Universität Wien

124268 AR Cultural/Media Studies 1/2 (AR) (2025W)

Freedom, Individualism, Equality: Researching 19th Century American Literature

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung
Moodle
Do 11.12. 16:15-17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17

An/Abmeldung

Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").

Details

max. 25 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch

Lehrende

Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert

No class on Jan 8 2026

  • Donnerstag 09.10. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 16.10. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 23.10. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 30.10. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 06.11. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 13.11. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 20.11. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 27.11. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 04.12. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 18.12. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 15.01. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 22.01. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17
  • Donnerstag 29.01. 16:15 - 17:45 Raum 5 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-17

Information

Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung

Digital archives offer a wealth of resources for scholars and students of American literary and cultural studies to come up with new research questions. This course offers students who would like to work with digital databases and online resources, such as periodical newspapers online, with an opportunity to perform research on historical, literary, and cultural documents from the nineteenth century. In our engagement with 19th century literature and visuals we will confront the persistent issue of freedom, individualism, and equality in the nation-building discourse of the United States as well as from a transnational perspective. Through research projects, expert input, critical media analysis, and creative projects, students will acquire skills to analyze and present their research on nineteenth-century texts in expert discussions. We will explore and identify how these texts discursively proliferate racism and sexism in the United States and read them alongside texts that ardently seek the abolishment of the system of enslavement, demand women’s rights, environmental protection, worker’s rights, the liberation of the self, as well as better conditions for immigrants, to name but a few social concerns of the time. Finally, we will also engage with and theorize contemporary media representations of century literary texts such as adaptations of 19th century literary classics and period films.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel

    This is an interactive course. It relies in large parts on flipped-class room methodologies and therefore requires students' regular attendance.
  • Regular attendance and preparation of session material (students may miss no more than two sessions, i.e. 2x90 minutes)

  • General, active participation in class, including individual contributions, work with a partner as well as work in groups

  • A portfolio of three short tasks: Task 1 (500 words), Task 2 (1.000 words), Task 3 (Creative Assignment: adapting a 19th century literary source)

  • A 5-minute expert input for one session per student (assigned at the beginning of class).


The 'expert' task is supposed to provide the basis and impulses for the group work and seminar discussion of the respective week.
Ensure compliance with the standards of good academic practice and the correct application of the techniques of academic work and writing.
Plagiarized and fraudulent performances (also in single tasks) lead to non-grading of the course (entry of an 'X' in the transcript).
In case of doubt, the course instructor may invite students to a grade-related conversation (plausibility check) about submitted partial performances.

Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab

Active participation: 15%
Expert presentation: 30%
Task 1 (500 words): 15%
Task 2 (1000 words): 15%
Task 3 (creative assignment): 25%
Students must attain at least 60% to pass this course.

Marks in %:
1 (very good): 90-100%
2 (good): 81-89%
3 (satisfactory): 71-80%
4 (pass): 60-70%
5 (fail): 0-59%

Prüfungsstoff


  • Input phases combined with group work and classroom discussion

  • Student input from your expert session

  • Students' written and creative tasks


There will be no additional written exam or longer final paper.

Literatur

Please familiarize yourself with the following digital databases:
https://www.loc.gov/search
https://collections.library.cornell.edu/moa_new/index.html
https://melville.electroniclibrary.org/
https://www.emilydickinson.org
https://archive.org/
https://dp.la/browse-by-topic

Selected Texts (more will follow):
Bercovitch, Sacvan, editor. “Inventing American Literature.” The Cambridge History of American Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. 348–405.
Douglass, Frederick, “What, to the slave, is the Fourth of July?,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/558f22d7950b5048be26369331f5edb0.
Joyce HH. Introduction: Rethinking the American Renaissance. Architectural History. 2021;64:1-22. doi:10.1017/arh.2021.1
Williams, Linda. Playing the Race Card: Melodramas of Black and White from Uncle Tom to O. J. Simpson. Princeton University Press, 2001. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1595m04. Accessed 10 Aug. 2025. (Intro; ch. 1)

Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Studium: MA 844(2); UF MA 046/507
Code/Modul: MA 844(2) 3.1, 3.2; UF MA 4A
Lehrinhalt: 12-4261

Letzte Änderung: Mo 10.11.2025 14:26