Fachbereich 05: Sprache, Literatur, Kultur - Anglistik - Master of Arts (Studienbeginn bis Sommersemester 2020)

This research seminar aims to collaboratively develop a theory of the monstrous based on literary and medial representations of the monstrous and select secondary readings. The monster is a recurring motif of embodied difference – be it of collective cultural anxieties of or obsessions with otherness. The monstrous transgresses boundaries of social normativity and morality, and straddles the liminal space of lure and repulsion. In contemporary literature, film, and other media, these transgressions raise question of queer body politics, but also work at the intersections of race and disability.
Departing from existing research on the monster in antiquity, the middles ages and early modernity, students in this seminar will explore the monstrous other and its various reincarnations in literature, film, and other media to develop a theory of the monstrous in contemporary fiction. Students will examine the recurrence of the monstrous and its adaptations in popular culture and investigate its various functions as expressions of, e.g., fear of contagion, racism, gender and sexuality.
Readings include: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Aliya Whiteley’s The Beauty, Sadia Quraeshi Shepard’s Monsters, and Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water.

Please note: Once registered on Flex.now you will be added to the Stud.IP course at the beginning of the lecture period.

Narratives fundamentally shape our lives – how we see ourselves, others, and the world. Not only do narratives help us make sense of past experience by giving them shape, they guide how we experience the present moment, and how we envision the future. In short, narrative structures inform our thinking and perception. In queer theory, however, the logic of narrative has caused a certain suspicion: narrative is seen as a normalising tool, a patriarchal instrument that defines and upholds traditional forms of masculinity and femininity. If narratives are inherently heteronormative, can there be such a thing as queer narrative?
In order to establish an understanding of this ‘antinarrative’ position in queer studies, we will take a closer look at what ‘narrative’ means, what it looks like in but also outside of literature, and how it functions as an interdisciplinary concept. We will examine the ways certain plot structures and character constellations convey heteronormative values, who is awarded a happy ending and who gets to tell the story. Perhaps the most interesting question, however, is whether narrative can be queered and what that can look like. Queer narratives can be expected to subvert conventional storylines and challenge traditional narrative forms, which makes them intriguing texts to read – and particularly fruitful subjects of analysis (which will give us ample opportunity to hone our reading skills!).
In this course, the queer critique of narrative will serve as a starting point to an introduction to narrative theory as well as queer theory and some of its key concepts. The concern with the normative aspects of narrative is not only relevant to a queer perspective, but can be extended to narrative’s functions in our society and culture more generally. Moreover, questions of queerness also frequently invite the engagement with other key concepts of cultural theory, such as postcolonialism and race. In particular, this course is interested in the varied and multifold potential of narratives for individuals and communities, as well as in the more specific potential of literature and other narrative media.
We will read two novels in this class, and discuss some further examples (you are welcome to also make suggestions). Please get your own copy of the two novels before the beginning of the term. Further reading will be made available during the semester.
Jackie Kay, Trumpet (1998)
Jordie Rosenberg, Confessions of the Fox (2018)
Content note: Kay’s Trumpet features deeply transphobic characters and their use of language. A confrontation with this can be avoided by reading only selected chapters of the novel. Please get in touch with me for more detailed instructions, if you want to make use of this option.

This research seminar aims to collaboratively develop a theory of the monstrous based on literary and medial representations of the monstrous and select secondary readings. The monster is a recurring motif of embodied difference – be it of collective cultural anxieties of or obsessions with otherness. The monstrous transgresses boundaries of social normativity and morality, and straddles the liminal space of lure and repulsion. In contemporary literature, film, and other media, these transgressions raise question of queer body politics, but also work at the intersections of race and disability.
Departing from existing research on the monster in antiquity, the middles ages and early modernity, students in this seminar will explore the monstrous other and its various reincarnations in literature, film, and other media to develop a theory of the monstrous in contemporary fiction. Students will examine the recurrence of the monstrous and its adaptations in popular culture and investigate its various functions as expressions of, e.g., fear of contagion, racism, gender and sexuality.
Readings include: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Aliya Whiteley’s The Beauty, Sadia Quraeshi Shepard’s Monsters, and Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water.

Please note: Once registered on Flex.now you will be added to the Stud.IP course at the beginning of the lecture period.

Narratives fundamentally shape our lives – how we see ourselves, others, and the world. Not only do narratives help us make sense of past experience by giving them shape, they guide how we experience the present moment, and how we envision the future. In short, narrative structures inform our thinking and perception. In queer theory, however, the logic of narrative has caused a certain suspicion: narrative is seen as a normalising tool, a patriarchal instrument that defines and upholds traditional forms of masculinity and femininity. If narratives are inherently heteronormative, can there be such a thing as queer narrative?
In order to establish an understanding of this ‘antinarrative’ position in queer studies, we will take a closer look at what ‘narrative’ means, what it looks like in but also outside of literature, and how it functions as an interdisciplinary concept. We will examine the ways certain plot structures and character constellations convey heteronormative values, who is awarded a happy ending and who gets to tell the story. Perhaps the most interesting question, however, is whether narrative can be queered and what that can look like. Queer narratives can be expected to subvert conventional storylines and challenge traditional narrative forms, which makes them intriguing texts to read – and particularly fruitful subjects of analysis (which will give us ample opportunity to hone our reading skills!).
In this course, the queer critique of narrative will serve as a starting point to an introduction to narrative theory as well as queer theory and some of its key concepts. The concern with the normative aspects of narrative is not only relevant to a queer perspective, but can be extended to narrative’s functions in our society and culture more generally. Moreover, questions of queerness also frequently invite the engagement with other key concepts of cultural theory, such as postcolonialism and race. In particular, this course is interested in the varied and multifold potential of narratives for individuals and communities, as well as in the more specific potential of literature and other narrative media.
We will read two novels in this class, and discuss some further examples (you are welcome to also make suggestions). Please get your own copy of the two novels before the beginning of the term. Further reading will be made available during the semester.
Jackie Kay, Trumpet (1998)
Jordie Rosenberg, Confessions of the Fox (2018)
Content note: Kay’s Trumpet features deeply transphobic characters and their use of language. A confrontation with this can be avoided by reading only selected chapters of the novel. Please get in touch with me for more detailed instructions, if you want to make use of this option.

This lecture provides an overview of British literary history, one novel at a time. We will begin in the 18th century with Daniel Defoe, who is often credited with writing the first English novel, and end in the 21st century with Bernardine Evaristo, the first ever Black writer to have received the most prestigious British literary prize, the Booker. In between these two authors, we will move through the most important literary epochs and movements, from Romanticism, the Victorian Age, Modernism, Postmodernism and what lies beyond, to look at famous literary works and Britain’s most important authors. This approach also allows us to touch on questions of canon formation, and to think about the selection processes in the literary field that, still today, shape the reading lists of schools and universities. As the title suggests, we won’t read only books written by dead white men, but they will be prominently represented. The lecture will also touch on important approaches of literary studies, key concepts and literary theories that have shaped our understanding of the discussed novels. Take this lecture if you want to get an overview of British literary history, and idea of how the style of writing changed throughout the centuries, and to hear a little bit about the prominent cultural, social, and political concerns that provide the backgrounds of the different novels.
Among the texts discussed in this lecture are Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders (1722), Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818), Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847), Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1899), Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway (1925), Julian Barnes, England, England (1998), and Bernardine Evaristo, Girl, Woman, Other (2019).

“Literature for Social Change!”, “Changing the World – One Book at a Time!”, “The Power of the Pen.”

Bold claims have been made about the power literature has on societies. But what constitutes the relation between literature and society?
This interdisciplinary research seminar explores the intersection of literature and sociology in its various shapes and lines of thought. From the sociology of literature, to literary sociology, to theorising the social through literature – this research seminar provides students with an introduction to the literature’s dynamic relation to the social and social sciences. Students will engage with key figures and texts in the sociology of literature and social theory as well as closely read literary fiction and nonfiction in light of the theoretical concepts and approaches discussed. The course invites students to engage with sociological concepts such as social stratification and cultural hegemony, while analysing the ways in which literature both reflects and influences the social world. Readings will span historical periods and genres, including works from diverse cultural perspectives, encouraging students to think critically about the intersections of narrative form and social life.
This research seminar places special emphasis on literary representations of work (wage labour, care work, and artistic work), but also on the role of cultural productions in (re)producing the social and the economic.

Please note: Once registered on Flex.now you will be added to the Stud.IP course at the beginning of the lecture period.

This research seminar aims to collaboratively develop a theory of the monstrous based on literary and medial representations of the monstrous and select secondary readings. The monster is a recurring motif of embodied difference – be it of collective cultural anxieties of or obsessions with otherness. The monstrous transgresses boundaries of social normativity and morality, and straddles the liminal space of lure and repulsion. In contemporary literature, film, and other media, these transgressions raise question of queer body politics, but also work at the intersections of race and disability.
Departing from existing research on the monster in antiquity, the middles ages and early modernity, students in this seminar will explore the monstrous other and its various reincarnations in literature, film, and other media to develop a theory of the monstrous in contemporary fiction. Students will examine the recurrence of the monstrous and its adaptations in popular culture and investigate its various functions as expressions of, e.g., fear of contagion, racism, gender and sexuality.
Readings include: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Aliya Whiteley’s The Beauty, Sadia Quraeshi Shepard’s Monsters, and Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water.

Please note: Once registered on Flex.now you will be added to the Stud.IP course at the beginning of the lecture period.

In this course, we will deal with a particularly exciting genre of Victorian literature, the sensation novel. In the 1860s, this quickly rising new genre caused more than just a stir in the literary scene. It came upon the Victorian literary landscape like an earthquake that shook and tumbled about its power structures, moralities and value system. Against this background, the genre of the sensation novel offers us a particularly interesting and insightful perspective into just that – Victorian society and the values at its core that kept the boundaries between class, gender, and race intact. In particular, we will look at the way these values shape the idea of femininity/masculinity and family as the social institutions that lie at the heart of Victorian society.
In this class, we will read a famous example of the Victorian sensation novel vis-à-vis a Neo- (or sometimes also called Retro-) Victorian novel that challenges the Victorian take on gender, sexuality, and morality. Comparing these two novels, we might be able to understand a bit better the allure of this genre, but also the danger that it emanated, which caused so many debates among Victorian critics. The course offers an introduction to the genre of the sensation novel, as well as a repetition of the most important tools and concepts of literary analysis, and will give you an opportunity to hone your narratological skills. It will also provide an introduction into feminist literary criticism and key concepts of gender studies.
We will read two novels in this class, and discuss some further examples (you are welcome to also make suggestions). Please get your own copy of these novels before the beginning of term.
Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret (1865)
Sarah Waters, Fingersmith (2002)
Further reading will be made available during the semester.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period: Written exam: February 13, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period: Written exam: February 13, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

In many EFL classrooms in Germany, teachers use textbooks complemented by electronic materials and media to promote student learning and achievement. Adopting a communicative language teaching perspective, this course focuses on developing competencies and skills essential to evaluating, adapting, creating and – ultimately – using English language learning and teaching resources.


Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 10, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period: Written exam: February 13, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period: Written exam: February 13, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

In many EFL classrooms in Germany, teachers use textbooks complemented by electronic materials and media to promote student learning and achievement. Adopting a communicative language teaching perspective, this course focuses on developing competencies and skills essential to evaluating, adapting, creating and – ultimately – using English language learning and teaching resources.


Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 10, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

What contribution can English language education make to the aspirational and ambitious project of education for sustainability and global citizenship? This seminar provides space to explore the intersection of sustainability education, global citizenship education, and the English language classroom. Against the background of what constitutes quality education according to the UN and SDG4.7, it will touch on questions of, among others, socio-environmental justice, human rights and peace, cultural diversity, and their respective education. We will discuss how critical, cosmopolitan, hopeful pedagogy may be implemented in the language classroom to not only develop communicative competences, but also empower learners as change agents and global citizens.

Dates:
18.10.2024: 10a.m.-2p.m. (on-site session)
3 online modules
07.02.2025: 10a.m.-4p.m. (on-site session)

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: tbc

Registration: Flex-Now

This is a TEFLhybrid course: http://www.uni-giessen.de/faculties/f05/engl/tefl/teflhybrid

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 10, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

In order to communicate in English, learners need to acquire a broad range of lexico-grammatical competences and skills. For instance, they need to learn the meanings of words, how they are pronounced and written, and how they are used in combination with other words to produce and understand text (in the broadest sense of the term). Based on current national and international research, this course looks at vocabulary learning and instruction from a theme-based perspective. Its central aims are a) to familiarize participants with current concepts and models of lexico-grammatical learning, and b) to advance their professional expertise in teaching vocabulary in thematically based EFL sequences, focusing on secondary schools.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 11, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

This is a TEFLhybrid course: http://www.uni-giessen.de/faculties/f05/engl/tefl/teflhybrid

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 10, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

Current research indicates that fluency is a neglected component of instruction and learning in the EFL classroom. This raises a number of issues and questions: (a) what does fluency mean, and what does it mean to EFL teachers and learners? (b) how familiar are teachers with research findings in foreign language fluency? (c) how confident are teachers in promoting fluency in class? (d) how do they actually go about promoting fluency in the classroom? (e) what practices and formats of interaction are most likely to contribute to fluency development in the EFL classroom? In this course, participants will gain a detailed understanding of fluency and systematic fluency development in various EFL classroom settings. Special emphasis will be given to fostering productive and receptive oral fluency through creative practice and improvisation at the secondary school level.


Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 10, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

Project-oriented learning refers to communicative classroom settings which are enquiry-, discovery-, task- and solution-oriented. It is also associated with authentic ‘real-life’ encounters with English speakers from around the world (oral or written, face-to-face or virtual, etc.). In this seminar, specific attention is given to the central theoretical and practical aspects of conceptualizing and implementing sustainability education in project-oriented EFL settings. Student learning and work in this course will itself be informed by project-based principles, such as the development of differentiated task learning, learning with course-external relevance, task- and project-based assessment, etc. All participants will be required to develop a sustainability project of their choice in teams and present it toward the end of this course.
Please note that this course will be conducted in an asynchronous, computer-mediated virtual format predominantly. Since asynchronous online courses are not conducted live and in-person, participants are not required to be logged in at the same time as everyone else, for instance, to attend virtual lectures or participate in video conferences and chat sessions. Instead, the instructor will distribute coursework through a virtual learning management system (i.e. StudIP, usually at the beginning of each week). Participants can complete the provided writing assignments and tasks at their own paces, adhering to the deadlines requested by the instructor (usually at the end of each week). This means that they can log on whenever they want, completing the coursework as they would like during each weekly block of learning.
This is a TEFLhybrid Course: http://www.uni-giessen.de/faculties/f05/engl/tefl/teflhybrid

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 7, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

Sustainability and the EFL Classroom: Teaching Climate Fiction

Sustainability has to be regarded as one of the key terms in educational contexts and finds representation in the learning objectives of education for sustainable development goals published by the UNESCO. In the context of global challenges, foreign language learning plays a pivotal role: Not only in terms of communication, but also in form of education for peace, inter-/transcultural learning and personal growth of the learners. Literary texts in general and fictional texts in particular offer learning opportunities that meet the objectives of sustainable development. The seminar is thus designed to introduce principles and models that promote critical thinking, meaning-making and language proficiency of learners working with climate fiction in the EFLC.

Reading:
A digital reader will be available at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA


Credit:
Teacher Education Programme:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, a teaching proposal
Graded: Regular attendance, written exam
Anglophone Studies MA Programme:
Regular attendance, written exam

Exam period: tba

Registration: Flex-Now

Teaching Short Stories

Working with authentic literature in the English as a foreign language classroom fosters inter-/transcultural, communicative as well as literary competences of learners of all age groups. In order to explore this potential, the seminar is designed to provide an overview of didactic and methodological principles of literature in foreign language learning and teaching. In addition to working with suitable text types and designing tasks and activities accordingly, communicative meaning-making, personal growth of learners and language proficiency in the EFLC will be of interest.

Reading:
A digital reader will be available at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA


Credit:
Teacher Education Programme:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, a teaching proposal
Graded: Regular attendance, written exam
Anglophone Studies MA Programme:
Regular attendance, written exam

Exam period: tba

Registration: Flex-Now

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period: Written exam: February 13, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

In many EFL classrooms in Germany, teachers use textbooks complemented by electronic materials and media to promote student learning and achievement. Adopting a communicative language teaching perspective, this course focuses on developing competencies and skills essential to evaluating, adapting, creating and – ultimately – using English language learning and teaching resources.


Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 10, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

What contribution can English language education make to the aspirational and ambitious project of education for sustainability and global citizenship? This seminar provides space to explore the intersection of sustainability education, global citizenship education, and the English language classroom. Against the background of what constitutes quality education according to the UN and SDG4.7, it will touch on questions of, among others, socio-environmental justice, human rights and peace, cultural diversity, and their respective education. We will discuss how critical, cosmopolitan, hopeful pedagogy may be implemented in the language classroom to not only develop communicative competences, but also empower learners as change agents and global citizens.

Dates:
18.10.2024: 10a.m.-2p.m. (on-site session)
3 online modules
07.02.2025: 10a.m.-4p.m. (on-site session)

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: tbc

Registration: Flex-Now

This is a TEFLhybrid course: http://www.uni-giessen.de/faculties/f05/engl/tefl/teflhybrid

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 10, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

In order to communicate in English, learners need to acquire a broad range of lexico-grammatical competences and skills. For instance, they need to learn the meanings of words, how they are pronounced and written, and how they are used in combination with other words to produce and understand text (in the broadest sense of the term). Based on current national and international research, this course looks at vocabulary learning and instruction from a theme-based perspective. Its central aims are a) to familiarize participants with current concepts and models of lexico-grammatical learning, and b) to advance their professional expertise in teaching vocabulary in thematically based EFL sequences, focusing on secondary schools.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 11, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

This is a TEFLhybrid course: http://www.uni-giessen.de/faculties/f05/engl/tefl/teflhybrid

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 10, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

Current research indicates that fluency is a neglected component of instruction and learning in the EFL classroom. This raises a number of issues and questions: (a) what does fluency mean, and what does it mean to EFL teachers and learners? (b) how familiar are teachers with research findings in foreign language fluency? (c) how confident are teachers in promoting fluency in class? (d) how do they actually go about promoting fluency in the classroom? (e) what practices and formats of interaction are most likely to contribute to fluency development in the EFL classroom? In this course, participants will gain a detailed understanding of fluency and systematic fluency development in various EFL classroom settings. Special emphasis will be given to fostering productive and receptive oral fluency through creative practice and improvisation at the secondary school level.


Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 10, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

Project-oriented learning refers to communicative classroom settings which are enquiry-, discovery-, task- and solution-oriented. It is also associated with authentic ‘real-life’ encounters with English speakers from around the world (oral or written, face-to-face or virtual, etc.). In this seminar, specific attention is given to the central theoretical and practical aspects of conceptualizing and implementing sustainability education in project-oriented EFL settings. Student learning and work in this course will itself be informed by project-based principles, such as the development of differentiated task learning, learning with course-external relevance, task- and project-based assessment, etc. All participants will be required to develop a sustainability project of their choice in teams and present it toward the end of this course.
Please note that this course will be conducted in an asynchronous, computer-mediated virtual format predominantly. Since asynchronous online courses are not conducted live and in-person, participants are not required to be logged in at the same time as everyone else, for instance, to attend virtual lectures or participate in video conferences and chat sessions. Instead, the instructor will distribute coursework through a virtual learning management system (i.e. StudIP, usually at the beginning of each week). Participants can complete the provided writing assignments and tasks at their own paces, adhering to the deadlines requested by the instructor (usually at the end of each week). This means that they can log on whenever they want, completing the coursework as they would like during each weekly block of learning.
This is a TEFLhybrid Course: http://www.uni-giessen.de/faculties/f05/engl/tefl/teflhybrid

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 7, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

Sustainability and the EFL Classroom: Teaching Climate Fiction

Sustainability has to be regarded as one of the key terms in educational contexts and finds representation in the learning objectives of education for sustainable development goals published by the UNESCO. In the context of global challenges, foreign language learning plays a pivotal role: Not only in terms of communication, but also in form of education for peace, inter-/transcultural learning and personal growth of the learners. Literary texts in general and fictional texts in particular offer learning opportunities that meet the objectives of sustainable development. The seminar is thus designed to introduce principles and models that promote critical thinking, meaning-making and language proficiency of learners working with climate fiction in the EFLC.

Reading:
A digital reader will be available at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA


Credit:
Teacher Education Programme:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, a teaching proposal
Graded: Regular attendance, written exam
Anglophone Studies MA Programme:
Regular attendance, written exam

Exam period: tba

Registration: Flex-Now

Teaching Short Stories

Working with authentic literature in the English as a foreign language classroom fosters inter-/transcultural, communicative as well as literary competences of learners of all age groups. In order to explore this potential, the seminar is designed to provide an overview of didactic and methodological principles of literature in foreign language learning and teaching. In addition to working with suitable text types and designing tasks and activities accordingly, communicative meaning-making, personal growth of learners and language proficiency in the EFLC will be of interest.

Reading:
A digital reader will be available at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA


Credit:
Teacher Education Programme:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, a teaching proposal
Graded: Regular attendance, written exam
Anglophone Studies MA Programme:
Regular attendance, written exam

Exam period: tba

Registration: Flex-Now

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period: Written exam: February 13, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

In many EFL classrooms in Germany, teachers use textbooks complemented by electronic materials and media to promote student learning and achievement. Adopting a communicative language teaching perspective, this course focuses on developing competencies and skills essential to evaluating, adapting, creating and – ultimately – using English language learning and teaching resources.


Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: February 10, 2025

Registration: Flex-Now

What contribution can English language education make to the aspirational and ambitious project of education for sustainability and global citizenship? This seminar provides space to explore the intersection of sustainability education, global citizenship education, and the English language classroom. Against the background of what constitutes quality education according to the UN and SDG4.7, it will touch on questions of, among others, socio-environmental justice, human rights and peace, cultural diversity, and their respective education. We will discuss how critical, cosmopolitan, hopeful pedagogy may be implemented in the language classroom to not only develop communicative competences, but also empower learners as change agents and global citizens.

Dates:
18.10.2024: 10a.m.-2p.m. (on-site session)
3 online modules
07.02.2025: 10a.m.-4p.m. (on-site session)

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: tbc

Registration: Flex-Now

Sustainability and the EFL Classroom: Teaching Climate Fiction

Sustainability has to be regarded as one of the key terms in educational contexts and finds representation in the learning objectives of education for sustainable development goals published by the UNESCO. In the context of global challenges, foreign language learning plays a pivotal role: Not only in terms of communication, but also in form of education for peace, inter-/transcultural learning and personal growth of the learners. Literary texts in general and fictional texts in particular offer learning opportunities that meet the objectives of sustainable development. The seminar is thus designed to introduce principles and models that promote critical thinking, meaning-making and language proficiency of learners working with climate fiction in the EFLC.

Reading:
A digital reader will be available at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA


Credit:
Teacher Education Programme:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, a teaching proposal
Graded: Regular attendance, written exam
Anglophone Studies MA Programme:
Regular attendance, written exam

Exam period: tba

Registration: Flex-Now

Teaching Anglophone Cultures: Focus on Texas

The study of culture and intercultural communication are central points of interest of teaching English as a foreign language. Throughout the semester, we will focus on the anglophone cultures relevant for the EFL classroom and represented in many course books. By looking at literary texts (print and audio-visual), expository texts, cultural products and course book texts we will plan, structure as well as evaluate teaching units and lessons incorporating literary, cultural and language-related learning. We will also engage in project work together with students from university of Klagenfurt (A) and high school students for us to put theoretical insights into practice.

Reading:
A digital reader will be available at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA


Credit:
Teacher Education Programme:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, a teaching proposal
Graded: Regular attendance, written exam
Anglophone Studies MA Programme:
Regular attendance, written exam

Exam period: tba

Registration: Flex-Now

Teaching Short Stories

Working with authentic literature in the English as a foreign language classroom fosters inter-/transcultural, communicative as well as literary competences of learners of all age groups. In order to explore this potential, the seminar is designed to provide an overview of didactic and methodological principles of literature in foreign language learning and teaching. In addition to working with suitable text types and designing tasks and activities accordingly, communicative meaning-making, personal growth of learners and language proficiency in the EFLC will be of interest.

Reading:
A digital reader will be available at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA


Credit:
Teacher Education Programme:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, a teaching proposal
Graded: Regular attendance, written exam
Anglophone Studies MA Programme:
Regular attendance, written exam

Exam period: tba

Registration: Flex-Now

What contribution can English language education make to the aspirational and ambitious project of education for sustainability and global citizenship? This seminar provides space to explore the intersection of sustainability education, global citizenship education, and the English language classroom. Against the background of what constitutes quality education according to the UN and SDG4.7, it will touch on questions of, among others, socio-environmental justice, human rights and peace, cultural diversity, and their respective education. We will discuss how critical, cosmopolitan, hopeful pedagogy may be implemented in the language classroom to not only develop communicative competences, but also empower learners as change agents and global citizens.

Dates:
18.10.2024: 10a.m.-2p.m. (on-site session)
3 online modules
07.02.2025: 10a.m.-4p.m. (on-site session)

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA

First semester MA students are required to take part in an online orientation session prior to the semester start. Please contact Nadine.Traughber@anglistik.uni-giessen.de for registration.

Required Reading:
A comprehensive course bibliography will be made available on Stud.IP.

Credit:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, active participation in class
Graded: Regular attendance, active participation in class; written exam

Exam period:
Written exam: tbc

Registration: Flex-Now

Sustainability and the EFL Classroom: Teaching Climate Fiction

Sustainability has to be regarded as one of the key terms in educational contexts and finds representation in the learning objectives of education for sustainable development goals published by the UNESCO. In the context of global challenges, foreign language learning plays a pivotal role: Not only in terms of communication, but also in form of education for peace, inter-/transcultural learning and personal growth of the learners. Literary texts in general and fictional texts in particular offer learning opportunities that meet the objectives of sustainable development. The seminar is thus designed to introduce principles and models that promote critical thinking, meaning-making and language proficiency of learners working with climate fiction in the EFLC.

Reading:
A digital reader will be available at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA


Credit:
Teacher Education Programme:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, a teaching proposal
Graded: Regular attendance, written exam
Anglophone Studies MA Programme:
Regular attendance, written exam

Exam period: tba

Registration: Flex-Now

Teaching Anglophone Cultures: Focus on Texas

The study of culture and intercultural communication are central points of interest of teaching English as a foreign language. Throughout the semester, we will focus on the anglophone cultures relevant for the EFL classroom and represented in many course books. By looking at literary texts (print and audio-visual), expository texts, cultural products and course book texts we will plan, structure as well as evaluate teaching units and lessons incorporating literary, cultural and language-related learning. We will also engage in project work together with students from university of Klagenfurt (A) and high school students for us to put theoretical insights into practice.

Reading:
A digital reader will be available at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA


Credit:
Teacher Education Programme:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, a teaching proposal
Graded: Regular attendance, written exam
Anglophone Studies MA Programme:
Regular attendance, written exam

Exam period: tba

Registration: Flex-Now

Teaching Short Stories

Working with authentic literature in the English as a foreign language classroom fosters inter-/transcultural, communicative as well as literary competences of learners of all age groups. In order to explore this potential, the seminar is designed to provide an overview of didactic and methodological principles of literature in foreign language learning and teaching. In addition to working with suitable text types and designing tasks and activities accordingly, communicative meaning-making, personal growth of learners and language proficiency in the EFLC will be of interest.

Reading:
A digital reader will be available at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites:
Teacher Education Programme: Successful completion of Moduls TEFL I and TEFL II.
Anglophone Studies MA Programme: BA


Credit:
Teacher Education Programme:
Ungraded: Regular attendance, a teaching proposal
Graded: Regular attendance, written exam
Anglophone Studies MA Programme:
Regular attendance, written exam

Exam period: tba

Registration: Flex-Now

“Literature for Social Change!”, “Changing the World – One Book at a Time!”, “The Power of the Pen.”

Bold claims have been made about the power literature has on societies. But what constitutes the relation between literature and society?
This interdisciplinary research seminar explores the intersection of literature and sociology in its various shapes and lines of thought. From the sociology of literature, to literary sociology, to theorising the social through literature – this research seminar provides students with an introduction to the literature’s dynamic relation to the social and social sciences. Students will engage with key figures and texts in the sociology of literature and social theory as well as closely read literary fiction and nonfiction in light of the theoretical concepts and approaches discussed. The course invites students to engage with sociological concepts such as social stratification and cultural hegemony, while analysing the ways in which literature both reflects and influences the social world. Readings will span historical periods and genres, including works from diverse cultural perspectives, encouraging students to think critically about the intersections of narrative form and social life.
This research seminar places special emphasis on literary representations of work (wage labour, care work, and artistic work), but also on the role of cultural productions in (re)producing the social and the economic.

Please note: Once registered on Flex.now you will be added to the Stud.IP course at the beginning of the lecture period.

Narratives fundamentally shape our lives – how we see ourselves, others, and the world. Not only do narratives help us make sense of past experience by giving them shape, they guide how we experience the present moment, and how we envision the future. In short, narrative structures inform our thinking and perception. In queer theory, however, the logic of narrative has caused a certain suspicion: narrative is seen as a normalising tool, a patriarchal instrument that defines and upholds traditional forms of masculinity and femininity. If narratives are inherently heteronormative, can there be such a thing as queer narrative?
In order to establish an understanding of this ‘antinarrative’ position in queer studies, we will take a closer look at what ‘narrative’ means, what it looks like in but also outside of literature, and how it functions as an interdisciplinary concept. We will examine the ways certain plot structures and character constellations convey heteronormative values, who is awarded a happy ending and who gets to tell the story. Perhaps the most interesting question, however, is whether narrative can be queered and what that can look like. Queer narratives can be expected to subvert conventional storylines and challenge traditional narrative forms, which makes them intriguing texts to read – and particularly fruitful subjects of analysis (which will give us ample opportunity to hone our reading skills!).
In this course, the queer critique of narrative will serve as a starting point to an introduction to narrative theory as well as queer theory and some of its key concepts. The concern with the normative aspects of narrative is not only relevant to a queer perspective, but can be extended to narrative’s functions in our society and culture more generally. Moreover, questions of queerness also frequently invite the engagement with other key concepts of cultural theory, such as postcolonialism and race. In particular, this course is interested in the varied and multifold potential of narratives for individuals and communities, as well as in the more specific potential of literature and other narrative media.
We will read two novels in this class, and discuss some further examples (you are welcome to also make suggestions). Please get your own copy of the two novels before the beginning of the term. Further reading will be made available during the semester.
Jackie Kay, Trumpet (1998)
Jordie Rosenberg, Confessions of the Fox (2018)
Content note: Kay’s Trumpet features deeply transphobic characters and their use of language. A confrontation with this can be avoided by reading only selected chapters of the novel. Please get in touch with me for more detailed instructions, if you want to make use of this option.

“Literature for Social Change!”, “Changing the World – One Book at a Time!”, “The Power of the Pen.”

Bold claims have been made about the power literature has on societies. But what constitutes the relation between literature and society?
This interdisciplinary research seminar explores the intersection of literature and sociology in its various shapes and lines of thought. From the sociology of literature, to literary sociology, to theorising the social through literature – this research seminar provides students with an introduction to the literature’s dynamic relation to the social and social sciences. Students will engage with key figures and texts in the sociology of literature and social theory as well as closely read literary fiction and nonfiction in light of the theoretical concepts and approaches discussed. The course invites students to engage with sociological concepts such as social stratification and cultural hegemony, while analysing the ways in which literature both reflects and influences the social world. Readings will span historical periods and genres, including works from diverse cultural perspectives, encouraging students to think critically about the intersections of narrative form and social life.
This research seminar places special emphasis on literary representations of work (wage labour, care work, and artistic work), but also on the role of cultural productions in (re)producing the social and the economic.

Please note: Once registered on Flex.now you will be added to the Stud.IP course at the beginning of the lecture period.

Narratives fundamentally shape our lives – how we see ourselves, others, and the world. Not only do narratives help us make sense of past experience by giving them shape, they guide how we experience the present moment, and how we envision the future. In short, narrative structures inform our thinking and perception. In queer theory, however, the logic of narrative has caused a certain suspicion: narrative is seen as a normalising tool, a patriarchal instrument that defines and upholds traditional forms of masculinity and femininity. If narratives are inherently heteronormative, can there be such a thing as queer narrative?
In order to establish an understanding of this ‘antinarrative’ position in queer studies, we will take a closer look at what ‘narrative’ means, what it looks like in but also outside of literature, and how it functions as an interdisciplinary concept. We will examine the ways certain plot structures and character constellations convey heteronormative values, who is awarded a happy ending and who gets to tell the story. Perhaps the most interesting question, however, is whether narrative can be queered and what that can look like. Queer narratives can be expected to subvert conventional storylines and challenge traditional narrative forms, which makes them intriguing texts to read – and particularly fruitful subjects of analysis (which will give us ample opportunity to hone our reading skills!).
In this course, the queer critique of narrative will serve as a starting point to an introduction to narrative theory as well as queer theory and some of its key concepts. The concern with the normative aspects of narrative is not only relevant to a queer perspective, but can be extended to narrative’s functions in our society and culture more generally. Moreover, questions of queerness also frequently invite the engagement with other key concepts of cultural theory, such as postcolonialism and race. In particular, this course is interested in the varied and multifold potential of narratives for individuals and communities, as well as in the more specific potential of literature and other narrative media.
We will read two novels in this class, and discuss some further examples (you are welcome to also make suggestions). Please get your own copy of the two novels before the beginning of the term. Further reading will be made available during the semester.
Jackie Kay, Trumpet (1998)
Jordie Rosenberg, Confessions of the Fox (2018)
Content note: Kay’s Trumpet features deeply transphobic characters and their use of language. A confrontation with this can be avoided by reading only selected chapters of the novel. Please get in touch with me for more detailed instructions, if you want to make use of this option.