552.330 (19S) Issues in Literature: Raking the Muck – Stories that Changed America

Sommersemester 2019

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First course session
11.03.2019 12:00 - 14:00 N.0.45 On Campus
... no further dates known

Overview

Lecturer
Course title german Issues in Literature: Raking the Muck – Stories that Changed America
Type Seminar (continuous assessment course )
Hours per Week 2.0
ECTS credits 6.0
Registrations 9 (25 max.)
Organisational unit
Language of instruction English
Course begins on 11.03.2019
eLearning Go to Moodle course

Time and place

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Course Information

Course content

The title for this course was inspired by Carl Jensen’s book “Stories That Changed America – Muckrakers of the 20th Century”, an anthology of “individuals, journalists and other social reformers, whose words helped to change the course of history and improve life for others” (Jensen 2000, 20). Ever since the late 19th century, such writers have exposed social and political ills in an effort to effect social reform in the face of obstacles and while taking great personal and financial risks. This course focuses on representative works from this category including Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” (1906) as a representative work of the original group of early 20th century muckrakers, Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” (1962), which is deemed to have initiated the environmental movement during the 1960s, and  Frances Moore Lappè’s “Diet for a Small Planet” (1971), that changed attitudes towards food and democracy. Contemporary examples of “investigative journalism” include Laura Poitras’s documentary “Citizenfour” (2011) on Edward Snowden and Will Potter’s “Green is the new Red” (2011) on the repression faced by environmental and animal rights activists and threats to post 9/11 civil liberties.

Literature

will be announced in the course and available on Moodle

Examination information

Im Fall von online durchgeführten Prüfungen sind die Standards zu beachten, die die technischen Geräte der Studierenden erfüllen müssen, um an diesen Prüfungen teilnehmen zu können.

Examination methodology

student participation as requirement, test, written assignments, seminar paper (the specifics will be announced at the beginning of the course)

Grading scheme

Grade / Grade grading scheme

Position in the curriculum

  • Bachelor's degree programme English and American Studies (SKZ: 612, Version: 15W.3)
    • Subject: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftlich ausgerichtetes Wahlfach (Compulsory elective)
      • 9.1 Issues in Literature ( 0.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
        • 552.330 Issues in Literature: Raking the Muck – Stories that Changed America (2.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
          Absolvierung im 4., 5. Semester empfohlen
  • Bachelor's degree programme English and American Studies (SKZ: 612, Version: 15W.3)
    • Subject: Freie Kombination (Compulsory elective)
      • 10.1 Freie Kombination ( 0.0h SE / 12.0 ECTS)
        • 552.330 Issues in Literature: Raking the Muck – Stories that Changed America (2.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
          Absolvierung im 5., 6. Semester empfohlen
  • Bachelor's degree programme English and American Studies (SKZ: 612, Version: 10W.3)
    • Subject: Literature (Compulsory elective)
      • Issues in Literature ( 2.0h SE / 7.0 ECTS)
        • 552.330 Issues in Literature: Raking the Muck – Stories that Changed America (2.0h SE / 7.0 ECTS)

Equivalent courses for counting the examination attempts

This course is not assigned to a sequence of equivalent courses