Studies
British Literary Studies
British Literary Studies explores British and Anglophone literature from the 18th century to the present, yet it also examines examples of early modern literature (e. g. the works of William Shakespeare and metaphysical poetry). It covers the analysis of classical literary genres (poetry, drama, narrative literature), theatre productions, literary adaptations and poetry performances as well as graphic novels and fantastic literature, Young Adult Literature, life writing and autobiographical storytelling across different media.
British Literary Studies regularly offers courses on 18th-, 19th-, 20th-century and contemporary literature as well as courses on literary gender studies, Anglophone literature and literary theory.
British Cultural Studies
British Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores the cultural practices, social norms, and historical contexts that shape British and Irish societies in a global context. It examines a wide range of media, literature, and popular cultural texts to understand how they reflect on, generate and influence societal values and power dynamics. This discipline often involves critical analyses of class, race and gender within the context of British history and contemporary life. Through this lens, scholars seek to uncover the ways in which cultural artifacts and practices inform and reflect on the lived experiences of people in Great Britain and Ireland in a global context.
Courses regularly offered typically cover a broad range of topics, including the examination of British and Anglophone literature, history, and social issues. Students explore key cultural developments, the evolution of national identities, and the impact of British and Irish cultural output on a global scale.
Lectures and ‘Proseminare’ introduce students to basic terms and methods of literary (drama, narrative and poetry) analysis (esp. close reading), to the mediated nature of literary and cultural texts, the relationship between literary subjects and forms, the study of British and postcolonial / Anglophone literatures as well as literary history.
Lectures:
Introduction to British Literary Studies
Introduction to British Cultural Studies
Our current 'Proseminare' can be found here.
‘Hauptseminare’ (courses attended in the second stage of degree programmes) enable students to specialize, deepen and consolidate their expertise in the analysis of complex literary texts from the perspective of a broad range of approaches within literary theory (e. g. classical and postclassical narratology, reader response criticism) and interdisciplinary forms of literary criticism, e. g. literary gender and queer studies, postcolonial studies, intermedial studies, cultural geography, literary discourse analysis and literary disability and affect studies.
Our 'Hauptseminare' can be found here.