MA seminar: Documenting Minor Lives: On Autofiction and autobiographies 4219-ZS135-AM
In recent years, books, TV series, films, podcasts representing so-called “autofiction,” a genre that combines and disrupts the boundary between fiction and truth, have become very popular. Cultural texts belonging to this genre are created by both minority and majority groups. The seminar will focus on texts - literary, cinematic, visual - representing and/or created by the former group and is aimed at those interested in contemporary identity practices and cultural and literary analysis.
During the class, we will examine excerpts from auto-fiction, such as Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong, as well as theoretical texts. We will talk about the definitions and limits of autofiction, autobiofgraphy, life-writing and why they are so often used by minority groups.
There is an opportunity to write master's theses discussing written texts, graphic novels, TV shows, films, podcasts related to the topic of the seminar.
Type of course
obligatory courses
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will know and be able to:
- know what autofiction is
- know how to construct an academic argumentation
- know how to find and formulate the topic of the MA thesis
- know how to search for sources corresponding to the topic
- know how to formulate research questions and formulate a thesis statement
- know how to present its topic and the results of the analysis
- know how to organize the research results in a coherent way
- know how to give constructive and supportive feedback
Assessment criteria
Handing in the finished chapter of the thesis (or the whole thesis) necessary to pass the semester.
Mandatory attendance and participation in class.
Committing plagiarism or using AI in writing the thesis will prevent you from passing the class.
Bibliography
Texts might be subject to change
Cathy Park Hong, Minor Feelings
Esmé Weijun Wang, Collected Schizophrenias
Maggie Nelson, The Argonauts
Dying for Sex
Thomas Couser, Signifying Bodies
Lev Manovich, The Language of New Media
Marjorie Worthwington, The Story of "Me"
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: