2009 BM2 Introduction to Anglophone Cultural Studies, Part 2

• Annika McPherson
• Christina Meyer
• Julia Meier
• Olaf Simons

See for part 1: 2008-09 BM2 Introduction to Anglophone Cultural Studies, Part 1

Tutors/Turorials

• User:Jasmin Bashale
• User:Florian Gubisch
• User:Mark Lehoucka
• User:Manuel Saralidis

Session: Organisation and Introduction

• Methods and principles in Cultural Studies,
• explaining the outline of this course
• Text: Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustav Vassa, the African, Written By Himself. 1789
• close reading of frontmatter & beginning of first chapter; structure of the book
• “Nationallizenzen” and ECCO

Homework

• Vol. I, Ch. V-VI,
• Vol. II, Chaps. IX-X
• close readings

Session: Text Analysis

• discussing the mandatory readings

Session: Historical Contextualization

• clarifying the frameworks
• group work (material distributed in class)

Homework

• Research – where can I find material?

• Group 1: open access (e.g. the Internet),
• Group 2: limited access (e.g. online databases),
• Group 3: on campus library,
• Group 4: inter-library loan

Session: Research Methods

Handout

• Literary and Cultural Studies:Research guide

Exercises & Discussions

• Evaluating the quality of research methods and materials
• Research Exercise: GVK Plus

Homework

• read the following article: Carretta, Vincent. “Defining a Gentlman: The Status of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa.” Language Sciences 22 (2000): 385-399.

Session: How to Read Secondary Literature

Handouts

• Understanding Research
• Literary and Cultural Studies:Writing academic texts

Exercises & Discussions

• Vincent Carretta's article

1. structure
2. argumentation
3. how does the text deal with primary text?
4. how doe the article deal with a discussion that has evolved around the Equiano narrative?
5. how do I position myself with respect to the article

Assignment 1: DEADLINE: MAY 19, 2009

• Compile a Bibliography of secondary research on Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustav Vassa, the African, Written By Himself. 1789

1. Give a structured analysis of this bibliography:

• Are there noticeable temporal gaps - remarkable intervals of no research?
• Is it possible to connect topics of research to individual decades?

1. Select and digest one article of this list

• Try to place the article in the overview you gave in question one
• Give a brief summary of its content and main argument

Session: New Perspectives on Equiano

Exercises & Discussions

• Embedding Equiano in the concepts and approaches of Postcolonial Studies, Diaspora (e.g. Paul Gilroy, The Black Atlantic)

Session: 9/11 Naudet Brothers, Media Screening, May 19, 2009

ATTENTION: mandatory for everybody Room will be announced!

Session: Documentary Film

Handout

• Film Analysis

Exercises & Discussions

• Close analysis
• Medium “documentary film” – compared to “feature film”; finding a definition; narrative structure? art? fiction?

Homework

• Background reading

Session: Representations of 9/11

Handout

• Link

Exercises & Discussions

• Literature, film, artworks, photography…how does ‘culture’ deal with 9/11

Homework

• Probing research methods – what can I find out about critical discussions on these events?

Session: Discourse

Handout

• Link

Exercises & Discussions

• Roland Barthes and the Mythologies
• Reading and discussing 3 short articles
• 5 examples (e.g. photographic images)

Session: Constructing/-edness of a Discourse

Handout

• Discourse Analysis

Exercises & Discussions

• How is a discourse of terror(ism) formed? The terrorist themselves; media; reception
• Comparative analysis of British newspapers
• Goal of the discourse formation ?

Homework

• to be announced

Session: From Public to Academic Debates

Handout

• Link

Exercises & Discussions

• The terror attacks in the framework of multiculturalism
• Developing theses/statements
• Structure of an (argumentative) essay

Homework

• to be announced

Session: Round-up

Handout

• Literary and Cultural Studies:Writing academic texts

Exercises & Discussions

• Preparations for Assignment 2
• Evaluation, feedback

Assignment 2: DEADLINE: August 01, 2009