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Vorheriges Semester
Reforming Literature: The Progressive Era
DozentIn: Jatin Wagle
Veranstaltungstyp: Seminar
Ort: 41/112
Zeiten: Do. 14:00 - 16:00 (wöchentlich)
Beschreibung: In his novel, _Iron Heel_ (1908), Jack London describes a “society in so terrific flux” as never before, as “swift changes in our industrial system are causing equally swift changes in our religious, political, and social structures. An unseen and fearful revolution is taking place in the fiber and structure of society”. While mapping a fictional world that is about to fall prey to tyranny, the novel is also describing an age of economic reorganization associated with the advent of Taylorism in the industries and unfettered urbanization. In response, in the dying decades of the nineteenth century, movements and voices advocating resistance and social equality as well as temperance and regulation ushered in what came to be known as the Progressive Era. Although profoundly shaped by the workers’, women’s and African-Americans’ movements toward equality and civil rights, this age is also marked by rise in xenophobic rhetoric against immigration and a racist backlash against the economic and political gains made by African Americans during the Reconstruction period. In this course in American studies, we will explore the “reforming” of American narrative fiction as it responded to these unprecedented economic and social developments and accompanied the movements for social reform.
In order to take and enjoy this class, you should be willing to read, analyze, and discuss historical, analytical and filmic texts, as well as texts of narrative fiction. Please note that this course can be taken as either a Literary Studies or a Cultural Studies course. Furthermore, this seminar is recommended for fourth and fifth semester students of English and American Studies, as it builds on students’ sound awareness and understanding of critical approaches to the study of literature.
We will be discussing the following primary texts intensively in our course:
Sarah Orne Jewett, _The Country of the Pointed Firs_ (1896)
Upton Sinclair, _The Jungle_ (1906)
Please procure print or eBook versions and start reading them. Several free or low-cost editions of these texts could be available. Please see to it that your editions are complete and usable in classroom discussions. Recommended editions: Orne Jewett, _The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories_ [Penguin, 1995, ISBN: 9780140434767], Sinclair, _The Jungle_ [Penguin, 2015, ISBN: 9780451472557].
This course shares requirements and guidelines with all other American Studies courses taught at IfAA. The “American Studies Tool Kit” in the Stud.IP “Files” section outlines these requirements and guidelines. Please see the “Guidelines for Seminar Papers” for information on the formal requirements for the final paper. The “Abbreviations Key” and “Grading Rubric” are used in the grading and feedback process and will enable you to better judge your own paper even before handing it in. Please check the course webpages on Stud.IP regularly for updates announcements, and changes.
Prerequisites for participation: B1 module
