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 MA Nordamerikas...  
 Lehrveranstaltung

Nordamerikastudien

MA Nordamerikastudien (neue Studienordnung, ab 2015)

0024e_MA120

  • Geschichte (A) - Nordamerika in der Welt

    0024eA1.1
    • 15651c Seminar
      Gender, Borders, Memory (Gülay Caglar, Jessica Gienow-Hecht)
      Zeit: Mi 16-18 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 319 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      Topic: Borders form a principal instrument of organizing international society, both historically and actually. From the ancient Greek city states to the twentieth century, borders have featured at the center of both peace treaties and declarations of war. Borders connect and condone, yet also divide and drive apart. They can come about by agreement or violence, can be fortified or unguarded, can be visible or invisible. What is more, borders are and have always been in motion. Their shape and design depend on the political and economic context, scientific knowledge, natural adjustments, emotional investment as well as the migration and exchange of people, goods, services, ideas and capital. Experts have labeled some borders – such as the one between Mexico and the United States or along the Pacific Rim – as transnational spaces sui generis: their effect on international policy and adjacent states is not merely limited to the border region itself but fundamentally impacts our understanding of the state, citizenship, nation, and culture. Course: This course examines the interplay of gender, borders, and memory in history and in the present. We will examine different genres of borders across time and space with a particular eye on historical visions and gender-specific gaze. The course deals with a set of dimensions—material, symbolic, historical and discursive—relating to border politics, and it discusses the gendered effects of border politics. Moreover, the course introduces concepts of intersectionality and memory and probes the ways in which both territorial dividing lines and sociocultural boundaries, originate in historical visions and legacies. How do these visions and legacies (re)produce and exacerbate intersectional inequalities ? How do gender and memory affect border politics and lives on the border, and, in the process, construct gender, sexual, racial-ethnic and other identities ? What are their material effects? How do activists challenge practices of bordering? How do they renegotiate questions of territorial sovereignty and belonging? Team: This is a team-taught class orchestrated by political scientist Gülay Caglar and historian Jessica Gienow-Hecht.We will meet in class once each week, complemented by various excursions. Requirements: Students from history, political science, as well as the humanities and social sciences at large are very welcome. All students need a blackboard account. Each session consists of a brief introduction by the instructors followed by an all-class discussion and, sometimes, a student presentation to be discussed in advance. For each individual class, all students will compose short précis (no longer than 120 words) including a critical question relating to the respective reading. Précis need to be uploaded on Blackboard twenty-four hours prior to the beginning of class. At the end of the semester, students are required to compose a paper: either a reflective think piece responding to the course readings and discussions (3-5pp); or a research paper addressing a topic of their choice (20-25pp). Depending on the credit (Pass/Fail or Grade), the final paper is due either on July 31 at midnight (5pp, 12pt. Times Roman, 1.5 space), or August 31 at midnight (20-25pp, 12pt. Times Roman, 1.5 space).

    • 32411 Hauptseminar
      (German-)Jewish Emigration to the USA (1848-1918) (Francesco Di Palma)
      Zeit: Di 16:00-18:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      (German-)Jewish Emigration to the USA (1848-1918) – National Belonging astride two Continents This course is an introduction to the key issues of (Geman)-Jewish emigration to the US from roughly 1848 until the end of WWI, and will allow students to connect social, political and cultural history of emigrated Jews to the experience of divided cultures and memories astride two continents. Within the framework of German politics and society over the “long 19th century”, this seminar examines the patterns of construction of national identity among Jewish minorities in the German states (from 1871 on in the German Reich), contextualizes its development against the background of massive migratory flows from the Old Continent to North America and assesses the impact this experience exerted on their renewed understanding of national belonging in the host country. With the end of WWI, the question of the national and cultural self-identification of Jewish migrants was by no means resolved. On the contrary, the conflict had blocked identity processes or presented them with new challenges, which eventually paved the way for the rise of Jewish nationalism. The readings and discussions will consider the structures of integration in the new homeland, the struggle towards recognition and cultural identity, the confrontation over religious traditions and national loyalties over at least four generations of Jewish men and women. Themes include, among others, the intersection of transatlantic relations and nation-rebuilding in the US (Civil War 1861-65) as well as in Germany (founding of German Reich 1871), their immediate impact on Jews in America, suburbanization, narratives of national identities as well as the rise of Zionism over the last quarter of the 19th century, and WWI. The course will be of primary interest to students of Modern European History, North American History, German History or Jewish Studies.

  • Geschichte (B) - Nordamerikanische Geschichte bis 1865

    0024eA1.2
    • 32413 Hauptseminar
      Rumor, Gossip and Reputation in Early America (Sebastian Jobs)
      Zeit: Mo 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 15.04.2024)
      Ort: 319 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      Rumors and gossip have often been dismissed as unreliable materials of historical research. However, if one shifts the focus from verifying whether these conversations were truthful or not and hones in on the fact that they themselves were historical events worth considering, they allow valuable interpretations of the history of gender norms, emotions, social structures, trust or intimacy and so on. In that vein, this seminar will focus on the actors, media and structures of communicating "uncertain knowledge" beyond the evidential paradigm by taking into considerations conspiracy theories, gossip and rumors and they impact they had on the people of the Early American Republic.

    • 32115 Hauptseminar
      "I am not throwing away my shot": The Histories, Politics, and Aesthetics of the Musical Hamilton (2015) (Sebastian Jobs, Martin Lüthe)
      Zeit: Di 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The object of this seminar is to critically engage with the musical/musical film Hamilton composed (and realized) by Lin-Manuel Miranda to wide critical acclaim and general success. We will utilize the musical to inspire discussions and analyses of the history of the Early American Republic as well as discussions pertaining to the cultural work and the overall aesthetics of the musical (film) for our day and age. Hamilton can arguably be regarded as a cornerstone and reference point in the general re-vitalization of the musical as a quintessential American genre, but has also contributed to the debates regarding the status of the Early American Republic within U.S. public history.

  • Geschichte (C) - Nordamerikanische Geschichte seit 1865

    0024eA1.3
    • 32411 Hauptseminar
      (German-)Jewish Emigration to the USA (1848-1918) (Francesco Di Palma)
      Zeit: Di 16:00-18:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      (German-)Jewish Emigration to the USA (1848-1918) – National Belonging astride two Continents This course is an introduction to the key issues of (Geman)-Jewish emigration to the US from roughly 1848 until the end of WWI, and will allow students to connect social, political and cultural history of emigrated Jews to the experience of divided cultures and memories astride two continents. Within the framework of German politics and society over the “long 19th century”, this seminar examines the patterns of construction of national identity among Jewish minorities in the German states (from 1871 on in the German Reich), contextualizes its development against the background of massive migratory flows from the Old Continent to North America and assesses the impact this experience exerted on their renewed understanding of national belonging in the host country. With the end of WWI, the question of the national and cultural self-identification of Jewish migrants was by no means resolved. On the contrary, the conflict had blocked identity processes or presented them with new challenges, which eventually paved the way for the rise of Jewish nationalism. The readings and discussions will consider the structures of integration in the new homeland, the struggle towards recognition and cultural identity, the confrontation over religious traditions and national loyalties over at least four generations of Jewish men and women. Themes include, among others, the intersection of transatlantic relations and nation-rebuilding in the US (Civil War 1861-65) as well as in Germany (founding of German Reich 1871), their immediate impact on Jews in America, suburbanization, narratives of national identities as well as the rise of Zionism over the last quarter of the 19th century, and WWI. The course will be of primary interest to students of Modern European History, North American History, German History or Jewish Studies.

    • 15651c Seminar
      Gender, Borders, Memory (Gülay Caglar, Jessica Gienow-Hecht)
      Zeit: Mi 16-18 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 319 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      Topic: Borders form a principal instrument of organizing international society, both historically and actually. From the ancient Greek city states to the twentieth century, borders have featured at the center of both peace treaties and declarations of war. Borders connect and condone, yet also divide and drive apart. They can come about by agreement or violence, can be fortified or unguarded, can be visible or invisible. What is more, borders are and have always been in motion. Their shape and design depend on the political and economic context, scientific knowledge, natural adjustments, emotional investment as well as the migration and exchange of people, goods, services, ideas and capital. Experts have labeled some borders – such as the one between Mexico and the United States or along the Pacific Rim – as transnational spaces sui generis: their effect on international policy and adjacent states is not merely limited to the border region itself but fundamentally impacts our understanding of the state, citizenship, nation, and culture. Course: This course examines the interplay of gender, borders, and memory in history and in the present. We will examine different genres of borders across time and space with a particular eye on historical visions and gender-specific gaze. The course deals with a set of dimensions—material, symbolic, historical and discursive—relating to border politics, and it discusses the gendered effects of border politics. Moreover, the course introduces concepts of intersectionality and memory and probes the ways in which both territorial dividing lines and sociocultural boundaries, originate in historical visions and legacies. How do these visions and legacies (re)produce and exacerbate intersectional inequalities ? How do gender and memory affect border politics and lives on the border, and, in the process, construct gender, sexual, racial-ethnic and other identities ? What are their material effects? How do activists challenge practices of bordering? How do they renegotiate questions of territorial sovereignty and belonging? Team: This is a team-taught class orchestrated by political scientist Gülay Caglar and historian Jessica Gienow-Hecht.We will meet in class once each week, complemented by various excursions. Requirements: Students from history, political science, as well as the humanities and social sciences at large are very welcome. All students need a blackboard account. Each session consists of a brief introduction by the instructors followed by an all-class discussion and, sometimes, a student presentation to be discussed in advance. For each individual class, all students will compose short précis (no longer than 120 words) including a critical question relating to the respective reading. Précis need to be uploaded on Blackboard twenty-four hours prior to the beginning of class. At the end of the semester, students are required to compose a paper: either a reflective think piece responding to the course readings and discussions (3-5pp); or a research paper addressing a topic of their choice (20-25pp). Depending on the credit (Pass/Fail or Grade), the final paper is due either on July 31 at midnight (5pp, 12pt. Times Roman, 1.5 space), or August 31 at midnight (20-25pp, 12pt. Times Roman, 1.5 space).

  • Kultur (A) - Amerikanische Ideengeschichte und Theorien amerikanischer Kultur

    0024eA2.1
    • 32110 Vorlesung
      A Revolutionary Culture: Sources of America's Political Imaginary (Frank Kelleter)
      Zeit: Mo 16:00-19:00 (Erster Termin: 15.04.2024)
      Ort: 319 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This lecture course deals with political aesthetics in the so-called “founding” era of the United States. We will look at documents, debates, and artifacts from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Topics include the emergence and consolidation of a “republican” elite during and after the American Revolution, the cultural work of The Federalist, the French Revolution in America, the parallel appearance of political parties and a national periodical press, the Haitian Revolution, the South and slavery, the impact of the American Revolution on American indigenous cultures, the black enlightenment, early trans-Atlantic feminism, the advent of the novel and its early genres (sentimental novel, Gothic novel, historical novel) as well as other issues. -----

      The two-hour lecture course serves as “Vorlesung” of Culture-Module A (Amerikanische Ideengeschichte und Theorien amerikanischer Kultur) in the M.A. program. Attendance of the additional academic hour (“tutorial” with further time for Q&A) is optional. Registration: All participants must be registered via Blackboard and Campus Management before the first session. If you cannot register online or cannot attend the first session, please contact Prof. Kelleter before the beginning of the term. Requirements: See Syllabus and Course Description (on Blackboard). First session: April 15.
    • 32111 Hauptseminar
      Post-Classical Theory (Frank Kelleter)
      Zeit: Mo 14:00-16:00 (Erster Termin: 15.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This seminar serves as “Hauptseminar” of Culture-Module A in the Master's degree program. We will study different types of cultural theory that have emerged after the “classical” paradigms of psychoanalysis, phenomenology, orthodox Marxism, and their poststructuralist inflections. Individual sessions will be dedicated to select developments from the 1970s-2000s (revisionary Marxism, field theory, actor-network-theory, systems theory). Additional topics (to be chosen and prepared by students) can include, but are not restricted to, other or later paradigms such as affect theory (e.g., Lauren Berlant, Kathleen Stewart, Sara Ahmed, Margaret Wetherell), post-critique (e.g., Rita Felski, Caroline Levine), new queer theories (e.g., José Esteban Muñoz), trans theories (e.g. Jack Halberstam, Paul Preciado), media archaeology and media ecology (e.g., Lisa Gitelman, Katherine Hayles, Jay Bolter, Richard Grusin), post-cinema theories (e.g., Shane Denson), seriality studies, critical university studies, global history (including perspectives on “settler colonialism”), theories of neoliberalism, critiques of postfeminism (e.g., the Judith Butler-Nancy Fraser debate, Catherine Rottenberg), black feminism (e.g., Combahee River Collective, Audre Lorde, bell hooks), Intersectionality theory (e.g., Kimberlé Crenshaw), critical race theories, critical whiteness studies (e.g., Claudia Rankine), Afropessimism, philosophies of blackness (e.g., Hortense Spillers, Saidiya Hartman), black Marxism, and other paradigms.

      Unlike Prof. Kelleter’s lecture course, this seminar will be largely student-driven; more than half of the sessions will be designed and moderated by the participants. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with potential course material (theoretical paradigms and texts) before the first meeting, when all participants will be asked to propose and sign up for one session topic (theoretical paradigm and/or set of texts; compare Syllabus). Registration: All participants need to be registered via Blackboard and Campus Management by the first session. If you cannot register online or cannot attend the first session, please contact Prof. Kelleter before the beginning of the term (no later than April 8). Before our first meeting, all communication about and within this class will be channeled through the course’s Blackboard site, so make sure you are registered there. Organization: Please download the Syllabus and Course Description (with a description of all requirements) from the “Teaching” section of Prof. Kelleter’s JFKI website or from Blackboard (go to “Kursmaterial”; you may have to click on “open Syllabus here” to download it; if this doesn’t work, try a different browser: students have reported problems with the Chrome browser). Please read the Syllabus/Course Description carefully: It contains detailed information about the seminar’s structure and suggestions for preparing “your” session. Note that we will finalize our class schedule in the first two meetings. This means that everyone who wants to attend this course needs to be present in the first session in order to sign up for a topic (student-run session) or have contacted Prof. Kelleter beforehand by e-mail (no later than April 8). First session: April 15.
    • 32115 Hauptseminar
      "I am not throwing away my shot": The Histories, Politics, and Aesthetics of the Musical Hamilton (2015) (Sebastian Jobs, Martin Lüthe)
      Zeit: Di 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The object of this seminar is to critically engage with the musical/musical film Hamilton composed (and realized) by Lin-Manuel Miranda to wide critical acclaim and general success. We will utilize the musical to inspire discussions and analyses of the history of the Early American Republic as well as discussions pertaining to the cultural work and the overall aesthetics of the musical (film) for our day and age. Hamilton can arguably be regarded as a cornerstone and reference point in the general re-vitalization of the musical as a quintessential American genre, but has also contributed to the debates regarding the status of the Early American Republic within U.S. public history.

  • Kultur (B) - Kultur der Nationalität und Diversität

    0024eA2.2
    • 32112 Vorlesung
      Democracy, Reform, and Cultural Nationalism in the Age of Romanticism (Hannah Spahn)
      Zeit: Di 16:00-18:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 319 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This lecture course (Grundlagenvorlesung) deals with the interlocking of Romanticism, cultural nationalism, and practices of political reform; it focuses on a broad archive of autobiographical writings, political tracts, literary works, philosophical essays, and popular entertainment from the period between the Jacksonian era and the Civil War. Topics include the evolution of democratic culture, “Indian Removal,” New England transcendentalism, debates on slavery and national expansion, sentimentalism and the abolitionist imagination, the emergence of popular entertainment forms and genres, and other critical issues of the time. Combining a focus on narrative forms and cultural self-descriptions with inquiries into shifting configurations and hierarchies of race, class, gender, and region, the lecture engages works by James Fenimore Cooper, William Apess, David Walker, Alexis de Tocqueville, Maria Stewart, Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allan Poe, Lydia Maria Child, Frederick Douglass, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Harriet Jacobs, P.T. Barnum, Emily Dickinson, Harriet Beecher-Stowe and others.

    • 32113 Hauptseminar
      Authorship and Race in American Culture (Hannah Spahn)
      Zeit: Do 14:00-16:00, zusätzliche Termine siehe LV-Details (Erster Termin: 18.04.2024)
      Ort: 319 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      Cord Jefferson's award-winning American Fiction (2023), the film adaptation of Percival Everett's novel Erasure (2001), reflects on a long-standing debate in American culture on the relationship between authorship and race. In this seminar, we will use Jefferson's film and Everett's novel as an entry into the complex cultural and intellectual history of this debate from the Enlightenment to today, with a thematic emphasis on three periods: the first African American Renaissance in the 1850s, the years from the late nineteenth century to the Harlem Renaissance, and the mid-twentieth century. Authors will include Frederick Douglass, William Wilson, Frances Harper, Charles Chesnutt, W.E.B. Du Bois, James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, Alain Locke, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, and James Baldwin, among others.

      Please purchase: Percival Everett, Erasure (2001/2021).
    • 32115 Hauptseminar
      "I am not throwing away my shot": The Histories, Politics, and Aesthetics of the Musical Hamilton (2015) (Sebastian Jobs, Martin Lüthe)
      Zeit: Di 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The object of this seminar is to critically engage with the musical/musical film Hamilton composed (and realized) by Lin-Manuel Miranda to wide critical acclaim and general success. We will utilize the musical to inspire discussions and analyses of the history of the Early American Republic as well as discussions pertaining to the cultural work and the overall aesthetics of the musical (film) for our day and age. Hamilton can arguably be regarded as a cornerstone and reference point in the general re-vitalization of the musical as a quintessential American genre, but has also contributed to the debates regarding the status of the Early American Republic within U.S. public history.

    • 32213 Hauptseminar
      Crime and Punishment (Thomas Dikant)
      Zeit: Mi 16:00-18:00 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: Online - zeitABhängig

      Kommentar

      In this seminar, we will study how narratives represent crime and its consequent punishment, focusing in particular on the spectacular crime of murder. We will engage with a broad range of texts from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century, discussing fictional and true crime narratives, criminal anthropology, philosophy, and critical theory. While the crime of murder is especially prominent in detective fiction, we will pay particular attention to narratives that feature more than just the criminal investigation and ask unsettling questions about criminality and justice. Our readings will include Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor, Richard Wright’s Native Son, and Maggie Nelson’s The Red Parts, as well as theoretical writings by Cesare Lombroso, Michel Foucault, and Mark Seltzer.

  • Kultur (C) - Kulturgeschichte einzelner Medien und ästhetischer Darstellungsformen

    0024eA2.3
    • 32114 Hauptseminar
      Political Depression and the Aesthetics of Sovereignty II (Rizvana Bradley)
      Zeit: Mi 16:00-18:00, zusätzliche Termine siehe LV-Details (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Hinweise für Studierende

      Only MA students can register for this course !

      Kommentar

      Last winter term, Political Depression and the Aesthetics of Sovereignty (I) began from the following questions: How might we begin to approach the affective contours of what Lauren Berlant theorized as the “impassivity” of the historical present, in ways that do not immediately circumscribe the terms of inquiry by demanding they lead to resolution, reparation, or redress? What forms of attunement, accompaniment, and experimentation might be occasioned by inhabiting what the Feel Tank Chicago termed “political depression” as an open question, rather than through predetermined diagnostics? Political Depression and the Aesthetics of Sovereignty II differentially extends these questions by attending to cinematic exemplars of the catastrophic imagination associated with the socio-ecological crises of late capitalism and the so-called Anthropocene. ----- This course takes up such lines of inquiry through explorations of affect theory, its interlocutors, and its critics, with a particular emphasis on what Sianne Ngai terms “minor feelings” and “negative affects,” in their racial and gendered dimensionality. We will pay special attention to films that obliquely take up this constellation of affective themes, investigating how they aesthetically refract, rather than simply reflect, the myriad impasses (economic, ecological, scientific, political, racial, gendered, etc.) of the present and the project of recuperating sovereignty in the midst of global crisis. Completion of Political Depression and the Aesthetics of Sovereignty (I) is not a prerequisite for enrollment. ----- Please register at: culture@jfki.fu-berlin.de with your name, matriculation number, study program, home university (if applicable), zedat email address or email address of home university, and type of exchange program (if applicable). Deadline for registration is April 8, 2024. Please register on Campus Management as well and as soon as possible.

  • Literatur (A) - Literaturgeschichte

    0024eA3.1
    • 32212 Hauptseminar
      Narratives of Home in North American Literatures (Eva-Sabine Zehelein)
      Zeit: Mi 14:00-16:00 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The seminar will look closely at a broad variety of North American texts to investigate questions such as: what exactly is a home(town)? Why do people call places “home” which are not their places of birth or even places where their families live? Why is small town life either desired or despised? How – if at all – have definitions of “home” changed over time? What is the relevance of “home” for politics? What role does real estate play? How strong is nostalgia in the projection of “home”? Please buy and read: Toni Morrison, Home (2012); Dionne Brand, What We All Long For (2005); Gabrielle Zevin, The Hole We’re In (2010), Alison Bechdel, Fun Home (2006).

    • 32213 Hauptseminar
      Crime and Punishment (Thomas Dikant)
      Zeit: Mi 16:00-18:00 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: Online - zeitABhängig

      Kommentar

      In this seminar, we will study how narratives represent crime and its consequent punishment, focusing in particular on the spectacular crime of murder. We will engage with a broad range of texts from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century, discussing fictional and true crime narratives, criminal anthropology, philosophy, and critical theory. While the crime of murder is especially prominent in detective fiction, we will pay particular attention to narratives that feature more than just the criminal investigation and ask unsettling questions about criminality and justice. Our readings will include Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor, Richard Wright’s Native Son, and Maggie Nelson’s The Red Parts, as well as theoretical writings by Cesare Lombroso, Michel Foucault, and Mark Seltzer.

  • Literatur (B) - Literaturtheorie

    0024eA3.2
    • 32210 Hauptseminar
      Ridiculous Forms: Comedy, Parody, Satire (Sonja Pyykkö)
      Zeit: Di 14:00-16:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      Common opinion has it that political satire is dead since Trump’s election, that the era of parody is definitely over after postmodernism, and that jokes are a minefield for misunderstandings and therefore better left unuttered in polite society. Yet comedic, parodic, and satirical texts haven’t disappeared anywhere, on the contrary: postmodern classics, e.g., by Barthelme, De Lillo, Ellis, Nabokov, Pynchon, and Roth have recently been joined by works from Paul Beatty, Helen De Witt, Percival Everett, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Lexi Freiman, to name only a few of the most prominent humorists in contemporary US fiction. This seminar will delve into the comic genres through an overview of literary theory and criticism starting with the famous lost second book of Aristotle’s Poetics on comedy and then continuing (skipping a couple of centuries) through psychoanalytic theories of humor, formalist, structuralist and poststructuralist theories of parody, and New Critical writings on satire. Nearing the present day, we will examine both well-known modes, such as black comedy, and less familiar ones, including blank parody and hysterical realism, and speculate about the emergence of a new type of tragicomedy: trauma-comedy. The objective is to provide a comprehensive theoretical overview of the comic genres that doubles as an overview of the major critical and theoretical movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. Participants will be expected to have read and bring their own copies of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita (1958), Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 (1965), Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint (1969), Paul Beatty’s The Sellout (2015), and Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation (2018). We will also be reading more selections from recent fiction by female, black, and queer authors, but these will be announced later and uploaded as scans.

    • 32213 Hauptseminar
      Crime and Punishment (Thomas Dikant)
      Zeit: Mi 16:00-18:00 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: Online - zeitABhängig

      Kommentar

      In this seminar, we will study how narratives represent crime and its consequent punishment, focusing in particular on the spectacular crime of murder. We will engage with a broad range of texts from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century, discussing fictional and true crime narratives, criminal anthropology, philosophy, and critical theory. While the crime of murder is especially prominent in detective fiction, we will pay particular attention to narratives that feature more than just the criminal investigation and ask unsettling questions about criminality and justice. Our readings will include Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor, Richard Wright’s Native Son, and Maggie Nelson’s The Red Parts, as well as theoretical writings by Cesare Lombroso, Michel Foucault, and Mark Seltzer.

  • Literatur (C) - Literarische Textanalyse

    0024eA3.3
    • 32211 Seminar
      Connecting the Plots: Making Sense of the American Short Story Collection (Julie Dickson)
      Zeit: Mo 10:00-12:00 (Erster Termin: 15.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The linked short story collection, or cycle, has long been considered a marginalized form. Caught between the short story and the novel (and yet neither), these ambiguous books pose challenges to definition, study, and even conventional reading. But they have a robust tradition in American Literature, from 19th-century regional sketchbooks to Modernist experiments to the wave of collections in the late 20th century representing marginalized groups. Indeed, because these books usually forego a central protagonist or overarching plot, scholars argue that they present an alternative paradigm to that of the traditional novel and are particularly apt at portraying community and the fragmentation of modern life. This seminar will explore these many facets of the collection through a selection of representative texts by 19th-century short story writers, as well as Sherwood Anderson, Gloria Naylor, George Saunders, Carmen Maria Machado, and others. As we move chronologically, we will cover the history of the form’s development in the US, its quintessential structures and evolving conventions, and the contexts that have shaped its production. How do these books reflect/construct changing concepts of community and identity? What modes of making meaning do they give rise to? How have conditions of literary production shaped these books and our expectations of them? It is arguable that collections are more diverse and popular now than ever, and so we will ultimately try to make some observations regarding what is at stake in “connecting the plots” today.

    • 32212 Hauptseminar
      Narratives of Home in North American Literatures (Eva-Sabine Zehelein)
      Zeit: Mi 14:00-16:00 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The seminar will look closely at a broad variety of North American texts to investigate questions such as: what exactly is a home(town)? Why do people call places “home” which are not their places of birth or even places where their families live? Why is small town life either desired or despised? How – if at all – have definitions of “home” changed over time? What is the relevance of “home” for politics? What role does real estate play? How strong is nostalgia in the projection of “home”? Please buy and read: Toni Morrison, Home (2012); Dionne Brand, What We All Long For (2005); Gabrielle Zevin, The Hole We’re In (2010), Alison Bechdel, Fun Home (2006).

  • Politik (A) -Theorien und Methoden der Politikwissenschaft

    0024eA4.1
    • 15482 Seminar
      Presidential and Congressional Elections in the United States (Christian Lammert)
      Zeit: Mi 12-14 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This course is uniquely positioned to integrate recent developments in U.S. politics, with a keen focus on their relevance to the upcoming presidential election. Designed for graduate students seeking to deepen their understanding of American democracy, this course will delve into the multifaceted dimensions of congressional and presidential elections. Through a rigorous examination of historical precedents, institutional frameworks, and contemporary phenomena, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the electoral processes shaping the nation's political landscape. Drawing upon recent developments in U.S. politics, including shifts in public opinion, changes in electoral laws, and the evolving role of technology and media, this course will offer critical insights into the dynamics of modern campaigns. Special emphasis will be placed on analyzing the impact of these developments on campaign strategies, voter behavior, and the broader dynamics of political competition. By integrating recent developments in U.S. politics, this course offers graduate students a unique opportunity to explore the evolving nature of American democracy in real time. Through scholarly inquiry and critical reflection, participants will be equipped to navigate the complexities of contemporary electoral dynamics and contribute to informed discourse on the future of American politics.

  • Politik (B) - Institutionen, Akteure und Prozesse

    0024eA4.2
    • 15482 Seminar
      Presidential and Congressional Elections in the United States (Christian Lammert)
      Zeit: Mi 12-14 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This course is uniquely positioned to integrate recent developments in U.S. politics, with a keen focus on their relevance to the upcoming presidential election. Designed for graduate students seeking to deepen their understanding of American democracy, this course will delve into the multifaceted dimensions of congressional and presidential elections. Through a rigorous examination of historical precedents, institutional frameworks, and contemporary phenomena, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the electoral processes shaping the nation's political landscape. Drawing upon recent developments in U.S. politics, including shifts in public opinion, changes in electoral laws, and the evolving role of technology and media, this course will offer critical insights into the dynamics of modern campaigns. Special emphasis will be placed on analyzing the impact of these developments on campaign strategies, voter behavior, and the broader dynamics of political competition. By integrating recent developments in U.S. politics, this course offers graduate students a unique opportunity to explore the evolving nature of American democracy in real time. Through scholarly inquiry and critical reflection, participants will be equipped to navigate the complexities of contemporary electoral dynamics and contribute to informed discourse on the future of American politics.

    • 32510 Hauptseminar
      Canadian Federalism (David Bosold)
      Zeit: Mi 08:00-10:00, zusätzliche Termine siehe LV-Details (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      In this class, we will analyze the role of the Canadian Provinces and Territories in Canadian Politics. After a brief overview of Canada’s political system and a part highlighting the differences of Canadian Federalism vis-à-vis other federal systems such as the US and Germany our main focus will be on the policy fields which are exclusively or partly governed by the Provinces. The course will feature case studies to highlight particular aspects of Canada’s policies on education, health care, natural resources, immigration and economic development. The latter includes the growing presence of Canadian Provinces in the country’s economic policy, mostly in the form of international trade offices (often co-located in Canadian embassies or consulates). In terms of course requirements, students will write a (fictitious) policy paper for a Canadian Province of their choice. This document will feature measures to reform the respective Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), the immigration schemes by which provinces can (pre-)select immigrants with permanent residence status. We will also have a session with a representative of the Québec delegation based in Germany and visit the Canadian Embassy in Berlin.

    • 32511 Hauptseminar
      Political Communication and the American Public Sphere (Curd Benjamin Knüpfer)
      Zeit: Fr 10:00-12:00 (Erster Termin: 19.04.2024)
      Ort: 319 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This MA-level seminar will provide students with an introduction to the concept of “political communication” – both as a practice as well as a sub-discipline of political science. Through readings and live online sessions, students will develop an understanding of the concept of the “public sphere” and forms of communication between political elites, news media, and citizens/the electorate. In doing so, the course seeks to outline the distinctions as well as the interaction between political rhetoric, mediated discourse, and public deliberation. The core readings will be primarily focused on US politics and the American media system. Special emphasis will be given to the ongoing transformation of a digital media environment along with the challenges this might pose for democratic governance. In response to class readings and discussions, students are meant to reflect about their own research questions and will be encouraged to actively think about how to operationalize the various concepts and dynamics addressed in the individual sessions. To obtain participation credit, course participants will be expected to take an active part in class via regular attendance (more than 70 %) and closely familiarizing themselves with all of the required reading material. This familiarity will be demonstrated by filling out an online questionnaire before each of our sessions. To obtain full credit, students must additionally present core readings, complete homework assignments, and prepare a 20-page term paper during the semester. Non-negotiable deadline for full paper submission will be August 15th. PLEASE NOTE: This class will take place in person at the JFKI. There is a limit of 35 students for this class. If you sign up but end up not taking the class, please remember to un-enroll from via the campus management system, so that others might have a chance to take your place.

    • 32612 Hauptseminar
      There's No Place Like It: Critical Queer and Feminist Theories of the Home (Alexander Niessen)
      Zeit: Fr 14:00-16:00 (Erster Termin: 19.04.2024)
      Ort: 319 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      When we speak of the notion of home, everybody will have a different conception of it. It might be a place, a feeling, a space, or other people. While this description can, or even should, be dismissed as romanticized, it is nonetheless a real phenomenon warranting sociological inquiry and theorizing. Throughout the semester, we will engage with critical theories including of the economy of the household, marriage, rural and urban spaces, and the nuclear family. We will specifically focus on the position of women, gender non-conforming, and queer people and try to understand the extent to which marginalization based on class, race, and/or gender, and critically and intersectionally assess the home as a concept deeply ingrained in capitalism, heterosexuality, and other patriarchal social structures. What role does the family home play in the proliferation of capitalism in the United States? Which groups are included or excluded in the discourses of having a home? How do ideas of love, sex, and marriage structure our physical and social infrastructures? Students will be exposed to historical and contemporary theories as tools for formulating their own inquiries, especially within but not limited to, the field of queer and feminist social theories informing relevant and adjacent areas of sociological research.

  • Politik (C) - Politikbereiche/Policy-Forschung

    0024eA4.3
    • 32510 Hauptseminar
      Canadian Federalism (David Bosold)
      Zeit: Mi 08:00-10:00, zusätzliche Termine siehe LV-Details (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      In this class, we will analyze the role of the Canadian Provinces and Territories in Canadian Politics. After a brief overview of Canada’s political system and a part highlighting the differences of Canadian Federalism vis-à-vis other federal systems such as the US and Germany our main focus will be on the policy fields which are exclusively or partly governed by the Provinces. The course will feature case studies to highlight particular aspects of Canada’s policies on education, health care, natural resources, immigration and economic development. The latter includes the growing presence of Canadian Provinces in the country’s economic policy, mostly in the form of international trade offices (often co-located in Canadian embassies or consulates). In terms of course requirements, students will write a (fictitious) policy paper for a Canadian Province of their choice. This document will feature measures to reform the respective Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), the immigration schemes by which provinces can (pre-)select immigrants with permanent residence status. We will also have a session with a representative of the Québec delegation based in Germany and visit the Canadian Embassy in Berlin.

    • 32511 Hauptseminar
      Political Communication and the American Public Sphere (Curd Benjamin Knüpfer)
      Zeit: Fr 10:00-12:00 (Erster Termin: 19.04.2024)
      Ort: 319 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This MA-level seminar will provide students with an introduction to the concept of “political communication” – both as a practice as well as a sub-discipline of political science. Through readings and live online sessions, students will develop an understanding of the concept of the “public sphere” and forms of communication between political elites, news media, and citizens/the electorate. In doing so, the course seeks to outline the distinctions as well as the interaction between political rhetoric, mediated discourse, and public deliberation. The core readings will be primarily focused on US politics and the American media system. Special emphasis will be given to the ongoing transformation of a digital media environment along with the challenges this might pose for democratic governance. In response to class readings and discussions, students are meant to reflect about their own research questions and will be encouraged to actively think about how to operationalize the various concepts and dynamics addressed in the individual sessions. To obtain participation credit, course participants will be expected to take an active part in class via regular attendance (more than 70 %) and closely familiarizing themselves with all of the required reading material. This familiarity will be demonstrated by filling out an online questionnaire before each of our sessions. To obtain full credit, students must additionally present core readings, complete homework assignments, and prepare a 20-page term paper during the semester. Non-negotiable deadline for full paper submission will be August 15th. PLEASE NOTE: This class will take place in person at the JFKI. There is a limit of 35 students for this class. If you sign up but end up not taking the class, please remember to un-enroll from via the campus management system, so that others might have a chance to take your place.

    • 15482 Seminar
      Presidential and Congressional Elections in the United States (Christian Lammert)
      Zeit: Mi 12-14 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This course is uniquely positioned to integrate recent developments in U.S. politics, with a keen focus on their relevance to the upcoming presidential election. Designed for graduate students seeking to deepen their understanding of American democracy, this course will delve into the multifaceted dimensions of congressional and presidential elections. Through a rigorous examination of historical precedents, institutional frameworks, and contemporary phenomena, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the electoral processes shaping the nation's political landscape. Drawing upon recent developments in U.S. politics, including shifts in public opinion, changes in electoral laws, and the evolving role of technology and media, this course will offer critical insights into the dynamics of modern campaigns. Special emphasis will be placed on analyzing the impact of these developments on campaign strategies, voter behavior, and the broader dynamics of political competition. By integrating recent developments in U.S. politics, this course offers graduate students a unique opportunity to explore the evolving nature of American democracy in real time. Through scholarly inquiry and critical reflection, participants will be equipped to navigate the complexities of contemporary electoral dynamics and contribute to informed discourse on the future of American politics.

  • Soziologie (A) - Soziologische Theorien Nordamerikas

    0024eA5.1
    • 32612 Hauptseminar
      There's No Place Like It: Critical Queer and Feminist Theories of the Home (Alexander Niessen)
      Zeit: Fr 14:00-16:00 (Erster Termin: 19.04.2024)
      Ort: 319 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      When we speak of the notion of home, everybody will have a different conception of it. It might be a place, a feeling, a space, or other people. While this description can, or even should, be dismissed as romanticized, it is nonetheless a real phenomenon warranting sociological inquiry and theorizing. Throughout the semester, we will engage with critical theories including of the economy of the household, marriage, rural and urban spaces, and the nuclear family. We will specifically focus on the position of women, gender non-conforming, and queer people and try to understand the extent to which marginalization based on class, race, and/or gender, and critically and intersectionally assess the home as a concept deeply ingrained in capitalism, heterosexuality, and other patriarchal social structures. What role does the family home play in the proliferation of capitalism in the United States? Which groups are included or excluded in the discourses of having a home? How do ideas of love, sex, and marriage structure our physical and social infrastructures? Students will be exposed to historical and contemporary theories as tools for formulating their own inquiries, especially within but not limited to, the field of queer and feminist social theories informing relevant and adjacent areas of sociological research.

  • Soziologie (B) - Soziale Systeme, Institutionen und Ordnungen - Sinn und Funktion

    0024eA5.2
    • 32603a Seminar
      Introducing Text Analysis with R through Political Party Manifestos from US (Osman Demirbag)
      Zeit: Mo 16:00-18:00 (Erster Termin: 15.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This research seminar guides students through the methodological frameworks for analyzing political texts as historical data, with a strong emphasis on quantitative text analysis. The course begins with an examination of the interplay between US party politics and economic policymaking from the 1840s to the present day, setting the stage for an in-depth understanding of historical sociology. Building on this historical backdrop, the seminar leads students in the systematic collection and curation of political texts, with a focus on party manifestos as pivotal sources for historical research. ----- As the course progresses, students will work with R for coding, statistical analysis, data visualization, and to implement automated text analysis techniques. Throughout the seminar, in-depth discussions will explore the successes and challenges of formal text analysis, particularly regarding interpretation and explanation in social sciences. This critical engagement will enable students to proficiently analyze the political and economic narratives within historical documents, thereby enhancing the scholarly exploration of quantifying qualitative aspects in political party research.

    • 30203 Hauptseminar
      Introduction to Comparative-historical Housing Sociology (Sebastian Kohl)
      Zeit: Di 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 203 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The housing question is back on the political agenda, with housing shortages and affordability problems surging in major cities on both sides of the Atlantic. Traditionally, sociology, political economy and welfare studies have rather neglected the study of housing markets, despite the prominence of housing in households’ budgets, wealth and its interrelatedness with education, health, gender and race. This seminar addresses this oversight by introducing into the topic in three parts: a historical introduction into housing in Europe and the US across the last century, an introduction into the different housing (policy) regimes at the national level and an introduction into the study of city-level housing phenomena. The seminar invites students to make use of empirical data to study housing phenomena in a comparative way. It should equip students with empirical knowledge on housing markets, their history and institutions as well as skills to analyze them and evaluate housing policies in current debates. Basic knowledge of a statistics software is required.

    • 32610 Seminar
      Poverty and Welfare (Markus Kienscherf)
      Zeit: Fr 10:00-12:00 (Erster Termin: 19.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      What is poverty? How is it measured? What links poverty to labor (or the lack thereof)? And what has the welfare state got to do with both poverty and labor? These are some of the broad questions that we will address in this seminar. What is more, we will discuss Victorian discourses of pauperism, the protestant work ethic, the curious notion of police power, the history of the US welfare state, Neoliberalism (and its discontents) as well as the relations between social policy and economic policy. 

    • 32611 Hauptseminar
      Bracketing Reality. Media, Intelligence and Conspiracies (Harald Wenzel)
      Zeit: Do 14:00-17:00 (Erster Termin: 30.05.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Hinweise für Studierende

      First session on May 30.

      Kommentar

      In a time when “reality” (together with “truth” and “fact”) has become a highly contested concept it seems to be necessary to engage in the attempt to ascertain its meaning. Already a century ago social theory has been aware of “multiple realities” – but now it seems that its optimism that out of this multiplicity communication can always create an enduring common sense (of reality) has been naïve – given the current political divisions, extreme belief systems and modes of disinformation. There is still “truth” in William and Dorothy Thomas’ verdict: If mean define a situation as real, it is real in its consequences.” “Reality” only exists as “interpreted”. But instead of an ideal public sphere where arguments are exchanged for preserving and fostering reason reality entrepreneurs have taken over and have created a competitive and often one-sided game for winning over the disoriented and undecided – and for hedging them in. -----

      The aim of this course is to have a closer look at the media infrastructure in question, its reality entrepreneurs, their tools and at the competition to establish “realities” and their followerships. -----

      “Bracketing reality” originally has been a philosophical effort -by phenomenology - to get at the substance of things: by excluding preconceptions and presuppositions so one would be able to arrive at a “reality” which is not tainted by them. Today it might rather be seen as the effort to preserve a particular set of prejudices and protect it from contradicting information – always in the guise of “reality” and “truth.” -----

      Recommended literature as introduction to the topic:

      Woolley, Samuel; Manufacturing Consensus. Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity, New Haven: Yale University Press 2023. -----

      Donovan, Joan; Emily Dreyfuss, Brian Friedberg, Meme Wars: the Untold Story of the Online battles Upending Democracy in America, London: Bloomsbury 2022. -----

      Due to an extended research visit the course will begin May 30. Therefore the course has longer sessions (2-5 p.m.) and additional meetings will be scheduled to catch up.

    • 32612 Hauptseminar
      There's No Place Like It: Critical Queer and Feminist Theories of the Home (Alexander Niessen)
      Zeit: Fr 14:00-16:00 (Erster Termin: 19.04.2024)
      Ort: 319 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      When we speak of the notion of home, everybody will have a different conception of it. It might be a place, a feeling, a space, or other people. While this description can, or even should, be dismissed as romanticized, it is nonetheless a real phenomenon warranting sociological inquiry and theorizing. Throughout the semester, we will engage with critical theories including of the economy of the household, marriage, rural and urban spaces, and the nuclear family. We will specifically focus on the position of women, gender non-conforming, and queer people and try to understand the extent to which marginalization based on class, race, and/or gender, and critically and intersectionally assess the home as a concept deeply ingrained in capitalism, heterosexuality, and other patriarchal social structures. What role does the family home play in the proliferation of capitalism in the United States? Which groups are included or excluded in the discourses of having a home? How do ideas of love, sex, and marriage structure our physical and social infrastructures? Students will be exposed to historical and contemporary theories as tools for formulating their own inquiries, especially within but not limited to, the field of queer and feminist social theories informing relevant and adjacent areas of sociological research.

    • 32613 Hauptseminar
      Hyper-Commodified Cities and Urban Social Movements (Mathilde Gustavussen)
      Zeit: Mo 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 15.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      After decades of neoliberal governance, cities have become thoroughly commodified, from urban space and public services to public infrastructure. In this seminar we will interrogate processes of commodification, privatization, gentrification, and financialization, how they intersect in US cities, and the consequences for urban citizens. We will also explore how urban social movements have contested such processes, focusing on their tactics and strategies, as well as the potential for radically altering what some scholars have called the “hypercommodification of urban life.”

  • Soziologie (C) - Die Erforschung des sozialen Prozesses - Problem, Konflikt, Krise

    0024eA5.3
    • 32611 Hauptseminar
      Bracketing Reality. Media, Intelligence and Conspiracies (Harald Wenzel)
      Zeit: Do 14:00-17:00 (Erster Termin: 30.05.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Hinweise für Studierende

      First session on May 30.

      Kommentar

      In a time when “reality” (together with “truth” and “fact”) has become a highly contested concept it seems to be necessary to engage in the attempt to ascertain its meaning. Already a century ago social theory has been aware of “multiple realities” – but now it seems that its optimism that out of this multiplicity communication can always create an enduring common sense (of reality) has been naïve – given the current political divisions, extreme belief systems and modes of disinformation. There is still “truth” in William and Dorothy Thomas’ verdict: If mean define a situation as real, it is real in its consequences.” “Reality” only exists as “interpreted”. But instead of an ideal public sphere where arguments are exchanged for preserving and fostering reason reality entrepreneurs have taken over and have created a competitive and often one-sided game for winning over the disoriented and undecided – and for hedging them in. -----

      The aim of this course is to have a closer look at the media infrastructure in question, its reality entrepreneurs, their tools and at the competition to establish “realities” and their followerships. -----

      “Bracketing reality” originally has been a philosophical effort -by phenomenology - to get at the substance of things: by excluding preconceptions and presuppositions so one would be able to arrive at a “reality” which is not tainted by them. Today it might rather be seen as the effort to preserve a particular set of prejudices and protect it from contradicting information – always in the guise of “reality” and “truth.” -----

      Recommended literature as introduction to the topic:

      Woolley, Samuel; Manufacturing Consensus. Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity, New Haven: Yale University Press 2023. -----

      Donovan, Joan; Emily Dreyfuss, Brian Friedberg, Meme Wars: the Untold Story of the Online battles Upending Democracy in America, London: Bloomsbury 2022. -----

      Due to an extended research visit the course will begin May 30. Therefore the course has longer sessions (2-5 p.m.) and additional meetings will be scheduled to catch up.

    • 32613 Hauptseminar
      Hyper-Commodified Cities and Urban Social Movements (Mathilde Gustavussen)
      Zeit: Mo 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 15.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      After decades of neoliberal governance, cities have become thoroughly commodified, from urban space and public services to public infrastructure. In this seminar we will interrogate processes of commodification, privatization, gentrification, and financialization, how they intersect in US cities, and the consequences for urban citizens. We will also explore how urban social movements have contested such processes, focusing on their tactics and strategies, as well as the potential for radically altering what some scholars have called the “hypercommodification of urban life.”

  • Wirtschaft (B) - US-Binnenwirtschaftspolitik

    0024eA6.2
    • 32711 Seminar
      U.S. Economic Policy - Case Studies (Max Steinhardt)
      Zeit: Mi 10:00-12:00 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 203 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This course explores key issues in contemporary US economic policy. The class combines a 2-hour introductory module, followed by a 2-hour seminar session during which we will discuss specific, empirical case studies. Attendance of both classes is mandatory. Students who have acquired only little or no knowledge in econometrics during their undergraduate studies are advised to acquire the necessary knowledge in econometrics prior to taking this course. Students in North American Studies who have acquired only little knowledge in economics during their undergraduate studies are advised to acquire the necessary knowledge in economics prior to taking this course. Topics to be covered will include poverty and inequality, fiscal policy, labor market policy, health policy, racial and ethnic discrimination, taxation, education, and political economy. Course requirements: The requirements are active participation, in-class presentation of one of the required readings and a final exam. The class will be taught in English. Please register for the course 32710-S24. As soon as the registration period has ended you will be added to the second part of the module (32711-S24.) Attendance at the first session is mandatory.

    • 32710 Hauptseminar
      U.S. Economic Policy (Max Steinhardt)
      Zeit: Di 10:00-12:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 203 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This course explores key issues in contemporary US economic policy. The class combines a 2-hour introductory module, followed by a 2-hour seminar session during which we will discuss specific, empirical case studies. Attendance of both classes is mandatory. Students who have acquired only little or no knowledge in econometrics during their undergraduate studies are advised to acquire the necessary knowledge in econometrics prior to taking this course. Students in North American Studies who have acquired only little knowledge in economics during their undergraduate studies are advised to acquire the necessary knowledge in economics prior to taking this course. Topics to be covered will include poverty and inequality, fiscal policy, labor market policy, health policy, racial and ethnic discrimination, taxation, education, and political economy. Course requirements: The requirements are active participation, in-class presentation of one of the required readings and a final exam. The class will be taught in English. Please register for the course 32710-S24. As soon as the registration period has ended you will be added to the second part of the module (32711-S24.) Attendance at the first session is mandatory.

  • Aktuelle Themen und Forschungsfelder der Nordamerikastudien 1

    0024eA7.1
    • 15484 Seminar
      Police and Prison Abolition in the Americas (Markus Hochmüller Markus Kienscherf)
      Zeit: Do 12-14 (Erster Termin: 18.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This seminar examines practices of policing and punishment from an abolitionist perspective. The seminar, first, provides a historical overview of abolitionist scholarship and activism from the anti-slavery movements to radical contemporary perspectives on state and society. In a second step, we discuss topics including policing and militarization; mass incarceration; urban marginality; racism and gender-based discrimination; violence and criminalization; and authoritarian neoliberalism. We will draw on case studies from the US, Latin America, and the Caribbean and advance an intersectional analytical perspective (informed by postcolonial security studies, critical theory, gender studies, critical theories on race and ethnicity, and abolitionist modes of resistance and democratic reconstruction).

    • 32115 Hauptseminar
      "I am not throwing away my shot": The Histories, Politics, and Aesthetics of the Musical Hamilton (2015) (Sebastian Jobs, Martin Lüthe)
      Zeit: Di 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The object of this seminar is to critically engage with the musical/musical film Hamilton composed (and realized) by Lin-Manuel Miranda to wide critical acclaim and general success. We will utilize the musical to inspire discussions and analyses of the history of the Early American Republic as well as discussions pertaining to the cultural work and the overall aesthetics of the musical (film) for our day and age. Hamilton can arguably be regarded as a cornerstone and reference point in the general re-vitalization of the musical as a quintessential American genre, but has also contributed to the debates regarding the status of the Early American Republic within U.S. public history.

    • 32116 Hauptseminar
      Celebrity Tycoons: Cultures of Regulation in Capitalism (Martin Lüthe, Julia Püschel)
      Zeit: Fr 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 19.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This course provides a comprehensive examination of the role of technology tycoons in contemporary capitalism, with a particular focus on the cultures of regulation that surround their activities. Utilizing interdisciplinary approaches, students will explore the economic and cultural dimensions of tech entrepreneurship, innovation, and regulation (in particular). Topics covered include the rise of tech giants and their public image, market dominance, regulatory frameworks, cultural influences on regulation and innovation, and the implications for society. Students will gain an overview of the relationship between tech tycoons, regulation, and capitalism. The course incorporates a mix of theoretical frameworks, empirical research, case studies, and in-class discussions to engage students in critical thinking and analysis

    • 32614 Hauptseminar
      Sites of Labor: Factory, Plantation, Office, Household (James Dorson, Markus Kienscherf)
      Zeit: Do 10:00-12:00 (Erster Termin: 18.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      In this seminar we will analyze historical and contemporary sites of labor from a broad interdisciplinary perspective. We will draw on both literary and social scientific representations of labor to discuss how labor processes have been (and continue to be) conceived, configured, constructed, and contested in and through the spaces and temporalities of factory, plantation, office, and household.

  • Aktuelle Themen und Forschungsfelder der Nordamerikastudien 2

    0024eA7.2
    • 15484 Seminar
      Police and Prison Abolition in the Americas (Markus Hochmüller Markus Kienscherf)
      Zeit: Do 12-14 (Erster Termin: 18.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This seminar examines practices of policing and punishment from an abolitionist perspective. The seminar, first, provides a historical overview of abolitionist scholarship and activism from the anti-slavery movements to radical contemporary perspectives on state and society. In a second step, we discuss topics including policing and militarization; mass incarceration; urban marginality; racism and gender-based discrimination; violence and criminalization; and authoritarian neoliberalism. We will draw on case studies from the US, Latin America, and the Caribbean and advance an intersectional analytical perspective (informed by postcolonial security studies, critical theory, gender studies, critical theories on race and ethnicity, and abolitionist modes of resistance and democratic reconstruction).

    • 32115 Hauptseminar
      "I am not throwing away my shot": The Histories, Politics, and Aesthetics of the Musical Hamilton (2015) (Sebastian Jobs, Martin Lüthe)
      Zeit: Di 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The object of this seminar is to critically engage with the musical/musical film Hamilton composed (and realized) by Lin-Manuel Miranda to wide critical acclaim and general success. We will utilize the musical to inspire discussions and analyses of the history of the Early American Republic as well as discussions pertaining to the cultural work and the overall aesthetics of the musical (film) for our day and age. Hamilton can arguably be regarded as a cornerstone and reference point in the general re-vitalization of the musical as a quintessential American genre, but has also contributed to the debates regarding the status of the Early American Republic within U.S. public history.

    • 32116 Hauptseminar
      Celebrity Tycoons: Cultures of Regulation in Capitalism (Martin Lüthe, Julia Püschel)
      Zeit: Fr 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 19.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This course provides a comprehensive examination of the role of technology tycoons in contemporary capitalism, with a particular focus on the cultures of regulation that surround their activities. Utilizing interdisciplinary approaches, students will explore the economic and cultural dimensions of tech entrepreneurship, innovation, and regulation (in particular). Topics covered include the rise of tech giants and their public image, market dominance, regulatory frameworks, cultural influences on regulation and innovation, and the implications for society. Students will gain an overview of the relationship between tech tycoons, regulation, and capitalism. The course incorporates a mix of theoretical frameworks, empirical research, case studies, and in-class discussions to engage students in critical thinking and analysis

    • 32614 Hauptseminar
      Sites of Labor: Factory, Plantation, Office, Household (James Dorson, Markus Kienscherf)
      Zeit: Do 10:00-12:00 (Erster Termin: 18.04.2024)
      Ort: 340 Hörsaal (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      In this seminar we will analyze historical and contemporary sites of labor from a broad interdisciplinary perspective. We will draw on both literary and social scientific representations of labor to discuss how labor processes have been (and continue to be) conceived, configured, constructed, and contested in and through the spaces and temporalities of factory, plantation, office, and household.

  • Kolloquium Nordamerikastudien

    0024eA8.1
    • 15551 Colloquium
      Colloquium Political Science (Lora Anne Viola)
      Zeit: Di 10-12 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The MA colloquium reviews the basics of research design and provides constructive feedback for developing the MA thesis. During the colloquium students will present and workshop drafts of their own work and provide feedback on the projects of other participants.

    • 30231 Colloquium
      MA-Colloquium Sociology (Sebastian Kohl)
      Zeit: Di 16:00-18:00 (Erster Termin: 16.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The colloquium addresses students who are preparing their master thesis and equips them with some basic knowledge on questions of research design. Students will learn how to write a research proposal and will mainly be given a forum to present and discuss their work in progress in order to receive feedback.

    • 32214 Colloquium
      M.A. Colloquium Literature/Culture (James Dorson)
      Zeit: Mi 12:00-14:00 (Erster Termin: 17.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      This colloquium is primarily designed for M.A. students getting ready to write a thesis and complete the same within the next semester. If you are not ready to prepare yourself for this task, you should not yet sign up for this course.

    • 32410 Colloquium
      MA Colloquium History (Jessica Gienow-Hecht)
      Zeit: Mo 18:00-20:00 (Erster Termin: 15.04.2024)
      Ort: 201 Seminarraum (Lansstr. 7 / 9)

      Kommentar

      The research colloquium has three purposes: 1. Guest Lectures feature a diverse number of guest speakers presenting their own research, some of whom will be selected by the course participants themselves. 2. M.A. thesis Workshops convene several times in small group sessions for M.A. thesis candidates to discuss writing and research skills as well as the progress of individual projects. 3. Text Workshops offer the opportunity to peruse and discuss, in greater depth, recent key texts in history, notably the history of North America. 4. Excursions offer the opportunity to visit historical conventions, sites and museums. Course: This colloquium is primarily designed for M.A. students preparing to write a thesis and complete the same within this or the next semester. Beyond that, all students interested in history and related issues are welcome. Course requirements: • Active and regular participation in class is a requirement: Please be familiar with, and ready to discuss: o required readings for class o introductions of individual guest speakers • online and in-class presentation of questions and research proposal, composition & in-class presentation of proposal (3-5 pp, plus table of contents & bibliography, due one week prior to the last session) o Participants will comment on a fellow student’s proposal in writing and in class during the last session (post comments online 24 hours after the last session).

    • 32712 Colloquium
      MA-Colloquium Economics (Max Steinhardt)
      Zeit: Do 10:00-12:00 (Erster Termin: 18.04.2024)
      Ort: keine Angabe

  • Module ohne Lehrangebot in diesem Semester

    3 Module
    • Wirtschaft (A) - Nordamerikanische Wirtschaftspolitik in historischer Dimension 0024eA6.1
    • Wirtschaft (C) - US-Außenwirtschaftspolitik 0024eA6.3
    • Aktuelle Themen und Forschungsfelder der Nordamerikastudien 3 0024eA7.3