Lehrende/r: Ronald Walker
Veranstaltungsart: Proseminar
Anzeige im Stundenplan: 06.008.0031
Semesterwochenstunden: 2
Credits: 6,0
Unterrichtssprache: Englisch
Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl: - | 35
Prioritätsschema: Senatsrichtlinie zzgl. Bevorzugung höherer Fachsemester Zulassung gemäß Richtlinie über den Zugang zu teilnahmebeschränkten Lehrveranstaltungen vom 07. März 2007. Nähere Informationen hierzu entnehmen Sie bitte www.info.jogustine.uni-mainz.de/senatsrichtlinieÜber die Senatsrichtlinie hinaus werden bei der Platzvergabe für diese Veranstaltung Studierende höherer Fachsemester bevorzugt berücksichtigt.
Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches: Texts to be read for the seminar will be made available on Ilias. An essay of 2,500 words is to be submitted at the end of semester. Group presentations are a required part of the course. Assessment will be on the basis of the essay and class participation. Along with the study there will also be an opportunity for some practical experience. An English walk in the nearby Palatinate Forest will be organized one Sunday for all who are interested.
Inhalt: "My God is the God of Walkers" "I haven't got any special religion this morning. My God is the God of Walkers. If you walk hard enough, you probably don't need any other god." Bruce Chatwin "What is it about walking, in particular, that makes it so amenable to thinking and writing? The answer begins with changes to our chemistry. When we go for a walk, the heart pumps faster, circulating more blood and oxygen not just to the muscles but to all the organs—including the brain. Many experiments have shown that after or during exercise, even very mild exertion, people perform better on tests of memory and attention. Walking on a regular basis also promotes new connections between brain cells, staves off the usual withering of brain tissue that comes with age, increases the volume of the hippocampus (a brain region crucial for memory), and elevates levels of molecules that both stimulate the growth of new neurons and transmit messages between them." "Why Walking Helps Us Think" (The New Yorker, September 3, 2014) During this seminar we explore will the close relationship between walking, thinking and writing discussed in this quote. With the help of texts from the past 250 years we will see how this relationship has been expressed.
Empfohlene Literatur: Texts for class reading will be provided via Ilias. You will be expected to read these in advance of class and to bring a copy of the relevant text for discussion with you to class. This can be on paper or on laptop, but not on mobile phone.
