Risk, Danger, Catastrophe

The German sociologist Ulrich Beck caused a rethinking of the notion of risk in the context of what he calls today's "risk society." According to him, one reason for the abundance of risk narratives in Western cultures is a sense of insecurity in the face of ongoing processes of modernization; the fear of losing control is fought by repeatedly staging victory and survival against all odds. The American Studies scholar Jeanne Cortiel stresses that texts which speak of risk have a fascination with visualization, and the visualization of bodies in danger draws the viewers' attention. We will analyze the spectacular presentation of humans, nature, and the world in danger that can be found in texts from genres such as aesthetic theory, science fiction, melodrama, the disaster movie, as well as ecological dystopias from the end of the 18th to the 21st century.

There will be obligatory film viewing sessions on some Tuesdays starting at 4:15 p.m.

The theory will be made use of in extensive group presentations which will be introduced, discussed, and developed cooperatively, with the whole seminar group.