The Roots of English

Dozent/in:

Gabriele Knappe

Termine:

Di, 14:15 - 15:45, U5/02.22

Inhalt:

Description: Why is English like that? Why is knight spelled with a kn and a gh? Why does English have so many synonyms like start, begin, commence or clever, intelligent, astute and bright? How come that we hardly have any – in fact only eight – inflectional endings in English today? And how are German and English related – as they obviously are, when we compare, for instance, goose and Gans, house and Haus, knight and Knecht, light and Licht?
This lecture addresses all these questions, and more. Students will be given an overview of the development of the English language from its earliest attestations in the late 7^th century (Old English) until today in the context of the textual transmission and sociohistorical changes. Selected passages from different periods will be introduced, and special areas of interest are the development of sounds and spelling, grammar, vocabulary and syntax.
This lecture is particularly designed for students of BA "Anglistik/Amerikanistik", Aufbaumodul (2 ECTS). Students from other BA programmes can earn 2 or 4 ECTS points for their Studium Generale (pass/fail), and visiting students can earn 2 or 4 ungraded, pass/fail or graded ECTS points. Everybody elso who is interested is of course welcome, too, and may attend the lecture as a guest without getting ECTS points.
Note that students of Lehramt Gymnasium and of B.A. Medieval Studies in their Basismodul must attend the Uebung "Englische Sprachgeschichte", not this lecture.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Suggestions for background reading:

• Norbert Schmitt and Richard Marsden. 2006. Why Is English like That? Historical Answers to Hard ELT Questions. Michigan: The University of Michigan Press.
• Albert C. Baugh & Thomas Cable. 2013. A History of the English Language. Sixth ed. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Introduction to English Linguistics

Dozentinnen/Dozenten:

Manfred Krug, Heinrich Ramisch

Termine:

Di, 12:00 - 14:00, MG1/00.04

Inhalt:

This course is designed to introduce beginning students to the central terms and topics in current (English) linguistics. While the focus will be on present-day English, many modern irregularities (such as the differences between spelling and pronunciation or irregular verbs) can be explained in historical terms. We will therefore occasionally digress into the history of the English language in order to better understand the present. Topics to be dealt with include phonetics, phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax and sociolinguistics. One class will also be devoted to the major contrasts between English and German. In order to equip students with the basic analytical skills that are essential for future linguists and teachers alike, part of the course especially the accompanying tutorials and workshops will be practical in nature. We will therefore analyse authentic modern English texts from a linguistic point of view.

Vorlesung: American Literature I (Colonial Era - Romanticism)

Dozent/in:

Christine Gerhardt

Termine:

Do, 14:00 - 16:00, U5/00.24

Inhalt:

This lecture provides an overview of America’s literary history, focusing on the colonial era, the enlightenment, and romanticism. The thematic, formal and stylistic features of a wide range of texts—sermons, travelogues, poems, essays, short stories, and novels—will be discussed in the broader context of America’s cultural and intellectual history. In order to understand how different groups of Americans have imagined their culture at specific moments in time, we will analyze texts that address the diversity of American experiences in terms of religion, race, class, gender, region, and political conviction. We will also explore how texts from different genres have critically engaged with the past and with other cultures, charting new directions for the relationship between literature and culture. Overall, we will interrogate to which degree processes of modernization and the ideal of democratization can be understood as one of American literature’s driving forces. The syllabus will be available on the Virtual Campus.

The Good, the Bad, and the Sublime: German-American Romanticism (PS Literary Studies)

Dozent/in:

Nicole K. Konopka

Termine:

Do, 16:15 - 17:45, U5/01.18
Einzeltermin am 11.1.2018, 16:15 - 17:45, U5/00.24

Inhalt:

This German-American class is designed for students of English, students of German (Germanistik) and American exchange students. Together we will discuss how German and American Romanticism helped to shape distinct national ideas and identities between the end of the 18th century and the (late) middle of the 19th century. A growing awareness of home and belonging, or the horrifying lack thereof, is at the focus of many works of art of the times.

In this seminar, we will explore representations of German and American Romanticism, using the ruin as leitmotif for our analyses and discussions. To what extend can we find traces of national identity in the architecture of buildings and urban settings, despite the Romanticists' focus on wilderness and natural environment? Is the ghost town a representative of the decay of the American Dream and thus the quintessential American ruin? In order to answer those and (many more) questions we will not restrict ourselves to the reading of literary texts, but also deal with artistic folk songs and paintings of artists like Caspar David Friedrich and representatives of the Hudson River School. The seminar will also include a day trip to the Rock Garden in Sanspareil.

ATTENTION: Those interested in attending this class might also consider attending this conference before the semester starts: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/romanticism2017/

Empfohlene Literatur:

Note: Readings will be both in English and German. Additional short texts (poems and short stories) will be provided via the VC.

Required Readings (print or e-book):

• Adalbert von Chamiso, Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte (1813)
• Ludwig Tieck, Der gestiefelte Kater (1797/1811)
• ETA Hoffmann, Der Sandmann (1816)
• Edgar Allen Poe, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838)

V Class in Britain

Dozent/in:

Pascal Fischer

Termine:

Di, 16:00 - 18:00, KR12/02.18

Inhalt:

Even though it is a truism that British society is organised along strict class lines, the meaning of the word class is far from evident. While some sociologists try to pin down the phenomenon to economics only, scholars of culture should acknowledge that it has a multiplicity of facets. After discussing theoretical approaches to class and different ways the stratification of society has been conceptualized, the lecture looks at the historical development of social diversification from the early modern period onwards. The course then turns to the cultural determinants and manifestations of class, from ancestry to education, from language to manners, from clothing to patterns of recreation. We will furthermore examine intersections between class on the one hand and location, gender, ethnicity and religion on the other. In a final step the situation in Britain will be compared to the USA, a country that is sometimes overhastily described as a classless albeit unequal society.

The Good, the Bad, and the Sublime: German-American Romanticism (PS Cultural Studies)

Dozent/in:

Nicole K. Konopka

Termine:

16:15 - 17:45, U5/01.18
Einzeltermin am 11.1.2018, 16:15 - 17:45, U5/00.24

Inhalt:

This German-American class is designed for students of English, students of German (Germanistik) and American exchange students. Together we will discuss how German and American Romanticism helped to shape distinct national ideas and identities between the end of the 18th century and the (late) middle of the 19th century. A growing awareness of home and belonging, or the horrifying lack thereof, is at the focus of many works of art of the times.

In this seminar, we will explore representations of German and American Romanticism, using the ruin as leitmotif for our analyses and discussions. To what extend can we find traces of national identity in the architecture of buildings and urban settings, despite the Romanticists' focus on wilderness and natural environment? Is the ghost town a representative of the decay of the American Dream and thus the quintessential American ruin? In order to answer those and (many more) questions we will not restrict ourselves to the reading of literary texts, but also deal with artistic folk songs and paintings of artists like Caspar David Friedrich and representatives of the Hudson River School. The seminar will also include a day trip to the Rock Garden in Sanspareil.

ATTENTION: Those interested in attending this class might also consider attending this conference before the semester starts: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/romanticism2017/

Empfohlene Literatur:

Note: Readings will be both in English and German. Additional short texts (poems and short stories) will be provided via the VC.

Required Readings (print or e-book):

• Adalbert von Chamiso, Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte (1813)
• Ludwig Tieck, Der gestiefelte Kater (1797/1811)
• ETA Hoffmann, Der Sandmann (1816)
• Edgar Allen Poe, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838)