Introduction to Literary Studies (American Literature)

Seminar am Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik der Universität Hamburg, Wintersemester 2014/15

Course Description:

In this seminar we will discuss the question of how to deal with literature from a scholarly perspective. Our guiding question will be: What are the tools necessary for a professional analysis of literature? The seminar will thus provide an introduction to the methodological and theoretical fundamentals of textual analysis. In dialogue with the accompanying lecture on „American Literary History“ (taught by Prof. Dr. Kucharzewski) the specific interpretation of texts from different eras of American literary history will be practiced. In our discussion of the three traditional genres, prose, poetry and drama, we will focus on basic textual structures, such as the narrative perspective, character development, spacio-temporal setting etc. We will furthermore discuss the question of how texts can be understood differently, depending on the theoretical approach taken. In one special session, we will deal with the specificity of visual media texts (i.e. film). The basic premises of literary research and documentation („wissenschaftliches Arbeiten“) will be introduced.

The seminar is accompanied by two mandatory tutorials, taught by advanced students (Georg Hach and Raphael Becker). The tutorials will both take place on Friday, 8-10 am, the course rooms for these tutorials will be announced separately. Thus, the entire module consists of three parts, this seminar, Dr. Kucharzewski’s lecture course, and the tutorial, all of which are obligatory.

Requirements: 

–       attendance at seminar / tutorial / lecture (no more than 2 missed sessions)

–       in-class tasks (quizzes, reports, short essays, online discussions) at lecturer’s discretion

–       „Bibliotheksrallye“ – at tutor’s discretion

–       final exam during the last session, i.e.:  Friday, January 30th, 2015 – 10 am to 12 pm