MA Seminar: The Fantastic in American Culture 4219-ZS137-AM
Students will examine how the fantastic reflects social anxieties, political tensions, cultural myths, and changing ideas of identity, technology, gender, race, and the nation in the United States. The seminar combines the study of foundational theoretical texts with the analysis of selected cultural works. Participants will develop critical tools drawn from cultural studies, genre theory, media studies, and literary criticism, while also working on topics connected to their MA dissertations.
The seminar invites students interested in researching films, television series, novels, short stories, music, and video games, all within the parameters of the fantastic.
Course coordinators
Type of course
obligatory courses
Mode
Learning outcomes
After finishing the seminar, the student will:
- know the major theories, concepts, and critical approaches related to the study of the fantastic in American culture and popular genres
- know how to construct academic arguments concerning cultural texts and genres of the fantastic
- know how to identify and formulate a viable topic for an MA thesis related to literature, film, television, music, or games
- know how to locate and evaluate scholarly sources relevant to the study of the fantastic and popular culture
- know how to formulate research questions and develop a clear thesis statement within the field of cultural studies and the studies of the fantastic
- know how to organize research material and analytical findings in a coherent academic structure
- know how to provide constructive and supportive feedback during seminar discussions and peer review activities
Assessment criteria
Final grade (ZAL) based on submitting a chapter of the MA thesis by the end of the term (ca. 15-20 pages, with footnotes and bibliography).
Mandatory attendance and class participation.
Plagiarism or submission of AI-generated writing in this seminar will result in a failing grade. Detailed policy on the use of GAITs will be presented in class.
Bibliography
A sample selection of sources relating to the fantastic. The final selection will be based on students' interest.
Aldana Reyes, Xavier, ed. Horror: A Literary History. British Library Publishing, 2016.
Altman, Rick. Film/Genre. British Film Institute, 1999.
Benshoff, Harry M. Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film. Manchester University Press, 1997.
Bould, Mark, Butler M. Andrew, Vint, Sherryl, eds. The New Routledge Companion to Science Fiction. Routledge, 2024.
Corstorphine, Kevin, and Laura R. Kremmel, eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Horror Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.
Creed, Barbara. The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis. Routledge, 2007 [1993].
Csicsery-Ronay Jr., Istvan. The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction. Wesleyan University Press, 2008.
Freedman, Carl. Critical Theory and Science Fiction. Wesleyan University Press, 2000.
Grant, Barry Keith, ed. The Dread of Difference: Gender and the Horror Film. 2nd ed., University of Texas Press, 2015.
Halberstam, Jack. Skin Shows: Gothic Horror and the Technology of Monsters. Duke University Press, 1995.
Hogle, Jerrold E., ed. The Cambridge Companion to Horror. Cambridge University Press, 2024.
James, Edward, and Farah Mendlesohn, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Jameson, Fredric. Archaeologies of the Future: The Desire Called Utopia and Other Science Fictions. Verso, 2005.
Joshi, S. T. The Evolution of the Weird Tale. Hippocampus Press, rev. ed., 2004.
Kilgore, De Witt Douglas. Astrofuturism: Science, Race, and Visions of Utopia in Space. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003.
Lavender III, Isiah. Race in American Science Fiction. Indiana University Press, 2011.
Neale, Steve. Genre and Hollywood. Routledge, 2000.
Rieder, John. Colonialism and the Emergence of Science Fiction. Wesleyan University Press, 2008.
Sederholm, Carl H., and Kristopher Woofter, eds. The Weird: A Companion. Peter Lang, 2025.
Vint, Sherryl. Science Fiction: A Guide for the Perplexed. Bloomsbury, 2014.
Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew, ed. The Monster Theory Reader. University of Minnesota Press, 2020.