Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Creative Writing: Poetry, Short Fiction, and Beyond. Englisch ab B2.2 (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Maria Moss

Termin:
wöchentlich | Dienstag | 12:15 - 15:45 | 12.10.2020 - 29.01.2021 | Online-Veranstaltung

Inhalt: Interested in awakening your creative spirit and discovering your potential for equally creative output? This seminar puts theory into practice by offering a variety of exercises to ignite ideas, experiment with literary styles and genres as well as give and receive constructive criticism in peer-editing sessions. This seminar will help you develop your own style and voice when writing poetry, flash fiction, vignettes, and a short story or part of a drama. While students will use the Cisneros “snapshot approach” to writing vignettes (e.g. expressing a certain moment, mood, character, or object while creating an atmosphere, not a story), they will initially write traditional Japanese Haikus before moving on to the great modernists, such as Robert Frost and W.C. Williams. In the end, students will have a portfolio (for lack of a better name), consisting of 3 Haikus, 3 pieces of short fiction, and 3 poems.

Dramatize This! Writing and Performing for the Stage and Screen. Englisch ab B2.2 (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Maryann Henck

Termin:
wöchentlich | Mittwoch | 14:15 - 17:45 | 12.10.2020 - 29.01.2021 | Online-Veranstaltung

Inhalt: This seminar is not just for drama kings and queens, but for anyone interested in the link between written and spoken words in general as well as composing and performing dialogues in specific. By examining excerpts from plays, sitcoms, and dramadies, we will explore possibilities for transforming stories into dramatic scenarios. In the following sessions, we will experiment with creative writing techniques that will help you craft dialogues for your own dramatic scenario. The seminar will consist of group peer-editing sessions as well as individual appointments to support you during the creative process. Of course, drama is meant to be performed. Therefore, at the end of the semester, you will be expected to translate your dramatic scenarios into a final mini-performance, e.g. on stage, as street theater, or in sitcom/dramedy format.

The Art of Debate: The Rhetoric of Disagreement. Englisch B2.2 (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Paul Lauer

Termin:
wöchentlich | Donnerstag | 14:15 - 17:45 | 12.10.2020 - 29.01.2021 | Online-Veranstaltung

Inhalt: In this seminar you will have the opportunity to develop the rhetorical and linguistic skills needed for critical and argumentative reasoning. Debating is not about scoring points and "smashing" your opponents with irrefutable arguments. Instead, I hope we are all interested in learning how to debate as a means to find insight into issues of deep importance to us. It is, if you will, an opportunity to leave your “bubble” and question your most deeply held beliefs. Substantial research and preparation will be involved in preparing your final debate.

U.S.-Canadian Relations: An Uneasy Balance. (Modul 2, Profil NAS) (FSL) (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Andreas Hübner, Maria Moss

Termin:
wöchentlich | Freitag | 14:15 - 15:45 | 16.10.2020 - 29.01.2021 | Online-Veranstaltung

Inhalt: This seminar will focus on the relationship between Canada and the United States and illuminate important contrasts such as the following: revolution in the U.S. vs. intensified relations with England in Canada; the U.S. as a Puritan society vs. Canada as a trapper and trader society; the U.S. as a superpower and world police vs. Canada as a member of the commonwealth; and last but not least, the vastly differing literary expressions in both countries.

Working with Eco-Critical Texts. Englisch ab B2 (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Maria Moss

Termin:
wöchentlich | Mittwoch | 14:15 - 17:45 | 12.10.2020 - 29.01.2021 | Online-Veranstaltung

Inhalt: In this seminar we will study various facets of eco critical expression. We will examine how different approaches - narrative and otherwise - reflect the way nature and environment in general as well as different environmental issues in particular (such as pollution, deforestation, and the loss of species) are dealt with in society. In order to do justice to the ethical and political dimensions of environmentalism, we will discuss current eco-critical hotspots in the Anglo-American world and beyond. Special attention will be given to the aspect of "critical animal studies."

Writing With Style: Discovering Your Academic Voice in English. Englisch ab B2 (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Sabrina Völz

Termin:
wöchentlich | Freitag | 12:15 - 15:45 | 12.10.2020 - 29.01.2021 | Online-Veranstaltung

Inhalt: Ready for a challenge? Feel like giving your writing and speaking skills a fine-tuning? Do you want to find out more about the potential benefits and limitations of digital writing tools, while gaining a deeper understanding of academic writing? If so, then this course might be the course for you. Each participant will gain experience working with a variety of academic texts that can help writers to improve their writing style, editing, and revision skills. Due to the heterogeneity of seminar participants, the instructor will assist students in developing their own writing style and mentor them on an individual basis. Furthermore, academic writing does not have to be boring, mechanical, or dry. Thus, we will take a closer look at sentence variety, voice, and the creative use of language. These are topics that digital writing tools, such as Grammarly, have not yet mastered. We will also discuss the current controversy surrounding cultural appropriation, cancel culture, and Winnetou. Among other resources, we will analyze the documentary "Searching for Winnetou" (2018) by award-winning Canadian writer, journalist, and playwright, Drew Hayden Taylor, a member of Curve Lake First Nations. He will hopefully be joining us this semester live and in person.