Current Courses
Courses - Summer Term 2019
Prof. Dr. Cecile Sandten
Content
Death is as universal, perhaps, as life. However, death seems to be a topic that we rather prefer to eschew. Yet, over the centuries, writers have addressed the topic of death and dying in numerous ways. Thus, the question is how have writers expressed and conveyed the aesthetic and emotional experiences of death, loss, and dying? In this class, we will read a selection of texts from English Literature from the early modern times till the present day that deal with various manifestations of “death” and “dying”, but also of “mourning”, “death drive”, “suicide”, or “murder”. More specifically, we will explore the poetics of death in selected philosophical/theoretical and literary texts.
Objectives
Using both philosophical/theoretical texts on death (e.g. thanatos, transcendence) and literary analysis of a selection of texts from English Literature, students of this seminar will be able to discuss important ideas and cultural issues on the notion of death through text analysis and close reading. Furthermore, understanding some of the philosophical/theoretical and literary features and representations of writings that address death and grieving, either in a serious or in a humorous mode, can help reading and responding to literature that actually deals with traumatic events and experiences that are in fact part of our everyday life. Literary texts that will be read are William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and a selection of poems, songs, short stories, and extracts from a novel from the wider framework of English Literature. An excursion to the Museum Gunzenhauser will be on the agenda.
Prerequisites
In order to participate, students of Anglistik/Amerikanistik need to have completed the modules 2.3 and 2.4 English Literatures, successfully.
Requirements for Credit
Active and regular participation is required. The format of this seminar consists of a close reading of primary, theoretical as well as secondary texts, discussions and oral presentations. Each student will present an oral report (approx. 15 minutes), chair a session or prepare questions for a discussion (PVL). The module 5.2 will be completed with an oral exam of 30 minutes (one topic from the research colloquium and one from this seminar).
Set Texts/Required Reading
Shakespeare, William (2012 [1597]) Romeo and Juliet. Ed. René Weis. Arden Edition. (This is a MUST – no other edition should be used).
A reader with a selection of texts that will be used in class will be available at the Uni-Copy Dietze, Reichenhainer Str. 55.
Registration
There will be a list at the door of my office (Reichenhainer Str. 39/214) to register for the seminar.
Content
Accounts of asylum are, in many ways, acts of storytelling. The accounts of hardship and trauma in the refugees' narratives as well as their countries of origin (and their designation as 'safe' countries or otherwise) are the main bases on which their application for asylum is granted or revoked. Accounts by adult asylum seekers have to be differentiated from those by (un)accompanied minors who might remain silent about their origins and circumstances when questioned by authoritative figures or social workers.
Objectives
In this seminar, students will read and discuss a selection of asylum narratives as well as short stories and poems by and films about refugees. We will address issues such as transnational migration, mobility, and the pre-flight and flight experiences of asylum seekers. In doing so, we will explore in which ways the experiences of adults and (un)accompanied minors – including a range of traumatic situations in their country of origin, the death or persecution of family members, war, forced recruitment and personal persecution – are depicted in these textual and visual narratives. In addition to the close readings of texts and films, students will gain insights into various theories on citizenship, legal issues, and social and political approaches to asylum and refugeeism. Furthermore, they will learn the conceptual distinctions between literary genres such as the short story, novel, life-writing, and graphic novel. An excursion to the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz as part of the “Demokratie und Kunst”-Project will be on the agenda.
Requirements for credits
Active participation in every session of the class is expected. A presentation or partner or group presentation of 20 minutes (PVL) as well as a final term paper (10-12 pages; SELAEn4) are required for the module exam. The module 5.2 (BA_AA_6) will be completed with an oral exam of 30 minutes (one topic from the research colloquium and one from this seminar).
Set Texts/Required Reading
- Cofler, Eoin, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Gigano (2017): Illegal: A Graphic Novel. Hodder Children’s Books.
- Herd, David / Anna Pincus (eds.) (2016): Refugee Tales and (2019) Refugee Tales II. Manchester: Comma Press. (A selection of stories will be made available)
- Lombard, Jenny (2006): Drita, My Homegirl. New York/London: Puffin Books
- Naidoo, Beverley (2000): The Other Side of Truth. London: Harpertrophy
- Passarlay, Gulwali [with Nadene Ghouri] (2015): The Lightless Sky: My Journey to Safety as a Child Refugee. London: Atlantic Books.
- Popoola, Olumide / Annie Holmes (eds.) (2016): Breach. London: Pereine Press. (A selection of stories will be made available)
- Zephaniah, Benjamin (2001): Refugee Boy. London: Bloomsbury.
Films:
- Thomas, Steve dir. (2008): Hope.
- Winterbottom, Michael dir. (2007): In This World.
A reader with seminal material will be provided at the beginning of the semester.
Registration
There will be a list on the door of my office (Rh 39, room 214). Please register there.
Content
Storytelling is an ancient form of entertainment and education – from the epics by the Greek poet Homer, the medieval sagas of gods and heroes to orally transmitted folk tales in a broad range of countries. For more than 100 years cinema has been the continuation of this tradition – on celluloid. Therefore, an educational programme for children and young adults does not only include the studying of texts, but also films. Since 1996, the International Film Festival "Schlingel" has provided a great forum for this task. It offers young viewers the opportunity to watch films that would otherwise be unknown in German cinemas. The films, whose heroes are primarily children and young adults, tell exciting stories and convey profound messages that are both universal, and conversely, culturally specific. More than 130 films from a broad range of countries will be screened during the festival week. In addition, international guests (e.g. film directors, young actors) as well as an international jury will be present throughout the festival.
Objectives
Since the Chair of English Literatures entered into a cooperation with the "Schlingel" Film Festival (07.10. – 13.10.2019), students of this seminar will be required to participate actively in support of the festival also at times outside the regular teaching period. You will first be provided with hands-on material with regard to film analysis techniques that will help you to deepen your understanding of films and support you in the creation of educational material for children. Secondly, you will learn specific presentation, voice-over, interview and/or other techniques that are required for the active participation in the film festival.
Prerequisites
Students must have completed the first seminar pertaining to the MA-Modul 4, "Cultural Encounters".
Requirements for credits
The format of this seminar will consist of oral presentations and discussions. Each student will give an oral presentation (approx. 15 minutes), and chair a session or prepare questions for discussion (PVL). For the PL students will be engaged in hands-on activities during the Schlingel Film Festival (e.g. support and participate in the Festival, translate films, write and present film reviews, introduce films to the audience, chair Q&A sessions, provide / speak the voice-over text, or write festival reports).
Set Texts/Required Reading
A Reader with seminal material will be provided.
Registration
There will be a list on the door of my office (Rh 39, room 213). Please register there.
Content
The Research Colloquium is open to students who are preparing for their final oral and written exams. It is intended to give students a platform to present their projects and to raise questions and/or difficulties they may be facing at an early stage of their research. Further, students are encouraged to engage in critical discussions, and gain feedback from their peers concerning their research projects. We will also discuss a wide range of general topics and individual topics required for final exams.
Requirements for credits
The format of this seminar consists of a close reading of texts, of discussions and thesis presentations. Each student will present an oral report (approx. 15 minutes) (PVL).
Set Texts/Required Reading
A reader with seminal material will be provided at the beginning of the semester.
Registration
There will be a list at the door of my office (Rh 39, room 214). Please register there.
Content
The Examenskolloquium/Research Colloquium is open to students who are preparing for their final oral and written exams. It is intended to give students a platform to present their projects and to raise questions and/or difficulties they may be facing at an early stage of their research. Further, students are encouraged to engage in critical discussions, and gain feedback from their peers concerning their research projects. We will also discuss a wide range of general topics and individual topics required for final exams.
Requirements for credits
The format of this seminar consists of a close reading of texts, discussions and thesis presentations (abstract, outline, or single chapters). Each student will present an oral report (approx. 15 minutes), chair a session or prepare questions for a discussion (PVL). The module 5.2 will be completed with an oral exam of 30 minutes (one topic from the research colloquium and one from the seminar/Spezialisierungsmodul).
Set Texts/Required Reading
A reader with seminal material will be provided at the beginning of the semester.
Registration
There will be a list at the door of my office (Rh 39, room 214). Please register there.
233 oder 022
Meetings will be arranged in due course.
Content: This course aims to provide support for post-graduate students who are developing their dissertation ideas and first draft outlines. The focus of this seminar will be on research in English Literature (including close readings of secondary theoretical texts and primary texts, but also the students’ own written work). Post-graduate candidates who engage in interdisciplinary approaches and topics beyond English Literature are most welcome to participate to enhance the group’s interdisciplinary awareness.
Objectives: This seminar will also offer special supervision through individual counseling. Moreover, the seminar will support doctoral and post-doctoral candidates on a professional level, especially with regard to topics such as scholarly writing for publication, pedagogic issues of teaching at university level, as well as information on how to apply for positions in the job market. In addition, support to present their work at (international) conferences will be given, as well as information on careers and funding support for scholarship applications and opportunities for gaining key supplementary qualifications (in cooperation with the Forschungsakademie TUC).
Prerequisites: Participants must have completed a Magister, Master or Doctoral thesis graded at least 2,0.
Dr. Eike Kronshage
Content:
This course provides an accessible introduction to the theories and methods in literary studies and its four pillars: author, text, reader, and context. We will engage in critical investigations of six influential theoretical and methodological approaches in our field: Marxism, Formalism and New Criticism, Psychoanalysis, Gender and Queer Theory, Postcolonial Studies, and Digital Humanities. For each of these six areas, there will be a discussion of a seminal theoretical text in the first week, followed by a hands-on session in the second week, in which we will use the theoretical/methodological framework to analyze a given literary text (a poem or a short story).
Objectives
Like all scientists, scholars of literature need methods in order to engage with their objects of study (i.e. literary texts). The methods and theories presented in this seminar will enable students to see the world (hopefully, not only the literary world) from more than just the handful of perspectives they have hitherto experienced.
Prerequisites
Successful completion of the “Introduction to the Study of Literatures in English” (does not apply to visiting students). You are required carefully to study alternately a complex theoretical text and a short literary text (a poem, a collection of poems, a short story) from week to week (which results in a high reading load).
Requirements for credits
1: Active and regular participation, which includes the reading of all literary and scholarly texts on the syllabus.
2: There will be six group work sessions and you must successfully participate in at least four of them (PVL).
3: Term paper (PL).
Set Texts/Required Reading
A reader with seminal material will be provided at the beginning of the semester.
Tutorial
The course will be accompanied by a 90-minute weekly tutorial. Attendance is strongly recommended. Time and venue will be announced at the first meeting.
Registration
By e-mail: eike.kronshage@phil.tu-chemnitz.de.
Required information: Name, semester, student ID, and status (e.g. ERASMUS).
Content
Victorian and Edwardian fiction contained “the promise of empire” (Dryden). It invited its readers to ‘visit’ exotic locations, to experience exciting adventures, and to indulge in diverse forms of escapism – all with a patriotic frame of mind. As such, the imperial adventure novel reveals the Victorian and Edwardian fascination with the far reaches of the British Empire as a testing site of the (usually male) British hero’s physical and mental strength, as well of his (supposed) moral superiority. The genre prospered especially in the last decades of the nineteenth- and the first of the twentieth century. Its immense popularity is indicated by the circumstance that its formulaic structures were soon subverted by writers like Joseph Conrad.
We are going to read four novels from that time, H. Rider Haggard’s “genre founding” novel King Solomon’s Mines (1885), Anthony Hope’s fast-paced The Prisoner of Zenda (1894), and Edgar Wallace’s Sanders of the River (1911). As an example of genre subversion, we will be discussing Joseph Conrad’s debut novel, Almayer’s Folly (1895). Our discussion will conclude with Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, a film that is, in many ways, the spiritual successor of Haggard’s Allan Quatermain.
Objectives
Students will become acquainted with three popular Victorian and Edwardian novels. We will tackle the question of formulaic fiction (contemptuously called “Trivialliteratur” in German) and its relation to so-called highbrow fiction. Postcolonial theory will inform our reading of these texts, especially Said’s work on Orientalism, Spivak’s ideas on the subaltern, and Bhabha’s concept of the “third space.” Prerequisites
Students should ideally have completed the first seminar in the MA-Modul English Literatures. Requirements for credits
Active and regular participation, which includes the reading of all literary and scholarly texts on the syllabus. Oral presentation (PVL). A term paper (15-18 pages) (PL).
Set Texts/Required Readins
We will be reading four novels. Please obtain the editions mentioned below (use ISBN to find the correct edition). No other editions allowed. I repeat: No other editions allowed!
1. H. Rider Haggard: King Solomon’s Mines (ISBN 978-0141439525)
2. Edgar Wallace: Sanders of the River (ISBN 978-1523382866)
3. Anthony Hope: The Prisoner of Zenda (ISBN 978-1-84022-665-2)
4. Joseph Conrad: Almayer’s Folly (ISBN 978-1840226645)
A reader with seminal material will be provided at the beginning of the semester.
Also: No other editions allowed!
Registration
By e-mail: eike.kronshage@phil.tu-chemnitz.de. Required information: Name, semester, student ID, and status (e.g. ERASMUS).
Mandy Beck
Content
This seminar explores the manifold ways of narrating female identity throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By considering a mixture of theoretical/critical material (Erik H. Erikson, Stuart Hall, Nancy Chodorow, Monique Wittig, Hélène Cixous, Judith Butler) alongside novels (Rosamond Lehmann, Angela Carter), poems (Helen Mort) and short stories (Virginia Woolf, Sarah Hall), the discussion of topics stretches from female identity between self-reflection and interactive negotiation to a fragmentation of female identity as well as innovative concepts of female identity. Thus, the course seeks to provide an overview of central themes, strategies and characteristics of writing female identity.
Objectives
This course encourages students to develop a critical understanding not only of female identity, but identity and gender in general. In addition, students are made aware of narrative techniques to depict and reflect on identity, such as narrative perspectives, verbal and non-verbal communication, the representation of (un-)consciousness or intertextuality.
Prerequisites
In order to participate, students of Anglistik/Amerikanistik need to have completed the lecture course “Introduction to the Study of Literatures in English” successfully.
Requirements for Credit
The format of this seminar will require students to attend regularly, participate actively and prepare weekly readings. Each student will do an oral presentation (approx. 15 minutes) or prepare questions for a discussion (PVL) and write a substantial seminar paper (12-15 pages) (PL).
Set Texts/Required Reading
Please obtain the following 2 novels:
Carter, Angela, The Magic Toyshop.
Lehmann, Rosamond, Dusty Answer.
A reader with primary and secondary texts for readings in class will be available at the Uni-Copy Dietze, Reichenhainer Str 55.
Registration
There will be a list at the door of my office (Reichenhainer Str. 39/213) to register for the seminar.
Content
This course provides a conflation of two broad and multifaceted fields. On the one hand, it offers an overview of experimental poetry, including forms of concrete poetry, visual poetry, abstract poetry and sound poetry over several different literary periods. And on the other hand, it introduces “creative writing” as an academic discipline that has now become highly professionalized. This seminar is thus not only addressed to BA_4 students, but is open to interested students from all semesters and programs, who would like to know more about non-canonical and non-traditional forms of poetry as well as writing creatively through various tasks and reflections.
Objectives
By looking at texts by George Herbert, Edith Sitwell, Stevie Smith, T.S. Eliot, Bob Cobbing, Edwin Morgan, Anne Sexton and others, students will explore different forms of experimenting with the genre of poetry. On the basis of a close engagement with the poems and lively discussions, students will furthermore be encouraged to write their own texts and become acquainted with techniques of creative writing.
Prerequisites
In order to participate, students of Anglistik/Amerikanistik need to have completed the lecture course “Introduction to the Study of Literatures in English” successfully.
Requirements for Credit
The format of this seminar will consist of creative writing exercises, discussions and contributions in and out of class. Each student will present an oral presentation (approx. 15 minutes) or present their poems in a poetry slam, and write a substantial seminar paper (12-15 pages) or a small compilation of poems.
Set Texts/Required Reading
A reader with all texts for readings in class will be available at the Uni-Copy Dietze, Reichenhainer Str 55.
Registration
There will be a list at the door of my office (Reichenhainer Str. 39/213) to register for the seminar.