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Veranstaltungen im Wintersemester 2022/23
Lehrangebot im Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik,
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Aufbaumodul Kulturwissenschaft I
The End of Nature: Bill McKibben and the Tradition of Critical Environmental Writing in America
Do, 8:15 — 9:45 | Adam-Kuckhoff-Str. 35, SR 2 |
In his book The End of Nature,
Bill McKibben describes the numerous dangers that planet earth was
facing in 1989 and argues that humans had become so powerful that they
could now materially alter everything, including such vast and complex
systems as climate and the genes of living organisms. Although the book
received a lot of public attention and was translated into almost 20
languages, McKibben's call for a more restrained behavior fell on deaf
ears. Now, more than thirty years after its initial release, and with
almost daily news about droughts, wildfires, floods, and other
environmental disasters, McKibben's analysis of the state of the world
is harder to deny and reject than it was in 1989.
With a close reading of The End of Nature,
this class will examine the contexts that govern the cultural and
political debates about what is now called "climate change." McKibben's
book will serve as a point of departure for students to identify,
analyze, and discuss key elements of these debates and to familiarize
themselves with some of the fundamental ideas and positions that are a
crucial part of the tradition of critical environmental writing in
America.
Prospective participants are strongly encouraged to purchase a copy of
the book,* to read it before the beginning of term, and to familiarize
themselves in advance with the general aspects of the topic.
Supplementary reading material will be made available in the course of
the semester. The success of this class will depend on intensive
student engagement and participation. The weekly sessions will be based
on regular reading and writing assignments which require a serious
commitment of time and effort on the part of all seminar members.
Please ensure that your other responsibilities leave you with
sufficient resources to devote the necessary attention and time to this
course. To receive full credit for this class (5 CP), students will
have to produce a "Hausarbeit." More information about the specific
requirements will be announced in the first class session.
* Bill McKibben. The End of Nature. With a New Introduction by the Author. New York: Random House, 2006. ISBN: 0812976088
Please use Stud.IP to register for this class.
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Vertiefungsmodul Amerikanistik Kulturwissenschaft
I
Propaganda in the USA: From Walter Lippmann to Public Relations
Di, 16:15 — 17:45 | Hörsaal A [Mel]
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With the intensification of
political polarization in the USA and especially with the recent war in
Ukraine, the term "propaganda" has regained prominence in current
cultural and political debates. Since the term is used to designate
information that is of questionable accuracy and intended to manipulate
its intended audience, its frequent appearance can be seen as a cause
for concern because access to accurate and reliable information is
regarded as a crucial foundation of democratic societies. It is deemed
important to pay attention to the emergence and spread of propaganda
and to find appropriate ways to control it, so that a community can be
protected from being mislead and manipulated for the benefit of
specific political or economic interests.
This class will examine a variety of
historical situations in which the United States positioned itself with
regard to propaganda as a form of "organized persuasive communication."
In this context, students will be given opportunities to identify,
analyze, and discuss instances of propaganda and the ways in which
American culture responded to its existence.
The success of this class will
depend on intensive student engagement and participation. The weekly
sessions will be based on regular reading and writing assignments which
require a serious commitment of time and effort on the part of all
seminar members. Please ensure that your other responsibilities leave
you with sufficient resources to devote the necessary attention and
time to this course.
Prospective participants are
strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves in advance with the
general aspects of the topic. Reading material will be made available
in the course of the semester. To receive full credit for this class (5
CP), students will have to produce a "Hausarbeit." More information
about the specific requirements will be announced in the first class
session.
Please use Stud.IP to
register for this class.
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Vertiefungsmodul Amerikanistik Literaturwissenschaft I
Problems of literary and cultural translations of American texts in German-language contexts
Do, 12:15 —13:45 | Seminarraum 22 A ( 30) (Raum 1.02) [LuWu 2]
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In
their engagement with books, readers are likely to encounter poems,
stories, and plays that were originally written in a language other
than their own. Especially in contemporary culture the chances are
great that a customer in a book store will look at a large collection
of publications that have been translated from foreign languages. In
this context, English plays an important role: More than 60% of all
translated texts originate from English-language background, with
American literature occupying a major position. Since an appreciation
of specific literary texts, especially in a university context, is
traditionally bound to their "original" features, questions arise about
the exact status of a text that has been transferred from its original
language to a new cultural and linguistic context.
In its endeavor to explore important aspects connected with the
translation of texts from American literature, this class will
introduce students to some basic issues of translation theory; it will
further an understanding of the history of American literature in
German translation; and it will provide opportunities for comparative
studies of selected translations.
The weekly sessions will be based on regular reading and writing
assignments which require a serious commitment of time and effort on
the part of all seminar members. Please ensure that your other
responsibilities leave you with sufficient resources to devote the
necessary attention and time to this course. Prospective participants
are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves in advance with the
general aspects of the topic. Reading material will be made available
in the course of the semester. To receive full credit for this class (5
CP), students will have to produce a "Hausarbeit." More information
about the specific requirements will be announced in the first class
session.
Please use Stud.IP to
register for this class.
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Forschungskolloquium Angloamerikanische
Kulturwissenschaft / Literaturwissenschaft
Forschungskolloquium
Amerikanistik: Literatur und Kultur
Di, 18:15 — 19:45 | Seminarraum 19 (16) (Raum1.40) [LuWu 2]
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This course will provide advanced
students with a forum to present and discuss their current B.A., M.A.,
or Staatsexamen projects dealing with topics from American literature
and American culture. The format provides opportunities for
constructive feedback and helpful suggestions regarding research
techniques and the challenges arising from working on a larger project.
Details about the specifics for this class will be addressed in the
first session.
If you intend to write your final
thesis (B.A., M.A. or Staatsexamensarbeit) in the course of the
upcoming winter term, but have not decided on an advisor and a specific
topic, please contact me by email before the semester starts in October.
Please use Stud.IP to
register for this class.
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