Textbook accounts often describe the United States as a country of immigrants and rarely fail to refer to the country as a "melting pot." Recent discussions on "illegal immigration" and, perhaps most prominently, Donald Trump's remarks about "immigration reform" which challenge long-standing principles such as "birthright citizenship," show that there is no simple way to speak of the USA as a "nation of immigrants." — This class provides participants with opportunities to explore the various phases of American immigration history and to investigate the social and political implications of one of the central issues in American culture. Discussions of different concepts of ethnicity will provide a theoretical framework for an advanced understanding of American immigration as a complex interplay of historical events, psychological phenomena, and political decision-making.

Students must be prepared to participate actively in class and to commit themselves to weekly reading and writing assignments. Reading material will be made available in the course of the semester.

Please use Stud.IP to register for this class.

To counteract the prevailing notion that American journalism is exclusively in the hands of transnational corporate giants (such as Time-Warner or Rupert Murdoch's media empire), this class will offer a look beyond the mainstream press and help students develop an insight into a long-standing tradition of American journalism that is characterized by its critical inquiry into all areas of American politics and culture. By working with specific examples of independent journalism and the historical and analytical studies which place them into their appropriate context, students will acquire an understanding of how newspapers and periodicals may function as a "fourth estate" and as "democracy's watchdog," monitoring the activities of public figures, uncovering abuses of state authority, defending the democratic rights of citizens, and providing relevant information about a broad variety of relevant but underreported issues.

Students must be prepared to participate actively in class and to commit themselves to weekly reading and writing assignments. Reading material will be made available in the course of the semester.

Please use Stud.IP to register for this class.

It is not generally known that Jack London was one of the most popular and highest paid writers of his time, and it took until the end of the 20th century until literary critics began to pay more attention to this author whose range of themes and writing style had been underestimated for a long time. Thanks to the pioneering work of Earle Labor, Jeanne Campbell Reesman and others, students of American literature and culture are now in a position to appreciate Jack London's work for its psychological insights, its philosophical interests, and its effective literary style. — With its focus on London's efforts as a writer of short fiction this class will offer students opportunities to engage intensively with a variety of themes that range from a celebration of life to instances of madness and cruelty. These close readings will also provide ample material for discussions of London's literary credo and invite students to reflect further on the relevance of literature in American culture.

Students must be prepared to participate actively in class and to commit themselves to weekly reading and writing assignments. Reading material will be made available in the course of the semester.

Please use Stud.IP to register for this class.