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Instructors: Stela Dujakovic
Event type:
Seminar
Org-unit: Anglistik/Amerikanistik
Displayed in timetable as:
Hours per week:
2
Language of instruction:
Englisch
Min. | Max. participants:
- | 35
Requirements and recommendations:
Introduction to Literary Studies
Literature:
We will be using koaLA to share secondary literature and other relevant resources. You are invited to contribute to this collection of material.
Comment:
In this course, I invite you to use Matthew Weiner’s acclaimed drama series Mad Men (2007-2015) as an entry point to exploring U.S. culture and society in the 1960s. Rich in themes and symbolism, the episodes will initiate our discussion on the ways in which gender, race, class, and space are negotiated on television. Some of the issues we will address include the roles of women – both in the work place and at home – and the nuclear family, the Civil Rights Movement, the threat of a nuclear war, and the growing unrest over the Vietnam War. Additionally, we will draw on other filmic representations, as well as on selected literary texts and critical essays to discuss how a series like Mad Men “does” history.
As part of the module “Projekt und Exploration” the course will require you to also conduct some research on your own. In preparation of longer research papers, such as your B.A. theses, we will devote some time to advanced research skills, reading and writing strategies (esp. the critical reading of theoretical texts), and we will practice formulating and structuring complex arguments.
Important notes:
We will discuss credit requirements and any questions about technicalities that you might have during our first session – attendance in this session is mandatory if you wish to take the class. This class requires serious commitment on your part. If you are interested in taking the course, you need to have watched at least the first season of Mad Men before the semester begins. There will be an entrance quiz in the first session.
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