American Literature: Translation, Adaptation, Interdisciplinarity - MA Seminar 1 3301-LAS1FIE03
The seminar will be devoted to American literature but in the context of broadly conceived problematics of translation. We will examine chosen translations between artistic media (e. g. film adaptations of literary works), between languages and between disciplines (history/cultural studies/literary studies).
The aim of the seminar is to familiarize students with critical (theoretical) approaches useful as tools for analyzing primary texts in students' MA thesis projects. We will discuss theoretical texts by representatives of approaches popular today and - most importantly - try to think of applications of theoretical concepts in students' theses. The texts will represent the following approaches: feminism, psychoanalysis, ecocriticism, marxism, new historicism, ecocriticism, Afro-American criticism, animal studies.
Students' projects can be concerned with any period in American literature and can also analyze non-canonical texts and non-fiction. Projects related to gender/race/class/sexuality and boredom or addiction in US literature and culture are particularly encouraged.
Type of course
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
The participants:
- broaden their knowledge of contemporary theory
- will acquire a deeper understanding of selected phenomena in American Literature, will become acquainted with selected literary texts and films
Skills
The participants will be able to:
- analyze, interpret and discuss literary texts from a transdisciplinary perspective
- research a selected topic
- use the acquired theoretical apparatus to write their master's thesis
Assessment criteria
Requirements - active participation in class discussions, presentations, systematic work on subsequent chapters of the master's thesis
Credit will be granted on the basis of completed chapters of the master's thesis, as well as active participation in class (including - presentations)
Bibliography
Readings and films are picked individually, depending on the given run of the seminar and the students' interests. The basic general sources are:
Literart theory:
The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism
D. H. Richter (ed.), The Critical Tradition
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: