123231 AR Literature Course (interactive) (2015S)

Contents: This interactive course will provide future teachers of English at an Austrian AHS with a wide range of literary texts (a novel, short stories and a few poems) which are considered to be valuable teaching materials in view of the "pool of topics" on which the "New Matura" exams are based. The range of texts discussed encompasses works of fiction from different eras and cultural backgrounds and a few poems by Australian Aboriginal writers. Thematically one set of texts will focus on "memories of the past" (e.g. short stories dealing with historical events in various parts and periods of the English-speaking world, such as the Irish Famine of the 19th c., the Irish "Troubles" of the late 20th c., or the clash between colonizers and the colonized in Australia) and another set of texts will focus on "visions of the future" - utopian and dystopian works of fiction, including T.C. Boyle's "After the Plague" (2001) and Aldous Huxley's novel "Brave New World" (1932) and some science fiction stories.- The didactic potential of these works and their relevance in view of the "pool of topics" and the requirements of the "New Matura" will be explored. Moreover, these literary works will also be considered in view of providing potential topics for a "Vorwissenschaftliche Arbeit" (VWA, pre-academic paper).