Proseminar: Popular Genres in American Culture 4219-ZP032
The emphasis will be placed on developing and interdisciplinary methodology and an intersectional reading of such genres as horror, neo-Gothic, romance, SF, fantasy, western, YA, dystopia etc. My primary research areas are horror and Gothic studies, gender studies, feminist criticism, queer theory, new materialism and popular culture. In the first part of the course, we will be focusing on theory and methodology of research. Over the course of the semester students will be expected to plan their BA paper, find and evaluate potential sources, prepare a detailed outline and present their preliminary findings in a draft chapter.
Type of course
proseminars
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
Students have a knowledge of selected theoretical approaches to literary studies and cultural studies
Students have in-depth knowledge of selected aspects of American popular culture, specifically those related to representation of sexuality and gender.
Students have in-depth knowledge in the field of their individual research.
Skills:
Students can plan and conduct research necessary to prepare a BA paper.
Students can formulate their theses and findings in writing.
Students are able to evaluate the quality and relevance of sources and document their work.
Competences:
Students can present their work to their peers.
Students can offer constructive and polite feedback on the work of others.
Students can answer questions about their research projects, evaluate feedback they received, and apply relevant commentary to their work.
Assessment criteria
* active participation in the course (including written homework) 20%
* final presentation 20%
* BA thesis chapter 40%
* BA thesis outline (incl. bibliography) 20%
92-100% - 5 (97-100% - 5!)
84-91% - 4,5
76-83% - 4
68-75% - 3,5
60-67% - 3
Bibliography
Select bibliography:
Berberich, Christine. The Bloomsbury Introduction to Popular Fiction. Bloomsbury, 2014.
Booth, Wayne C., et al. The Craft of Research. University of Chicago, 2016.
Driscoll, Catherine. Teen Film: A Critical Introduction. Berg, 2011.
Glover, David, and Scott McCracken (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to Popular Fiction. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Grant, Barry Keith. Film Genre Reader IV. University of Texas, 2012.
Grant, Barry Keith. Film Genre: From Iconography to Ideology. Columbia Uni Press, 2019.
Hogle, Jerrold E. The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
James, Edward, and Farah Mendlesohn (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Makinen, Merja. Feminist Popular Fiction. London: Palgrave, 2001.
Murray, Leeder. Horror Film: A Critical Introduction. Bloomsbury, 2018.
Neale, Stephen. Genre and Hollywood. Psychology Press, 2000.
Pearson, Wendy Gay, Veronica Hollinger and Joan Gordon, eds. Queer Universes: Sexualities in Science Fiction. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2008.
Rzepka, Charles and Lee Horsley, eds. A Companion to Crime Fiction. Chichester: Wiley, 2010.
Saunders, Corinne (ed.) A Companion to Romance: From Classical to Contemporary. Malden: Blackwell, 2004.
Simmons, David (ed.) New Critical Essays on H.P. Lovecraft. 2013.Wisker, Gina. Horror Fiction: An Introduction. A&C Black, 2005.
Strinati, Dominic. An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture. Routledge, 2004.
Williams, Raymond. Culture is Ordinary. In: Resources of Hope: Culture, Democracy, Socialism. Verso: 1989.
Please note that some texts may be changed.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: