This introduction is obligatory for all beginners. Successful attendance is the basis for the admission to an Aufbaumodul. However, it is also open to students who want to revise elementary knowledge.
The introduction covers basic notions and methods necessary for academic reading and research. It therefore aims to create an awareness of such concepts as epochs in literary history, their respective (formal and thematic) characteristics, and introduces a selection of their most renowned representatives. In addition, we will take a look at definitions of genre, and consider various approaches to the analysis of literary texts. These will be tested against a Shakespearean play, extracts from a contemporary British novel, and a number of poems, using the Norton Anthology of English Literature in the latter case (a reader of poems and prose extracts will be provided via Stud-IP). In this course, you will also learn how to use academic research material such as bibliographies, reference books, or electronic media. Obligatory elemens of the course thus include regular tutorials, a library tour, a bibliography assignement, and a written final exam.
