BA Seminar: American Literature in the Times of Crisis 4219-ZS034
Broad in scope, this seminar explores how American literature has been responding to various forms of crises across history. It emphasizes the role of American authors as cultural critics and innovators, who in their works engage with such subjects as war and pandemic, environmental crisis, racial and social injustice, or migration and border crisis. While exploring the intricate connections between literature, history, and society, we will address the following questions: What are the functions of literature in times of crises? What are the connections between crisis, socio-cultural change, and literary experimentation? How do responses to crises vary across fiction, poetry, documentary and reportage, or graphic novels? What new modes of thinking and expression have been emerging out of the moments of crisis? The final reading list will be discussed with seminar participants and reflect their specific research interests across literary and cultural studies. This is a practice-oriented seminar, which fosters interdisciplinary thinking and equips students with research and argumentation skills which are essential for writing a strong BA thesis.
Type of course
obligatory courses
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
KNOWLEDGE
- Understands the main trends and works of American literature, the fundamental elements of American culture that are essential for cultural studies of the USA, as well as the theoretical and methodological foundations of literary studies.
- Comprehends the significance of American literature within a broader historical, social, and cultural context.
- Knows the basic principles and concepts of intellectual property protection and copyright law, particularly regarding plagiarism and academic ethics.
SKILLS
- Is able to interpret works of American literature within the broader context of American culture.
- Can utilize source materials in their work and perform critical analyses of literary texts and cultural texts.
- Is capable of formulating and developing a thesis and constructing coherent arguments.
- Can analyze and effectively implement feedback from both the instructor and peers.
- Is able to revise their own text based on comments.
SOCIAL COMPETENCES
- Is prepared to use the acquired interdisciplinary knowledge of American literature to formulate their own opinions.
- Is prepared to critically engage with content about American literature presented by the media and other sources.
Assessment criteria
To pass the seminar, the students need to participate in classes, present their research findings, and submit draft and revised versions of thesis chapters.
Bibliography
The final reading list will be discussed with seminar participants and reflect their specific research interests across literary and cultural studies.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: