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120021 PS Introductory Seminar (literature) (2008S)

New Orleans Literature

3.50 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work

anrechenbar als 701 (UniStG Diplom-Studienplan). ECTS UF Englisch: 3.00

Details

Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Monday 10.03. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 17.03. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 31.03. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 07.04. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 14.04. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 21.04. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 28.04. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 05.05. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 19.05. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 26.05. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 02.06. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 09.06. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 16.06. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 23.06. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Monday 30.06. 16:00 - 18:00 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In this proseminar we will analyze some texts written in/about New Orleans, a city that almost died in August 2005, when hurricane 'Katrina' hit the north-central Gulf Coast of the U.S.A. (causing massive devastation in an area three times the size of Austria), leaving 80% of the city flooded, and killing 1600 people. The classics we will discuss will take us back to happier days (at least they appear to be so on the surface), when American writers chose this 'lush' subtropical city, with its unique blend of Spanish, French and Caribbean elements, as the setting for more 'risqué' storylines.

Assessment and permitted materials

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

304, 701, K 225

Examination topics

The emphasis will be on the techniques of research and literary criticism and on the production of a scholarly paper (4000 words). In addition, each student will be given a short assignment on specific historical and cultural aspects, such as the mixed colonial heritage of the city, the value system of the Old South, the 'peculiar institution' of slavery, the American Civil War/War of Secession in Louisiana, and the group identity of the 'Creoles' and of the 'Cajuns'.

Reading list

Our texts are: some stories from George Washington Cable's Old Creole Days (1879), Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), about 'a sensuous woman who follows her inclinations' (considered to be the first feminist novel in the U.S.), Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire (1947); we will compare the play with Elia Kazan's film version (1951, starring Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando), and Walker Percy's existentialist 'Mardi Gras' novel, The Moviegoer (1961).

Association in the course directory

304, 701; K225

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:33