultural Studies [AE_MAAmCult]

Dozent/in:

Klaus Lösch

Angaben:

Masterseminar, 1 SWS, Master

Termine:

Di, 10:15 - 11:45, C 303

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Modulzugehörigkeit

• MA North American Studies: Aufbaumodul Cultural Studies (Master Modul 4)

• MA Literaturstudien - intermedial und interkulturell: Amerikanistik, Modul A (M 4)

• MA English Studies: Aufbaumodul Cultural Studies (Master Modul 4)

• MA The Americas/Las Américas: North America: Culture and Literature (AM4)

• MA The Americas/Las Américas: North American Studies (AM3b)

Inhalt:

This course is the follow up to the class North American Cultural Studies (winter term); it focuses on selected issues in contemporary Cultural Studies and on the application of theoretical approaches to individual case studies.

Empfohlene Literatur:

The texts will be made available on StudOn.

Readings in North American Literary Studies [AE_MAAmLit]

Dozent/in:

Harald Zapf

Angaben:

Masterseminar, 2 SWS, Master

Termine:

Mi, 14:15 - 15:45, C 303

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Modulzugehörigkeit:

• MA North American Studies – Culture and Literature: Aufbaumodul Literary Studies

• MA The Americas/Las Américas: Modul 4, North America: Culture and Literature
  

Inhalt:

This seminar focuses on particular aspects of North American literary criticism and theory. It builds on the North American Literary Studies course from the winter semester and enlarges the students' understanding of issues discussed there.

Empfohlene Literatur:

The course material will be available in FAU-libraries.

Textanalyseseminar: Amerikanische Literatur [AE_TAAmLit]

Dozent/in:

Harald Zapf

Angaben:

Seminar, 2 SWS

Termine:

Do, 14:15 - 15:45, KH 1.012

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Modulzugehörigkeit

• Lehramt Englisch an Gymnasien: Zwischenmodul L-GYM Literature (Zulassungsvoraussetzung: Basismodul Literature)

Inhalt:

Dieses Seminar beschäftigt sich mit der Analyse und Interpretation lyrischer, dramatischer und epischer US-amerikanischer Texte. Die in Grund- und Aufbauseminar Literature erworbenen Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten sollen vertieft, angewandt und eingeübt werden.

VL U.S. Cultural and Literary History: The 19th Century [AE_VLUS19]

Dozent/in:

Harald Zapf

Angaben:

Vorlesung, 2 SWS, für FAU Scientia Gaststudierende zugelassen

Termine:

Do, 16:15 - 17:45, KH 0.016

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

Modulzugehörigkeit

• MA North American Studies: Überblicksmodul

• MA The Americas/Las Américas: Wahlpflichtmodul 3b; Modul 7

• BA English and American Studies: Hauptmodul B Culture oder Literature

• Lehramt Englisch an Gymnasien: Optionsmodul L-GYM Literature

Inhalt:

This lecture gives a historical overview of 19th-century U.S. culture and literature from the Early National period, the Romantic period, which is also known as the American Renaissance or the Age of Transcendentalism, to the Realistic and Naturalistic period, the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era. We will focus on topics such as nationhood, antebellum culture, slavery and the Civil War, ethnic, urban, and mass culture. A multi-perspectival approach will lead us to consider the transatlantic and hemispheric dimensions of U.S. culture(s) and literature(s) between “high” and “popular” streams.