Lehrveranstaltungen

Vorlesung, 2 SWS, ECTS: 2, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis, Gender und Diversität, Zentrum für Mittelalterstudien, Zentrum für Interreligiöse Studien, Erweiterungsbereich, Frühstudium

Termine:

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

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All modules including an obligatory or optional lecture (Vorlesung) for 2 or 4 ECTS in literary studies:

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik
Erweiterungsbereich English and American Studies
Lehramt GS/HS/MS/RS/GY
MA English and American Studies
MA Berufliche Bildung
MA WiPäd

>> Open for Consolidation Module literary studies (LECTURE)!

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

only Consolidation module: oral exam (see website for more information: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/american-studies/studies/consolidation-module-ma/ )
only Studium Generale: written test on pass/fail basis (options: 2 ECTS=45 minutes; 4 ECTS= 90 minutes)
only Erasmus/exchange students: graded written test (options: 2 ECTS=45 minutes; 4 ECTS= 90 minutes)

3. FlexNow-Registration:

Please register for this class on FlexNow via the following section (Lehrstuhl): Professur für Amerikanistik. In case of problems contact flexnow.amerikanistik(at)uni-bamberg.de.

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Registration is open from 10 a.m. until 11:59 p.m.!
Guest auditors: please contact lecturer via e-mail.

Information on how to solve problems with your registration: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/anglistik-amerikanistik/studium/flexnow-info/

Für Studienortwechsler, Erasmusstudenten sowie Studierende, die den Leistungsnachweis zur baldigen Prüfungsanmeldung benötigen, werden im begrenzten Umfang Plätze freigehalten. Bei Überbuchung der Lehrveranstaltung fällt die Entscheidung über die Teilnahme in Rücksprache mit der Dozentin.

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 American literature's driving forces.

Empfohlene Literatur:

The syllabus will be available on the Virtual Campus.

American Studies and the Planetary: Perspectives, Histories, Futures (Master Theory Seminar/Oberseminar)

Dozent/in:

Christine Gerhardt

Angaben:

Hauptseminar, 2 SWS, ECTS: 8, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis, Gender und Diversität, Kultur und Bildung, Nachhaltigkeit, Erweiterungsbereich, Modulstudium

Termine:

Mi, 12:00 - 16:00, U9/01.11
Please note: This course takes place bi-weekly!

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All modules including a specialization level seminar (Hauptseminar) for literary studies or cultural studies:

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik (Seminar 8 ECTS)
LA GY (Seminar 8 ECTS)
MA English and American Studies (Seminar 4, 5, 6, or 8 ECTS)
Erweiterungsbereich English and American Studies (Seminar 8 ECTS)
Erasmus and other visiting students (Seminar 6 or 8 ECTS)

>> Open for Consolidation Module literary studies and cultural studies!
>> Open for students requiring an “Oberseminar” for their Master Thesis Module!

Together with Yildiz Asar’s Übung "Storied Planet: Ecological Crisis, Anthropocene, and American Studies" this seminar forms an optional 10 ECTS module The Planetary (8 ECTS Hauptseminar + 2 ECTS Übung). Students who are interested in the advanced seminar are thus highly recommended to also sign up to the Übung and complete the overall module, as both courses work with complementing material and take place on the same slot on alternating weeks (Mi 12:00 - 16:00).

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

This upper-level theory seminar is part of a complete module. It should be taken together with the Übung “Storied Planet” (Yildiz Asar) that forms the second part of this module.

active participation (individual tasks and group work)
term paper in English (following the Style Sheet)
only Consolidation module: oral exam (see website for more information: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/american-studies/studies/consolidation-module-ma/ )
required only for Vertiefungsmodul: completion of the advanced level (Aufbaumodul) beforehand!

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Inhalt:

This advanced theory seminar is geared primarily towards Master students interested in literary and cultural theory; it is also open to PhD candidates and Lehramtsstudents who are interested in recent theoretical developments.

The course delves into the planetary turn in contemporary criticism and theory, with a specific focus on its implications for American Studies. Based on the critical perspectives outlined by Amy J. Elias and Christian Moraru in their groundbreaking essay collection, The Planetary Turn (2015), this course explores the shift from national via transnational and global to planetary paradigms in understanding American culture, literature, and art. We will critically engage with the ways in which this planetary perspective challenges, expands, and redefines traditional notions of American Studies in the context of global interconnectedness, technological advancement, and ecological crisis.

Objectives:

To understand the evolution of American Studies from national to planetary concerns.
To examine how the planetary turn addresses key limitations of postcolonial, postmodern, and global paradigms in explaining contemporary American and global contexts.
To explore the ethical, relational, and ecological underpinnings of the planetary perspective and its impact on cultural formations and artistic expressions.
To foster an environment of collaborative learning and collective inquiry, culminating in research projects that contribute to the evolving discourse on planetarity in American Studies.

Structure:
The course is structured around weekly readings, discussions, and workshops (Übung) that encourage collaborative exploration of the planetary turn in American Studies. The first part of the seminar will focus on reading and discussing key essays from The Planetary Turn, establishing a theoretical foundation. In parallel, we will engage with historical perspectives that have shaped American Studies in related ways, and consider how a planetary perspective reconfigures our understanding of these narratives.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Readings:

Elias, Amy J., and Christian Moraru, eds. The Planetary Turn: Relationality and Geoaesthetics in the Twenty-First Century. This collection will serve as our primary reference, from which we will read selected essays. The book can be downloaded as PDF through our library via JSTOR.

Additional readings (provided via the VC) may include articles and book chapters that provide historical context, theoretical frameworks, and contemporary analyses related to the planetary turn in American Studies and beyond.

Amerikanistische Werkstatt

Dozent/in:: Christine Gerhardt
Angaben:: Oberseminar, 2 SWS, ECTS: 2, Gender und Diversität, pre-meeting and enrollment via Email to the instructor!
Termine:: 10:00 - 11:30, U11/00.25
Einzeltermin am 20.2.2024, 10:00 - 17:00, U5/01.18
bi-weekly + guest lectures
Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:: MA English and American Studies: Oberseminar (Master Thesis Module)
Inhalt:: In this Oberseminar, advanced Master's students and PhD students present their current research projects – related, but not limited to, chapters of their theses, academic paper publications, and conference talks. The Oberseminar also includes lectures by external specialists, international guest professors, and scholars from other fields. All discussions revolve around current theoretical, conceptual, and methodological developments in the field of American literary and cultural studies.

This Oberseminar consists of a) regular, bi-weekly, 90 min meetings and b) the day-long Bamberg-Bayreuth-Würzburg American Studies PhD colloquium, which has been held in Bamberg every semester for more than 10 years, and kick-starts this semester’s Oberseminar.

Examenvorbereitung Staatsexamen Amerikanische Literatur (Repetitorium)

Dozent/in:

Susen Halank

Angaben:

Übung, 2 SWS, ECTS: 2

Termine:

Mo, 10:00 - 12:00, OK8/02.04

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All teaching degrees requiring an exam preparation class for their state exam in literary studies (Examensübung Staatsexamen Literaturwissenschaft):

LA GS/HS/MS/RS/GY (Examensübung/Repetitorium 2 ECTS)

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

completion of advanced module (Aufbaumodul)
active participation (individual tasks and group work)

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Inhalt:

Dieser Kurs richtet sich gezielt an Lehramtsstudierende, die sich auf das erste Staatsexamen in Amerikanischer Literatur vorbereiten. Studierende anderer Abschlüsse sind allerdings auch herzlich willkommen. Da die Staatsexamensprüfung auf Deutsch geschrieben, wird, ist die Unterrichtssprache des Repetitoriums ebenfalls Deutsch.

Das Repetitorium unterstützt Studierende in ihrer Vorbereitung auf die schriftliche Abschlussprüfung im ersten Staatsexamen. Neben allgemeinen Hinweisen zur schriftlichen Prüfung werden zentrale Inhalte der Literaturwissenschaft wiederholt und mithilfe potentieller Themen der schriftlichen Prüfung gemeinsam besprochen. Aktive Mitgestaltung der einzelnen Sitzungen ist absolut unerlässlich und wird gerne auch durch individuelle Konsultation unterstützt. Als Ergänzung zum Repetitorium wird der (ggf. erneute) Besuch der Vorlesung American Literature von Prof. Dr. Christine Gerhardt empfohlen.

Die konkreten Übungen werden gemeinsam mit den Studierenden und somit entsprechend ihrer jeweiligen Schwerpunkte in der ersten Sitzung festgelegt. Sämtliches Material wird über den VC bereitgestellt.

Wichtig: Bitte beachten Sie, dass das Repetitorium für Amerikanische Literatur nur jeweils im Sommersemester angeboten wird.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Sämtliches Material wird über den VC bereitgestellt!

Exile in America: Historical and Literary Perspectives

Dozentinnen/Dozenten:

Christine Gerhardt, Sabine Freitag

Angaben:

Hauptseminar, 2 SWS, ECTS: 8, Gender und Diversität, Kultur und Bildung, Modulstudium

Termine:

Blockveranstaltung 27.9.2024-4.10.2024 Mo-Fr, Sa, So
This course will take place as a block seminar in the Alps, Sept 27 Oct 04, 2024!
Vorbesprechung: Dienstag, 28.5.2024, 14:00 - 16:00 Uhr, U11/00.16

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All modules including a specialization level seminar (Hauptseminar) for literary studies or cultural studies:

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik (Seminar 8 ECTS)
LA GY (Seminar 8 ECTS)
MA English and American Studies (Seminar 4, 5, 6, or 8 ECTS)
Erweiterungsbereich English and American Studies (Seminar 8 ECTS)
Erasmus and other visiting students (Seminar 6 or 8 ECTS)

>> Open for Consolidation Module literary studies and cultural studies!

Please note: This course will probably include a day trip to see the exhibition "American Dreams. A New Life in the USA" in Stuttgart in late May/early June 2024!

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

This compact seminar welcomes English and History students. It offers a unique chance to study together and learn from each other in an affordable retreat in the French Alps (Haus Giersch, in Manigod).

Only limited places available, so sign up now by sending an email to [mailto:christine.gerhardt@uni-bamberg.de] or [mailto:sabine.freitag@uni-bamberg.de]!

There will be a 2-hour pre-meeting in May which all interested students need to attend, since all organizational questions will be addressed during that meeting.

The seminar will use German and English flexibly, as needed, so students should be at least somewhat confident in both languages.

Each participant will give a 20-minute presentation and write a final research paper (consolidation module: oral exam).

3. FlexNow-Registration:

Please register for this class by sending an E-mail to the instructor directly!

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 April 30, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10 25, 2024

Inhalt:

Much of US-American culture has been informed by histories of immigration. The impact of these global movements on American culture and its narratives can hardly be overestimated. On the one hand, the US has long prided itself to be able to absorb people, languages, and cultures from all over the world, and the supposedly egalitarian ideals of the Melting Pot (or Salad Bowl ) and the American Dream are inextricably linked to people s geographical mobility across national borders. On the other hand, the imperial notion that the US was destined to spread from Atlantic to Pacific, and the country s key involvement in the transatlantic slave trade and Native American relocations profoundly contradict idealizing notions of the US as nation of immigrants.

We will study formative moments in the history of American immigration, from the first arrival of European colonists to moments of mass immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. Focusing on major waves of immigration from different parts of Europe, Asia, and South America, and related phenomena such as political exile, we will discuss how different forms of migratory unrest have shaped American culture. At the same time, we ll explore which role literature has played in negotiating the meanings of American immigration. Reading short stories from different contexts, we will ask: how do migration stories shape and critique ideas of the Melting Pot, the American Dream, or the Frontier? Which roles do family, food, education, or the natural world play in American immigration literature? How do constructions of race, ethnicity, gender, and class inflect these perspectives? And which formal and aesthetic features characterize America s immigration literature?

Feminist Theory, Feminist Fiction: Transatlantic Conversations

Dozent/in:

Mareike Spychala

Angaben:

Proseminar, 2 SWS, ECTS: 6, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis, Gender und Diversität, Zentrum für Mittelalterstudien, Zentrum für Interreligiöse Studien, Erweiterungsbereich, Modulstudium

Termine:

Mi, 16:00 - 18:00, LU19/00.11

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All modules including an advanced level seminar (Proseminar) for literary studies (6 ECTS):

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik
BA Berufliche Bildung
Lehramt GS/HS/MS/RS/GY
BA Wipäd II

>> Open for ‘Ergänzungsmodul’ literary studies!

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

completion of the basic module (Basismodul)
active participation (individual tasks and group work)
term paper in English (following the Style Sheet)
only Ergänzungsmodul: oral exam (see website for more information: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/american-studies/studies/ergaenzungsmodul/ )

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Inhalt:

In the Introduction to the Routledge Companion to Literature and Feminism (2024) the editors write: “The written word has played a catalyzing role in women’s struggle for equality, both past and present: whether as a vehicle for personal expression, private exchange, or public communication, the practice of writing – at once reflective, creative, and productive – has enabled women to create liberating spaces in which to critique and challenge the realities of their experience” (1). Following this observation, this seminar’s aim is to read and discuss feminist theory together with feminist fiction to trace and analyze the multiple ways in which theoretical and literary writing stand in conversation with each other. These textual conversations often happen across borders and oceans, so this seminar will take a decidedly transatlantic perspective and bring together U.S.-American, British, and other anglophone feminist writing.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Students are asked to buy and start reading the following texts BEFORE the beginning of class:

Kate Chopin, The Awakening, Norton Critical Edition (ISBN: 978-0393617313)
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own and Three Gunieas, Penguin Classics (ISBN: 978-0241371978)
Audre Lorde, Zami: Or A New Spelling of My Name, Penguin Classics (ISBN: 978-0241351086)
Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior (ISBN: 978-1447275220)
Sarah Ahmed, Living a Feminist Life (ISBN: 978-0822363194)

Further sources (primary and secondary texts) will be made available via the VC.

Forschungsseminar und Betreuungsübung (BA, MA und Lehramt)

Dozent/in:

Christine Gerhardt

Angaben:

Übung, 2 SWS, ECTS: 2, Gender und Diversität, Zentrum für Mittelalterstudien, Zentrum für Interreligiöse Studien, Erweiterungsbereich, Modulstudium

Termine:

Di, 16:00 - 18:00, U2/02.04
Please note: This course takes place bi-weekly!

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

All degrees including a research seminar (Betreuungsübung) for literary studies or cultural studies:

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik (Betreuungsübung 2 ECTS)
BA Medieval Studies (Intensivierungsmodul 5 ECTS, wenn die BA-Arbeit in Amerikanischer Literaturwissenschaft oder Kulturwissenschaft geschrieben wird)
Lehramt GY (Betreuungsübung begleitend zur Zulassungsarbeit)
MA English and American Studies (Betreuungsübung 2 ECTS)
MA Medieval Studies (Intensivierungsmodul 5 ECTS, wenn die MA-Arbeit in Amerikanischer Literaturwissenschaft oder Kulturwissenschaft geschrieben wird)
alle alten Studiengänge (Betreuungsübung begleitend zur Magisterarbeit)

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

completion of advanced module (Aufbaumodul)
active participation (individual tasks and group work)
presentation in English
only M.A. supervision: thesis defense (30 minutes)

Please contact the instructor beforehand to discuss your general idea and the possibility of thesis supervision!

3. FlexNow-Registration:

Please register for this class on FlexNow via the following section (Lehrstuhl): Professur für Amerikanistik. In case of problems contact flexnow.amerikanistik(at)uni-bamberg.de.

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Registration is open from 10 a.m. until 11:59 p.m.!

Information on how to solve problems with your registration: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/anglistik-amerikanistik/studium/flexnow-info/

Für Studienortwechsler, Erasmusstudenten sowie Studierende, die den Leistungsnachweis zur baldigen Prüfungsanmeldung benötigen, werden im begrenzten Umfang Plätze freigehalten. Bei Überbuchung der Lehrveranstaltung fällt die Entscheidung über die Teilnahme in Rücksprache mit der Dozentin.

Inhalt:

This course is designed for students who are preparing or working on a final thesis in American literature or culture, be it a "Magisterarbeit," "Zulassungsarbeit," "BA-Arbeit" or Master’s thesis. It offers continuous support during the process of preparing or writing the thesis, and provides an opportunity to share parts of it with other students. The course consists of plenary and individual sessions; the syllabus and readings will be available on the Virtual Campus.

In the plenary sessions, we will discuss general criteria and formal aspects of a thesis – such as possible topics and research questions, theoretical approaches, and structural issues. Participants will present (parts of) their thesis for discussion and feedback. The individual sessions consist of one-to-one tutorials in which you will discuss the argument and structure of your thesis with the instructor/supervisor. For students who write their thesis in literary or cultural studies in the BA, MA and new teacher training programs, this course provides the "Betreuungsübung."

Please contact Prof. Dr. Gerhardt well in advance to discuss your topic and the requirements for the supervision.

Empfohlene Literatur:

All readings will be provided via the VC!

How to Write a Term Paper | Betreuungsübung Konopka

Dozent/in:

Nicole K. Konopka

Angaben:

Übung, 2 SWS, ECTS: 2, Zentrum für Mittelalterstudien, Zentrum für Interreligiöse Studien, Modulstudium

Termine:

Fr, 14:00 - 16:00, U5/01.17

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

How to Write a Term Paper in literary or cultural studies

B.A. Anglistik/Amerikanistik (Übung 2 ECTS im Basismodul oder Aufbaumodul)
Lehramtsstudiengänge Englisch: (Übung 2 ECTS im Basismodul oder Aufbaumodul)

Thesis supervision in literary or cultural studies

B.A. Anglistik/Amerikanistik (nur HF mit B.A.-Arbeit) (Betreuungsübung 2 ECTS)
B.A. Medieval Studies: (Intensivierungsmodul 2 ECTS, wenn die B.A.-Arbeit in Kulturwissenschaft geschrieben wird)

Please contact the instructor beforehand to discuss your general idea and the possibility of thesis supervision!

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

completion of advanced module (Aufbaumodul)
active participation (individual tasks and group work)
presentation in English (Erasmus/exchange students and B.A. candidates only!)

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Inhalt:

This course aims to assist students in the Basismodul in writing their first term paper in literary or cultural studies in Bamberg. We will discuss general formal aspects and content related criteria of an academic paper, such as possible topics, structure, suitable theoretical approaches. Primarily, however, we will practice how to choose a topic, how to develop a coherent structure, how to involve theoretical frameworks, and how to adhere to the MLA citation rules. Finally, we will discuss the different types of source material that are suitable for the list of references of your paper. Students have the chance to present a provisional outline in a closed discussion forum, where they will receive feedback from fellow students and the instructor.

This course is also addressed at students in the Vertiefungsmodul who are preparing or working at a BA-thesis in American Literature or Culture. Therefore, this course provides the guidance sessions for the BA thesis (Betreuungsübung) for students in the BA programs who write their thesis in literary or cultural studies. It assists students in the preparation of their final paper, and gives them an opportunity to discuss their work with other students. BA-candidates will present parts of their final paper, offering it for discussion and feedback. If you are planning to attend this class, make sure that the instructor will also be your thesis advisor. Please contact Ms. Konopka well in advance to discuss your topic and the requirements for the supervision.

Please note that this is a practical training course and not a lecture! You are expected to participate in the tasks and engage in discussions.

Empfohlene Literatur:

All readings will be provided via the VC!

Introduction to British and American Cultural Studies (Course 2)

Dozent/in:

Yıldız Aşar

Angaben:

Proseminar, 3 SWS, ECTS: 6, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis, Gender und Diversität, Kultur und Bildung, Erweiterungsbereich, Modulstudium

Termine:

Mo, 12:00 - 14:00, U5/01.18
Einzeltermin am 22.7.2024, 12:00 - 14:00, U5/01.18
Please note: This course starts at 11:55 and ends at 14:10!

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All degrees requiring an introductory seminar for their basic module in cultural studies (Basismodul Kulturwissenschaft):

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik (seminar 6 ECTS)
BA Berufliche Bildung (seminar 6 ECTS)
BA Interdisziplinäre Mittelalterstudien/Medieval Studies (seminar 2 ECTS)
BSc. BWL (seminar 6 ECTS)
Lehramt GS/HS/MS/RS/GY (seminar 5 or 6 ECTS)
MA WiPäd (seminar 6 ECTS)

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

6 ECTS: active participation in the seminar, final written exam
8 ECTS (module exam): active participation in the seminar, final written exam

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Inhalt:

This course offers an introduction to key themes and methods in American cultural studies as an interdisciplinary field of inquiry. Thematically, we will explore issues such as religion and immigration, the frontier and regionalism, class and economic success, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, America as nature s nation; conceptually, the focus will be on equality and difference as utopian ideas that have shaped American culture from colonial times to the present.

The course is designed to provide you with basic skills in American cultural studies, with a strong emphasis on reading and discussing various texts in their cultural contexts. Our primary readings will include short stories, poems, and excerpts from novels as well as historical documents, essays, political speeches, photographs, popular songs, and films, while several theoretical essays will provide us with a language for discussing changing concepts of culture.

Empfohlene Literatur:

All readings will be provided via the VC!

Introduction to English and American Literary Studies (B)

Dozent/in:

Nicole K. Konopka

Angaben:

Proseminar, 2 SWS, ECTS: 6, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis, Gender und Diversität, Zentrum für Mittelalterstudien, Zentrum für Interreligiöse Studien, Erweiterungsbereich, Modulstudium, Frühstudium

Termine:

Di, 16:00 - 18:00, U5/00.24
Einzeltermin am 23.7.2024, 10:00 - 12:00, U5/00.24

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All degrees requiring an introductory seminar for their basic module in literary studies (Basismodul Literaturwissenschaft):

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik (seminar 6 or 8 ECTS)
BA Berufliche Bildung (seminar 6 ECTS)
BA Interdisziplinäre Mittelalterstudien/Medieval Studies (seminar 2 ECTS)
BSc. BWL (seminar 6 ECTS)
Lehramt GS/HS/MS/RS/GY (seminar 6 or 8 ECTS)
MA WiPäd (seminar 6 ECTS)

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

6 ECTS: active participation in the seminar, course tutorial, library tutorial, final written exam
8 ECTS (module exam): active participation in the seminar, course tutorial, library tutorial, final written exam (see additional information below!)

The following applies ONLY to students whose Basismodul Literaturwissenschaft contains BOTH the Introduction to Literary Studies and a lecture (see module handbook):

As of now, the final written exam of this Introduction to Literary Studies is also the module exam for the Basismodul Literaturwissenschaft. The exam will contain questions about both the content of the Introduction and the lecture (free choice: English or American Literature lecture). Students, therefore, are advised to take the introductory class either after attending the lecture OR in the same semester.

3. FlexNow-Registration:

Please register for this class on FlexNow via the following section (Lehrstuhl): Professur für Amerikanistik. In case of problems contact flexnow.amerikanistik(at)uni-bamberg.de.

Course (de)enrollment: April 10 April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10 25, 2024

Registration is open from 10 a.m. until 11:59 p.m.!
Guest auditors: please contact lecturer via e-mail.

Information on how to solve problems with your registration: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/anglistik-amerikanistik/studium/flexnow-info/

WICHTIG: Es stehen diverse Parallelkurse zur Verfügung. Den Termin A finden Sie in Flexnow bei der Englischen Literaturwissenschaft, den Termin B bei der Amerikanistik. Bitte entscheiden Sie sich frühzeitig für EINEN Termin!

Für Studienortwechsler, Erasmusstudenten sowie Studierende, die den Leistungsnachweis zur baldigen Prüfungsanmeldung benötigen, werden im begrenzten Umfang Plätze freigehalten. Bei Überbuchung des Seminars fällt die Entscheidung über die Teilnahme in Rücksprache mit der Dozentin.

Inhalt:

This course provides a concise introduction to major themes and methods in the study of English and American literature with a focus on American literature.

We will discuss key features of the main literary genres poetry, prose fiction, and drama, explore selected approaches in literary theory and criticism as a basis for analyzing and interpreting literary texts, and survey the main periods and developments of American literary history. The focus, however, will be on the discussion of textual examples from these various vantage points. The goal of this course is to enable you to articulate up-to-date readings of texts from different genres, in their cultural contexts, informed by key theories and analytical methods.

Please note that all Introductions to English and American Literary Studies prepare students for the analysis and interpretation of both English and American literature. The only difference is that the Introduction taught by members of the English Literature section uses literary examples from a primarily British context, and the one taught by members of the American Studies section uses primarily American examples. Choosing one or the other Introduction does not mean that you "specialize" in English or American literature, and you don't have to take your later courses in the same area.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Michael Meyer. English and American Literature. 4th ed. UTB Basic. Tübingen: Francke, 2010. (or a newer edition; Ebook welcome!)

All other readings will be provided via the VC!

Key Texts in Literary Theory (Methodenübung für das Ergänzungsmodul Literaturwissenschaft)

Dozent/in:

Nicole K. Konopka

Angaben:

Übung, 1 SWS, ECTS: 1, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis, Gender und Diversität, Modulstudium

Termine:

Mi, 12:00 - 14:00, OK8/02.04
This course will take place bi-weekly!

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik (Key Texts in Literary Theories Übung 1 ECTS)
alle alten Studiengänge (Übung literary studies 1 ECTS)

>> NOT Open for ‘Ergänzungsmodul’ cultural studies!

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

active participation (individual tasks and group work)
presentation in English
oral exam (see website for details: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/american-studies/studies/ergaenzungsmodul/ )

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Inhalt:

In this seminar, we will study trends and schools in literary theory since the 1950s. Our reading includes key texts by thinkers identified with formalism and structuralism, deconstruction and post-structuralism, gender studies and queer theory, psychoanalytical criticism, (Neo-)Marxism and Cultural Materialism, New Historicism, postcolonial criticism, and reader-response theory.

The course is intended to assist students in both finding their own approaches towards primary texts and in identifying mind-sets and methods applied in the secondary sources they read in their other seminars: "What theory demonstrates [...] is that there is no position free of theory, not even the one called common sense." (V. B. Leitch).

This class is based not only on the reading, but also the in-depth analysis of theoretical writing. Therefore, students are expected to prepare diligently for each session by (1) reading the assigned text(s), (2) studying each text's background/context, and (3) establishing some basic understanding of the theory discussed in the respective text before coming to class! Only then will it be possible for us to engage in critical discussion during our sessions. In sum, it is important for participants to do the assigned reading, attend all sessions and contribute to class discussions. Your input is mandatory and will be welcome!

Empfohlene Literatur:

All readings will be provided via the VC!

Masters of American Cinema: Decentering the Canon

Dozent/in:

Georgiana Banita

Angaben:

Proseminar, 2 SWS, ECTS: 6, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis, Gender und Diversität, Kultur und Bildung, Erweiterungsbereich, Modulstudium

Termine:

Mo, 16:00 - 18:00, MG2/01.02

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All modules including an advanced level seminar (Proseminar) for CULTURAL studies:

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik (Seminar 6 ECTS)
BA Berufliche Bildung (Seminar 6 ECTS)
Lehramt GS/HS/MS/RS/GY (Seminar Lit: 6 ECTS / Seminar Cult: 5 ECTS)
BA Wipäd II (Seminar 6 ECTS)

>> Open for ‘Ergänzungsmodul’ CULTURAL studies!

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

completion of the basic module (Basismodul)
active participation (individual tasks and group work)
term paper in English (following the Style Sheet)
only Ergänzungsmodul: oral exam (see website for more information: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/american-studies/studies/ergaenzungsmodul/ )

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Inhalt:

This seminar challenges the traditional scope of the American film canon, exploring both foundational figures and an array of diverse voices that reflect the variety of the American experience.

Our cinematic journey begins with three iconic filmmakers of classical Hollywood cinema – Orson Welles, Howard Hawks, and John Ford – whose critical acclaim and impact on the film industry are undeniable. Moving forward, we examine influential auteur directors, from Stanley Kubrick and Francis Ford Coppola to Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, debating not only their innovative aesthetics, but also questions of canonization, i.e. why certain films overshadow others within an auteur’s body of work.
To foster a deeper appreciation for the breadth of American screen culture, the seminar highlights unique voices often overlooked in mainstream canons, including Jewish-American filmmaker Woody Allen, the cult films of African American auteur Spike Lee, and works by several underrated female directors (Kathryn Bigelow, Ava DuVernay, and Greta Gerwig), whose stories and styles reimagine classic genres as well as gender and racial identities.

Overall, the seminar aims to provide a comprehensive view of American film history, from classical to New Hollywood, as well as an understanding of film genres (film noir, western, war film, science fiction, comedy, biopic, etc.) and how each genre has been shaped by diverse voices. Last but not least, the course also serves as an introduction to basic elements of cinematic artistry, from cinematography and lighting to non-linear storytelling, montage, and music.

Empfohlene Literatur:

The following 12 films will be discussed in detail:

Orson Welles, Citizen Kane (1941)
Howard Hawks, The Big Sleep (1946)
John Ford, The Searchers (1956)
Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver (1976)
Woody Allen, Annie Hall (1977)
Francis Ford Coppola, Apocalypse Now (1979)
Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing (1989)
Steven Spielberg, Schindler’s List (1993)
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker (2008)
Ava DuVernay, Selma (2014)
Greta Gerwig, Little Women (2019)

The films and a selection of critical works will be made available in the library and/or the Virtual Campus. Furthermore, students will have a chance to view the movies prior to the respective session in the weekly "Media Session" (Friday, 6-9 p.m., U5/00.24).

Media Session "From The Big Sleep to Little Women: Voices of American Cinema"

Dozent/in:: Nicole K. Konopka
Angaben:: Sonstige Lehrveranstaltung, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis
Termine:: Fr, 18:00 - 21:00, U5/00.24
Einzeltermin am 19.6.2024, Einzeltermin am 26.6.2024, 20:00 - 22:00, U5/00.24
Einzeltermin am 28.6.2024, 19:00 - 24:00, U9/01.11
Einzeltermin am 29.6.2024, 0:00 - 7:00, U9/01.11
Inhalt:: The Media Session is designed as an extension of those classes of the American Studies Section that work with movies. However, we encourage all students to attend the movie sessions, because we show American classics as well as classics inspired by America.

This semester, the media session will take place in conjunction with the course "Masters of American Cinema: Decentering the Canon" (PD Dr. Banita). In this class, "the traditional scope of the American film canon [is challenged], exploring both foundational figures and an array of diverse voices that reflect the variety of the American experience." Our program will include many different genres (film noir, western, war film, science fiction, comedy, biopic, etc.) - providing an insight into cinematic developments from early and classical to New Hollywood!

There will also be another all-night movie marathon towards the middle of the semester. If you want to learn more about this event, please send an email to Dr. Konopka!

The exact schedule will be posted via NEAS VC (News of English and American Studies)!

Promised Land America

Dozent/in:

Nicole K. Konopka

Angaben:

Proseminar, 2 SWS, ECTS: 6, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis, Gender und Diversität, Kultur und Bildung, Zentrum für Mittelalterstudien, Zentrum für Interreligiöse Studien, Erweiterungsbereich, Modulstudium

Termine:

Fr, 12:00 - 14:00, U5/01.17
This course includes a day trip to see the exhibition "American Dreams. A New Life in the USA" in Stuttgart in late May/early June 2024

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All modules including an advanced level seminar (Proseminar) for literary studies or cultural studies:

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik (Seminar 6 ECTS)
BA Berufliche Bildung (Seminar 6 ECTS)
Lehramt GS/HS/MS/RS/GY (Seminar Lit: 6 ECTS / Seminar Cult: 5 ECTS)
BA Wipäd II (Seminar 6 ECTS)

>> Open for ‘Ergänzungsmodul’ literary studies and cultural studies!

Please note: This course includes a day trip to see the exhibition "American Dreams. A New Life in the USA" in Stuttgart in late May/early June 2024!

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

completion of the basic module (Basismodul)
active participation (individual tasks and group work)
term paper in English (following the Style Sheet)
only Ergänzungsmodul: oral exam (see website for more information: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/american-studies/studies/ergaenzungsmodul/ )

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Inhalt:

The United States of America are often described as a nation of immigrants and minorities, the ‘golden door’ to the West, a land in which people from all over the world have sought – and apparently found – new homes and new lives. However, the myth of the Promised Land is as much exclusive as it is inclusive.

In general, the course centers around American ideals and realities. We will be looking at how immigrants and minorities have participated in the creation of the myth and have influenced debates about inclusion of newcomers into the Promised Land.

This course has two key goals, which are related to "history from below" and "mythmaking." First, this course seeks to help students to examine their own notions of American history. Immigrants and members of a minority are neither helpless victims, nor the agents of pure individualism. One objective of this class is to help students understand the many layers of the stories of minorities and migration, and how they are entwined with American history in particular. The second goal is to show the gradual emancipation of a popular myth and how the idea of the Promised Land becomes ideal or real against different ethnic backgrounds.

To achieve these goals, we will do a lot of reading, speaking, and thinking. Our main reading material will consist of the novels listed below, and students are expected to purchase and read the novels by Upton Sinclair and Mary Antin before the end of April.

All course material (except for the novels) will be provided well ahead of class via the Virtual Campus. It is important for participants to do the assigned reading, attend class regularly and contribute to class discussions. You are welcome to bring in materials from outside of class (newspaper articles, handouts etc) and you can also plan class room activities – e.g. mock debates. Your input will be welcome!

Empfohlene Literatur:

Required reading (in print or E-book):

Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1906) - preferably the The Bedford Series in History and Culture edition
Mary Antin, The Promised Land (1912) - no particular edition favored; student's choice
Henry Yoshitaka Kiyama, The Four Immigrants Manga: A Japanese Experience in San Francisco (1931) - preferably from Stone Bridge Press [ISBN 1880656337]
Pietro di Donato, Christ in Concrete (1939) - preferably from Signet Classics [ISBN 0451525752]
Claude Brown, Manchild in the Promised Land (1965) - preferably from Touchstone [ISBN 0684864185]

Storied Planet: Ecological Crisis, Anthropocene, and American Studies

Dozent/in:

Yıldız Aşar

Angaben:

Übung, 2 SWS, ECTS: 2, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis, Gender und Diversität, Kultur und Bildung, Nachhaltigkeit, Erweiterungsbereich, Modulstudium

Termine:

Mi, 12:00 - 16:00, U9/01.11
Please note: This course takes place bi-weekly!

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All modules including an obligatory or optional reading tutorial (Übung) for literary studies or cultural studies:

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik
LA GS/HS/MS/RS/GY
MA English and American Studies
MA WiPäd
Erweiterungsbereich English and American Studies
Exchange Students (2 or 4 ECTS)

>> OPEN for Consolidation Module literary studies and cultural studies!

Together with Prof. Gerhardt’s seminar “American Studies and the Planetary: Perspectives, Histories, Futures” this Übung forms an optional 10 ECTS module The Planetary (8 ECTS Hauptseminar + 2 ECTS Übung). Students who are interested in the Übung are required to also sign up to the seminar and complete the overall module, as both courses work with complementing material and take place on the same slot on alternating weeks (Mi 12:00 - 16:00).

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

HS American Studies and the Planetary: Perspectives, Histories, Futures (Prof. Gerhardt) - both courses take place alternately on a bi-weekly schedule
active participation (individual tasks and group work)
presentation in English (=2 ECTS)
presentation in English and short written assignment (=4 ECTS)
only Consolidation module: oral exam (see website for more information: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/american-studies/studies/consolidation-module-ma/ )

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Inhalt:

This reading course is offered in cooperation with Prof. Gerhardt’s advanced seminar (HS) American Studies and the Planetary: Perspectives, Histories, Futures as part of an optional 10 ECTS Module in The Planetary (8 ECTS Hauptseminar + 2 ECTS Übung). Students who are interested in the advanced seminar are thus highly recommended to also sign up to this course and complete the overall module, as both courses work with complementing material and take place on the same slot on alternating weeks (Mi 12:00 - 16:00). Please note that the course will only be open to students who are registered to the advanced seminar.

As part of The Planetary module, this course will supplement the advanced seminar and students will have the chance to deepen their understanding of the theoretical texts discussed in the seminar, discuss historical contexts of the planetary turn within American studies, and link theoretical questions to selected primary texts. Students may also use this course to focus on topics that particularly interest them and test ideas that they are planning to develop in their term papers for the seminar. Utilizing the reading-based, workshop-like atmosphere of an Übung, this course will employ Serpil Oppermann’s concept of “storied planet” in navigating the stories that emerge through the planet Earth, and open a space for further discussion and engagement with the planetary turn in American Studies and beyond.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Readings:

Selected essays from Elias, Amy J., and Christian Moraru, eds. The Planetary Turn: Relationality and Geoaesthetics in the Twenty-First Century.

Additional primary and secondary readings (articles, book chapters, poems, media, etc.) related to the planetary turn in American Studies will be made available via the VC.

The Sea in North American and German Literature

Dozent/in:

Nicole K. Konopka

Angaben:

Übung, 2 SWS, ECTS: 2, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis, Gender und Diversität, Zentrum für Mittelalterstudien, Zentrum für Interreligiöse Studien, Erweiterungsbereich, Modulstudium

Termine:

Di, 12:00 - 14:00, U5/02.18

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All modules including an obligatory or optional reading tutorial (Übung) for LITERARY studies:

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik
LA GS/HS/MS/RS/GY
MA English and American Studies
MA WiPäd
Erweiterungsbereich English and American Studies
Exchange Students (2 or 4 ECTS)

>> OPEN for Consolidation Module LITERARY studies!

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

active participation (individual tasks and group work)
presentation in English (=2 ECTS)
presentation in English and short written assignment (=4 ECTS)
only Consolidation module: oral exam (see website for more information: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/american-studies/studies/consolidation-module-ma/ )

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 – April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10–25, 2024

Inhalt:

This course has been designed especially for North-American exchange students and German students, inviting them to study each other’s cultures together. Readings and classroom discussions will be both in English and German.

“People on land think of the sea as a void, an emptiness haunted by mythological hazards. The sea marks the end of things. It is where life stops and the unknown begins. It is a necessary, comforting fiction to conceive of the sea as the residence of gods and monsters – Aeolus, the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, the Goodwins, the Bermuda Triangle. In fact, the sea is just an alternative known world. Its topography is as intricate as that of land, its place names as particular and evocative, its maps and signposts rather more reliable.” (Johnathan Raban, Coasting, p. 220)

In this reading course, we will explore the representation of the sea in a wide range of literary texts from the U.S., Canada, and Germany. The goal is to gain an understanding of the multitude of perspectives that have challenged and enriched readers’ perceptions of the sea: its depth and width, its coastlines and islands, the ships that cross or sink in it, its currents and storms, its human and non-human dwellers and voyagers, and the many stories that are spun around the fascinating maritime wilderness covering approximately 71 percent of our planet’s surface.

We will engage with the sea through the framework of the “blue humanities,” which will be our focus at the outset. After becoming familiar with various concepts of the sea, we will dive into a plethora of literary texts, such as novels, short stories, poems, sea chanties, picture books, non-fiction prose etc. – both in English and in German (English translations are available for most German texts). We will, however, not ‘compare’ German and North American literary perspectives. Instead, we will encounter, explore, and then (re-)assemble these literary impressions of the sea as fluid fragments of an ever-changing – and at the same time permanent – presence in a transatlantic context.

ATTENTION: This is an INTENSIVE READING class (Leseübung)! Participants must be able to read and review quite a lot of material between the weekly sessions. The class is designed to assist you with the reading list of the American Studies Section and aims to contribute to your understanding of key aspects of North American literature.

Empfohlene Literatur:

Most course readings will be provided via the VC, but each student must purchase the following four books either in print or as an e-book and read the first two BEFORE the semester starts:

Theodor Storm, Der Schimmelreiter (1888)
Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and The Sea (1951)
Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us (1951)
Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade, We Are Water Protectors (2020)

Tutorial for "Introduction to English and American Literary Studies (Course B)"

Dozent/in:: Leonard Bürger
Angaben:: Tutorien
Termine:: Do, 10:00 - 12:00, U5/02.22
Einzeltermin am 27.6.2024, 10:00 - 12:00, Online-Meeting
Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:: Registration for this tutorial is NOT necessary. Everybody who signed up for the corresponding "Introduction to English and American Literary Studies" (Course B - KONOPKA) is automatically registered for the tutorial.
Inhalt:: In the course of the semester, we will focus on the basics of prose, drama and poetry analysis. This tutorial further provides room for discussion, practice and exam preparation. Students are expected to show active participation, and to be able to apply the contents of the tutorial in the follow-up sessions with Dr. Nicole K. Konopka.
Empfohlene Literatur:: All reading will be provided via the VC!

U.S. Political Satire

Dozent/in:

Johanna Feier

Angaben:

Hauptseminar, 2 SWS, ECTS: 8, Gaststudierendenverzeichnis, Gender und Diversität, Kultur und Bildung, Erweiterungsbereich, Modulstudium

Termine:

Di, 18:00 - 21:00, U9/01.11
Einzeltermin am 21.5.2024, 18:00 - 21:00, U5/00.24
Please note: This class will take place bi-weekly!

Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches:

1. Module Allocation:

All modules including a specialization level seminar (Hauptseminar) for literary studies or cultural studies:

BA Anglistik/Amerikanistik (Seminar 8 ECTS)
LA GY (Seminar 8 ECTS)
MA English and American Studies (Seminar 4, 5, 6, or 8 ECTS)
Erweiterungsbereich English and American Studies (Seminar 8 ECTS)
Erasmus and other visiting students (Seminar 6 or 8 ECTS)

>> Open for Consolidation Module literary studies and cultural studies!

2. Prerequisites for obtaining credit points:

active participation (individual tasks and group work)
term paper in English (following the Style Sheet)
only Consolidation module: oral exam (see website for more information: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/american-studies/studies/consolidation-module-ma/ )
required only for Vertiefungsmodul: completion of the advanced level (Aufbaumodul) beforehand!

Course (de)enrollment: March 11 April 22, 2024
ECTS/Exams (de)registration: June 10 25, 2024

Inhalt:

Satire has served as a mainstay of American politics since the Revolutionary Era, informing political discourses and providing poignant insights into cultural debates of the day. In this seminar, we will identify key moments of satirical import from the 1700s to the present from the poetry wars of the American Revolution and 19th-century cartoons of the Democrats donkey and the Republicans elephant to the online newspaper The Onion and podcasts on the precarious state of U.S. democracy. We will examine the changing functions of political satire in America s cultural landscapes while critically analyzing the types of narratives that mainstream, popular satire has favored as well as the perspectives that have been largely ignored.

With a plethora of current satirical examples at our fingertips this election year, we will work with up-to-date texts and pay particular attention to cover a wide variety of satirical work featuring diverse voices. A preliminary reader (to be expanded throughout the semester) will be provided in the first week of the lecture period. Classes will take place biweekly (April 16&30; May 07; June 04&18; July 02&16); on some alternate Tuesday evenings, there will be screenings of select audio-visual materials, such as the TV shows The Amber Ruffin Show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, and Parks and Recreation, the feature film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and the political documentary The War Room (1993) with its televisual counterpart on the faux documentary series Documentary Now!, The Bunker (2016).



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