Literaturgeschichte (Literary History)

How can the study of culture, and specifically of literature, help us understand and react to ecological crisis? How is the discourse around the extraction and consumption of resources shaped by the representation of energy in narrative texts, and vice versa? These are just some of the questions that Environmental and Energy Humanities pose, and that we will seek to follow in this seminar. Focusing primarily on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, we will interrogate how North American fiction stages representations of energy, environment(s), and their interrelationship. Readings to be announced.

This course explores the relationships between media environments and human culture. We will survey the development of technology, language, culture, and consciousness in the context of notable ideological, political, social developments throughout modern and contemporary history. By discussing readings from Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, Zeynep Tufecki, Katherine Hayles, and more, we will work on developing new understandings of how media environments can shape our thoughts and practices. This course invites experimental sessions to experience and reflect upon how different mediums impact the ways we interact as human communities.

This seminar examines the interrelation between African American art and literature, and Black protest movements from the 1920s to the present. How have artistic and literary expressions been employed as tools of resistance to advocate for equal rights, challenge societal norms and foster cultural identity? We will explore different forms of creative resistance and artistic activism from the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement to the Black Lives Matter Movement and beyond. Ultimately, the objective of the seminar will be to develop a deeper understanding of the possibilities and limitations of the role of art and literature in respective protest movements.