552.330 (19S) Issues in Literature: Raking the Muck – Stories that Changed America
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
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
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 schemePosition 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
-
9.1 Issues in Literature (
0.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
-
Subject: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftlich ausgerichtetes Wahlfach
(Compulsory elective)
- 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
-
10.1 Freie Kombination (
0.0h SE / 12.0 ECTS)
-
Subject: Freie Kombination
(Compulsory elective)
- 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)
-
Issues in Literature (
2.0h SE / 7.0 ECTS)
-
Subject: Literature
(Compulsory elective)