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Veranstaltungen
im Wintersemester 2019/20
Lehrangebot im
Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik, Martin-Luther-Universität
Halle-Wittenberg
Aufbaumodul Kulturwissenschaft II
Animals in American Culture
Do, 8:00 — 10:00, Adam-Kuckhoff-Straße
35, SR 2 |
As
attention to the consequences of the climate crisis is growing, people
begin to realize that a changing climate will not only affect the way
humans live, but that it will also have a massive impact on animals. In
addition to the overall effect brought about by rising temperatures,
recent policy measure such as the weakening the Endangered Species Act
(ESA) put additional pressure on animal life in the United States.
Although not every animal enjoys the prestige and symbolic status of
America's national bird, the bald eagle, animals of a wide variety
occupy a major place in American history and culture. With the wild
animals of the North American continent, the pets in American homes,
the anthropomorphized creatures on TV, in movies, and in comics,
animals and animal representations are found everywhere in America's
daily life. By examining fictional and non-fictional texts as well as
primary documents, speeches, legislative acts, letters, and essays,
this course will offer insights into the complex relationship between
humans and animals in the American context. In this way, it will
introduce students to some fundamental historical, philosophical, and
legal perspectives of the human-animal relationship and will
familiarize them with a central aspect of American history and culture.
Students
interested in signing up for this class 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. ILIAS will be used as an online communications
platform during the semester.
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Vertiefungsmodul
Kulturwissenschaft I
"Let your life be a counter-friction" – Resistance to Injustice in American Culture
Do, 12:00 — 14:00, Adam-Kuckhoff-Straße
35, SR2 |
The
United States was founded upon the notion that "all men are created
equal" and that they are endowed with "with certain unalienable
Rights." The promise that the ideas might be the guidelines for life in
America has been a source of pride for Americans and a reason for
generations of immigrations to want to become part of a country with
such high-minded ideals. In reality, however, the promises of the
Declaration of Independence have not always been fulfilled for
everybody. An attentive observer of American life can discover a
variety of issues which counteract and undermine the laudable values
expressed in the nation's founding document. Whenever political
democracy, personal freedom, tolerance, and peace – all basic
principles of American culture – have been under attack, concerned
Americans have spoken out and stood up to remind the nation of its
foundational principles and to try to correct the political course.
From
the struggle against slavery and the efforts to achieve women's rights
to the most recent forms of resistance against social injustice and
environmental degradation in the era of Trump, Americans from a broad
societal spectrum have made their lives, in the words of Henry David
Thoreau, "a counter-friction to stop the machine" of an unjust
government. In this way, they have dedicated themselves to America's
founding spirit.
By examining selected examples of resistance to
injustice at different moments in American history, this class explores
the ways in which American citizens have struggled to address and
rectify problematic and contentious issues in their culture. Drawing on
various types of primary documents, including speeches, legislative
acts, letters, essays, as well as research literature, this course will
familiarize students with a central aspect of American history and
culture.
Students interested in signing up for this class 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. ILIAS will be used as an online communications
platform during the semester.
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Vertiefungsmodul
Amerikanistik Kulturwissenschaft III
American Media and the Manufacture of Consent
Di, 18:00 — 20:00, Adam-Kuckhoff-Straße
35, SR 3 |
Journalism
and the media are often seen as important elements in a democratic
society. Protected and supported by laws guaranteeing free speech, the
media are supposed to provide the general public with reliable
information so that voters can make sensible decisions in the context
of democratic elections. Often regarded as a check on political power,
the media and the journalists that represent them have been called the
"fourth estate," a social force that was meant to serve as the voice of
the people, speaking truth to power and keeping governments
accountable.
Such a view of the media may have always been too
idealistic, the political events in the most recent past, however, have
clearly raised more urgent questions about the role that
contemporary media play in the current political context. This class is
designed to help students get a more comprehensive view of the position
that media occupy in American life. At a time, when questions about the
accuracy of information and the trustworthiness of the purveyors of
information are perhaps more urgent than ever, the class will offer
opportunities to study media phenomena in the context of propaganda and
media manipulation. One segment of the class will rely on the book
Manufacturing Consent by Edward S Herman and Noam Chomsky (1988),
therefore participants may find it helpful to familiarize themselves at
least with chapters one ("A Propaganda Model") and seven
("Conclusions"). Additional reading material dealing with historical
perspectives, scholarly analyses, and practices of critical media
literacy will be made available in the course of the semester.
Students
interested in signing up for this class must be prepared to participate
actively in class and to commit themselves to weekly reading and
writing assignments. Please
use Stud.IP
to register for this class. ILIAS will be used as an online communications
platform during the semester.
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Forschungskolloquium
Angloamerikanische Kulturwissenschaft / Literaturwissenschaft
Forschungskolloquium Amerikanistik:
Literatur und Kultur
Di, 16:00 — 18:00, Adam-Kuckhoff-Straße
35, SR 3 |
This
seminar provides students working on their final thesis with a forum
to present their research plans, report on the progress of their
work, and discuss research-related questions relevant to their theses.
The class aims at supporting students in developing their initial
ideas, improving the design of their projects, and exploring further
ramifications of their respective topics. The format chosen for
this class creates opportunities to exchange ideas with other students
and faculty members, and allows students to practice their presentation
skills in a friendly and supportive academic setting. Further details
will be announced during the first session.
Please
use Stud.IP
to register for this class.
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