Universität Wien

127012 KO Critical Readings in Literature (2023S)

American Transcendentalism

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

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Thursday 09.03. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 16.03. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 23.03. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 30.03. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 20.04. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 27.04. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 04.05. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 11.05. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 25.05. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 01.06. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 15.06. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 22.06. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Thursday 29.06. 18:15 - 19:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

"Each age, it is found, must write its own books; or rather, each generation for the next succeeding."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson, "The American Scholar"

The course will examine American Transcendentalism, a significant cultural, social, and intellectual movement that emerged in the United States during the first half of the nineteenth century. Students will engage with the writings and ideas of key figures such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Bronson Alcott, and Orestes Brownson, among others, as well as the cultural and historical context in which these authors' ideas and texts emerged.

Close readings of primary texts will be supplemented by secondary literature in order to provide a fuller understanding of what has been described as the nation's first counterculture, its relationship with American and European Romanticism, and its exploration of the self, nature, freedom, race, women's rights, and social justice. In addition, students will explore the relationship between American Transcendentalism and the Hudson River School, a group of New York City-based landscape painters that coalesced around 1850 under the influence of the English émigré painter Thomas Cole.

By the end of the course, students will have developed the skills to critically analyse and interpret literary texts and to engage in informed discussions about the philosophical, cultural, and historical significance of the Transcendentalist movement.

Assessment and permitted materials

• Regular attendance (max. 2 absences)
• Active participation in discussions
• One oral presentation
• A portfolio of written work (three essays and online forum contributions)

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

• In-class and online participation (e.g., active in-class participation, forum posts): 25%
• Oral presentation: 30%
• Portfolio of written work (three essays, 1,000 words each): 45%

Overall Score of 100% (pass threshold: 60%)

Scale:
1: 100-90%
2: 89-80%
3: 79-70%
4: 69-60%
5: 59-0%

In order to pass, students need to fulfill each individual requirement and complete tasks on time. Late submissions will not be accepted. Each student can miss two classes.

The plagiarism detection software Turnitin will be used on written assignments.

** 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 lead to non-grading of the course (entry of an 'X' in the transcript).
The course instructor may invite students to a grade-related conversation (plausibility check) about submitted partial performances.

Examination topics

There will be no written exam. Rather, students are responsible for the required readings as well as everything covered during class.

Reading list

Kevin J. Avery. “The Hudson River School.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hurs/hd_hurs.htm

Lawrence Buell. The American Transcendentalists: Essential Writings. Modern Library, 2006.

Philip F. Gura. American Transcendentalism: A History. Hill and Wang, 2008.

Robert S. Levine. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Volume B 1820 to 1865. 9th ed. W.W. Norton, 2017.

Philipp Löffler, et al. Handbook of American Romanticism. De Gruyter, 2021.

Joel Myerson. The Oxford Handbook of Transcendentalism. Oxford Univ. Press, 2010.

Association in the course directory

Studium: BA 612; BEd 046/407
Code/Modul: BA08.3; BEd Modul 10
Lehrinhalt: 12-3000

Last modified: Fr 10.03.2023 20:08