MLU
Seminar: Introduction to Literary Studies: American Literature - Details
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General information

Course name Seminar: Introduction to Literary Studies: American Literature
Subtitle Basismodul Einführung in die englische und amerikanische Literaturwissenschaft und FSQ - Basismodul: Literaturwissenschaft (FSQ integrativ)
Semester WS 2018/19
Current number of participants 57
Home institute Amerikanistik / Literaturwissenschaft
Courses type Seminar in category Offizielle Lehrveranstaltungen
First date Wednesday, 17.10.2018 10:15 - 11:45
Participants Students of English will have to pass a Basismodul Literaturwissenschaft before they can take an Aufbau-modul Literaturwissenschaft. One of the two Basismodule offered at the Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik focuses on English literature, the other one on American literature. Students only need to take (and successfully pass) one of these two courses to go on to an Aufbaumodul in English or in American literature in later semesters.
Pre-requisites Students are expected to attend classes regularly. Please, make sure you do not miss more than two classes. (There will be a list of attendance that students will have to sign each week.) Moreover, students are expected to read ca. 15 pages per week (usually in English) and complete tasks on a weekly basis to fulfil the FSQ requirements.
This class will be accompanied by a tutorial (1 SWS) once a week in which students will find support offered by an experienced student. Students must attend one of the following tutorials each week as they cannot get credit for this 3 SWS class if they fail to do so. The tutorials offered for this class are taught by Juliane Völker.
- Tutorial AmLit 1: Monday, 6 - 7 p.m. – AKS 35, SR 2
- Tutorial AmLit 2: Monday, 7 - 8 p.m. – AKS 35, SR 2
- Tutorial AmLit 3: Thursday, 6 - 7 p.m. – AKS 35, SR 3
Students will be able to choose their tutorial through StudIP a week before classes start.
Learning organisation This seminar will be large. As a result there will be lecture-style teaching.
Performance record There are Studienleistungen students will have to successfully complete and there will be a final written exam (Klausur) at the end of the semester. The Studienleistungen require students to do
1) a library tour that demonstrates how to use the library's computer system and how to get your hands on the books
2) a compilation of a bibliography in MLA style. (The Modern Language Association of America <www.mla.org> defines the rules which govern the formal aspects of bibliographies in our discipline. Please note: We are still using the MLA 7th ed. At <https://style.mla.org> the latest version offers an update which is not relevant for us at this point.)
It is strongly recommended students download their Studien- and Prüfungsordnungen. They can be found here: http://www.verwaltung.uni-halle.de/KANZLER/ZGST/ABL/Abl_inh.htm
Make sure you read and understand your PO/StO as they provide the legal framework for your studies.
Studiengänge (für) ANG.02621.02 Basismodul Einführung in die englische und amerikanische Literaturwissenschaft und FSQ (alle BA und LA-Studiengänge)
ANG.06095.01 Basismodul: Literaturwissenschaft (FSQ integrativ) alle BA und LA-Studiengänge ab WS 15/16
SWS 3
Miscellanea LITERATURE
Did you know that as a student at MLU you are entitled to a free version of software that helps students find and organize academic literature? This software is very valuable when it comes to managing your bibliographies. Go to <bibliothek.uni-halle.de/benutz/litverwalt/> for more information on "Citavi", "EndNote", "Mendeley", and "Zotero."

TEXTBOOK [PLEASE, PURCHASE THIS EDITION SO WE ALL CAN USE THE SAME EDITION IN CLASS]

Meyer, Michael. English and American Literatures. 4. überarb. u. erw. Aufl. Tübingen: A. Francke Verlag, 2011. Print. UTB Basics.
[ISBN 978-3-82-5235505]
[For a table of contents check: <http://d-nb.info/1012099245>]
ECTS points 5

Topics

1st meeting: read Michael Meyer, pp. 1-20, Literary Studies: Lit. History, Theory, Criticism, Research (papers, presentations, exams), Drama (text, performance, speech, character, action) - Assignment # I, Drama (space, time, genres, metadrama), Narrative (oral & written narratives, discourse), Narrative (voice & focalisation), Narrative (time, story, metafiction), Poetry (basics, communication, speaker, topic), Poetry (rhetorical form, figurative & literal lang.), Poetry (poetic form, metre, rhythm), Literary Theory (author, psychoanalysis), Written exam - Klausur

Rooms and times

Hörsaal B [Mel]
Wednesday: 10:15 - 11:45, weekly (5x)
No room preference
Wednesday: 10:15 - 11:45, weekly

Module assignments

Comment/Description

Students of English will have to pass a Basismodul Literaturwissenschaft before they can take an Aufbau¬modul Literaturwissenschaft. One of the two Basismodule offered at the Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik focuses on English literature, the other one on American literature. Students only need to take (and successfully pass) one of these two courses to go on to an Aufbaumodul in English or in American literature in later semesters.

What is and why do we study literature? What is required for an analysis and interpretation of literary works on an academic basis? What skills do we need for a systematic approach to literary studies? Answers to these questions will be given in this course in which we are using Michael Meyer’s English and American Literatures (4th ed., 2011) as a textbook. The author devotes three chapters to literary genres (poetry, drama, prose) and one each to literary theory and (research) skills. This structure will serve as a guideline to our course. Apart from providing students with an opportunity to learn about literary genres and periods with regard to literatures in English, we will take a closer look at particularly American authors and their works to foster awareness for the American literary tradition. After all, it dates back to the 17th century with regard to texts written in English. Although this class will be taught in English, we will cover literary terminology in English as well as in German.

FSQ: Fachspezifische Qualifikation
Most recent modifications of our exam regulations require that our Basismodule in toto cover the following elementary aspects [FSQ - no. 1-3: 50 hrs.; no. 4-5: 30 hrs.; no. 6: 40 hrs.; no.7: 30 hrs.):
1) The basics of academic methodology ("Erlernen der Grundlagen des wissenschaftlichen Arbeitens")
2) Competence with respect to formal procedures in writing academic papers ("Kompetenz hinsichtlich der formalen Aspekte wissenschaftlichen Schreibens")
3) An introduction to basics on how to present academic results ("Einführung in die Grundlagen von Präsentationstechniken wissenschaftlicher Ergebnisse")
4) Learning the basics about how to do bibliographies in English/American Studies ("Erwerb von Grundlagen des fachspezifischen Bibliographierens und Zitierens")
5) Getting to know academic literature regarded as central to our field ("Kennenlernen der wichtigsten fachrelevanten Handbücher und Nachschlagewerke")
6) Independent research of literature in libraries and on the Internet ("Selbständige Literaturrecherche", "Selbständige Bibliotheks-und Archivrecherche"; "Möglichkeiten und Grenzen fachspezifischer Internet-Recherche")
7) Development of the ability to present academic results adequately orally and in writing ("Fähigkeit, wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse in angemessener Form mündlich und schriftlich zu präsentieren")

Most of these aspects will be touched upon in this Basismodul (esp. 1, 4, 5, 6) providing insight into practical issues such as how to use the university library, its catalogs, databases and services. Apart from learning the basics about the MLA style sheet, students will learn how to use the MLA International Bibliography [MLA-IB], a powerful online database used by students and scholars in literature. A deeper understanding of these issues will be gained in the Aufbaumodule when students are required to use these research tools on a regular basis.

Admission settings

The course is part of admission "Zeitgesteuerte Anmeldung: Introduction to Literary Studies: American Literature".
The following rules apply for the admission:
  • The enrolment is possible from 15.09.2018, 12:00 to 17.10.2018, 20:00.