|
Instructors: Dr. Michael Lörch
Event type:
Proseminar
Displayed in timetable as:
06.008.0031
Hours per week:
2
Credits:
6,0
Language of instruction:
Englisch
Min. | Max. participants:
- | 30
Priority scheme: Senatsrichtlinie zzgl. Bevorzugung höherer Fachsemester
Requirements / organisational issues:
This course is open for students who attend their first proseminar and those who have more experience. It is designed to provide new insights for everyone.
Active participation in discussions, online forums, exercises etc. are a requirement for passing this course. Students taking this class as a Proseminar will write a 14-page term paper on a question gradually developed during the semester. Students taking this class as a Übung will write a short essay or dossier. You will receive more information in our first session.
The topic of the term paper/essay will be developed and (peer) feedbacked at several stages throughout the semester.
The course language is English.
Contents:
In 2021, the long-running TV show American Horror Story received a spin-off under the name of American Horror Stories. Every episode had its own topic, much like an anthology of short stories. This can be the occasion to look into the history of the horror element in American short fiction.
This seminar will look at the development of horror stories in North American literature from the early 19th century to today. We will read short stories across genres such as American Gothic, weird fiction, ghost stories, and queer horror and from authors such as E.A. Poe, Edith Wharton, H.P. Lovecraft, Ambrose Bierce, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, and Carmen Maria Machado. We will analyze these stories to identify general trends and see if there is more to them than only the aim of scaring their readers. Adaptations of these stories in film and TV and the theory of the short story will also be considered.
Recommended reading list:
Over the semester, you are expected to read at least one short story per week (10-25 pages). They will be uploaded as pdfs on moodle before the semester starts. I will also upload a detailed syllabus on moodle by early April, which also contains the short stories that you must have read before the semester starts. If you want to do some additional preparation, I encourage you to (re-)read or (re-)watch any book/film/comic/series related to the topic.
Digital teaching:
The seminar will be an in-person course.
|
