Fachbereich 05: Sprache, Literatur, Kultur - Anglistik - Bachelor of Arts (Studienbeginn ab Wintersemester 2020/21)

Welcome! This lecture serves as an introduction to cognitive literary studies (CLS). It addresses the question of how readers process literature through cognitive parameters and mechanisms that are derived from their real-world experiences. More specifically, we will discuss experientiality; the creation of mental models like storyworlds (including top-down and bottom-up processes); knowledge structures (such as frames and scripts); mechanisms of perception (figure vs. ground; primacy and recency effects); processing mechanisms (such as the principle of minimal departure, naturalization, and blending); the worlds of text-world theory; character models; theory of mind; hypothetical intentionalism; storyworld possible selves; as well as important differences between first- and second-generation approaches within cognitive literary studies. At the end of the term, we will move towards empirical literary studies (ELS) to demonstrate that empirical investigations are essential if we want to get a sense of what flesh-and-blood readers do when they process literary texts. Most of the readings will be taken from the new Routledge Companion to Literature and Cognitive Studies (ed. Alber/Schneider, 2026).

This lecture course surveys the sounds of English, primarily those of American and British accents. The lecture focuses on the characteristic articulation of English sounds (esp. speech organs, sound classes, places and manners of articulation) as well as the systems used for the phonetic description of vowels and consonants. We will also have a look at phonemes and allophonic distribution, phonological processes and connected speech phenomena such as word stress and intonation. Attention is also paid to those areas of articulation that tend to be problematic for German speakers. Students will also learn to read and broadly transcribe English sounds using International Phonetic Association (IPA) transcription.

Course book:
Lorenz, Frank. 2013. Basics of phonetics and English phonology. With IPA transcription. 2nd. ed. Berlin: Logos Verlag. (available as e-book through universitay library)

Registration:
FlexNow.

Credit:
Graded: Final exam 100%

Final exam:
- ICB and Anglophone Studies (MAP): last week of lecture period, dates tba.
- all others: 14.07.2026

This lecture course surveys the sounds of English, primarily those of American and British accents. The lecture focuses on the characteristic articulation of English sounds (esp. speech organs, sound classes, places and manners of articulation) as well as the systems used for the phonetic description of vowels and consonants. We will also have a look at phonemes and allophonic distribution, phonological processes and connected speech phenomena such as word stress and intonation. Attention is also paid to those areas of articulation that tend to be problematic for German speakers. Students will also learn to read and broadly transcribe English sounds using International Phonetic Association (IPA) transcription.

Course book:
Lorenz, Frank. 2013. Basics of phonetics and English phonology. With IPA transcription. 2nd. ed. Berlin: Logos Verlag. (available as e-book through universitay library)

Registration:
FlexNow.

Credit:
Graded: Final exam 100%

Final exam:
- ICB and Anglophone Studies (MAP): last week of lecture period, dates tba.
- all others: 16.07.2026

This course aims to develop students' communicative competence in reading and writing for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Through engagement with discipline-specific topics, students will practice decoding primary and secondary sources and articulating their ideas in academic prose that is both formally and functionally appropriate for term papers. Special attention will be given to refining mediation skills (adapting and conveying complex information to suit a specific audience’s needs) and metacognitive skills (monitoring one’s own writing process).

This course aims to develop students’ communicative competence in reading and writing for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Through engagement with discipline-specific topics, students will practice decoding primary and secondary sources and articulating their ideas in academic prose that is both formally and functionally appropriate for term papers. Special attention will be given to refining mediation skills (adapting and conveying complex information to suit a specific audience’s needs) and metacognitive skills (monitoring one’s own writing process).

This course aims to develop students’ communicative competence in reading and writing for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Through engagement with discipline-specific topics, students will practice decoding primary and secondary sources and articulating their ideas in academic prose that is both formally and functionally appropriate for term papers. Special attention will be given to refining mediation skills (adapting and conveying complex information to suit a specific audience’s needs) and metacognitive skills (monitoring one’s own writing process).

Building on Speaking and Listening I, this course aims to develop students’ communicative competence in speaking and listening for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Engaging with discipline-specific topics in cultural studies, literary criticism, education, and/or linguistics, students will continue to practice decoding aural input and effectively communicating ideas orally in an academic setting.

This advanced-level course focuses on orally mediating information from complex academic sources—both spoken and written—with a strong emphasis on audience orientation. To achieve this, special attention will be given to features of complex oral texts that facilitate aural comprehension, including register and style, coherence and cohesion, introductions, and the explication of textual support.

Building on Speaking and Listening I, this course aims to develop students’ communicative competence in speaking and listening for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Engaging with discipline-specific topics in cultural studies, literary criticism, education, and/or linguistics, students will continue to practice decoding aural input and effectively communicating ideas orally in an academic setting.

This advanced-level course focuses on orally mediating information from complex academic sources—both spoken and written—with a strong emphasis on audience orientation. To achieve this, special attention will be given to features of complex oral texts that facilitate aural comprehension, including register and style, coherence and cohesion, introductions, and the explication of textual support.

Building on Speaking and Listening I, this course aims to develop students’ communicative competence in speaking and listening for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Engaging with discipline-specific topics in cultural studies, literary criticism, education, and/or linguistics, students will continue to practice decoding aural input and effectively communicating ideas orally in an academic setting.

This advanced-level course focuses on orally mediating information from complex academic sources—both spoken and written—with a strong emphasis on audience orientation. To achieve this, special attention will be given to features of complex oral texts that facilitate aural comprehension, including register and style, coherence and cohesion, introductions, and the explication of textual support.

This course aims to develop students' communicative competence in reading and writing for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Through engagement with discipline-specific topics, students will practice decoding primary and secondary sources and articulating their ideas in academic prose that is both formally and functionally appropriate for term papers. Special attention will be given to refining mediation skills (adapting and conveying complex information to suit a specific audience’s needs) and metacognitive skills (monitoring one’s own writing process).

This course aims to develop students’ communicative competence in reading and writing for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Through engagement with discipline-specific topics, students will practice decoding primary and secondary sources and articulating their ideas in academic prose that is both formally and functionally appropriate for term papers. Special attention will be given to refining mediation skills (adapting and conveying complex information to suit a specific audience’s needs) and metacognitive skills (monitoring one’s own writing process).

This course aims to develop students’ communicative competence in reading and writing for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Through engagement with discipline-specific topics, students will practice decoding primary and secondary sources and articulating their ideas in academic prose that is both formally and functionally appropriate for term papers. Special attention will be given to refining mediation skills (adapting and conveying complex information to suit a specific audience’s needs) and metacognitive skills (monitoring one’s own writing process).

Building on Speaking and Listening I, this course aims to develop students’ communicative competence in speaking and listening for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Engaging with discipline-specific topics in cultural studies, literary criticism, education, and/or linguistics, students will continue to practice decoding aural input and effectively communicating ideas orally in an academic setting.

This advanced-level course focuses on orally mediating information from complex academic sources—both spoken and written—with a strong emphasis on audience orientation. To achieve this, special attention will be given to features of complex oral texts that facilitate aural comprehension, including register and style, coherence and cohesion, introductions, and the explication of textual support.

Building on Speaking and Listening I, this course aims to develop students’ communicative competence in speaking and listening for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Engaging with discipline-specific topics in cultural studies, literary criticism, education, and/or linguistics, students will continue to practice decoding aural input and effectively communicating ideas orally in an academic setting.

This advanced-level course focuses on orally mediating information from complex academic sources—both spoken and written—with a strong emphasis on audience orientation. To achieve this, special attention will be given to features of complex oral texts that facilitate aural comprehension, including register and style, coherence and cohesion, introductions, and the explication of textual support.

Building on Speaking and Listening I, this course aims to develop students’ communicative competence in speaking and listening for academic purposes at the C1 level of the CEFR. Engaging with discipline-specific topics in cultural studies, literary criticism, education, and/or linguistics, students will continue to practice decoding aural input and effectively communicating ideas orally in an academic setting.

This advanced-level course focuses on orally mediating information from complex academic sources—both spoken and written—with a strong emphasis on audience orientation. To achieve this, special attention will be given to features of complex oral texts that facilitate aural comprehension, including register and style, coherence and cohesion, introductions, and the explication of textual support.

This seminar examines the ways contemporary African American literature represents cultural memory, linguistic diversity, and experiences of epistemic injustice in connection with the legacy of the US Civil Rights Movement. We will investigate how authors across generations have used literary expression to comment on African American life in both historical and present-day contexts, tracing continuities between past struggles for justice and contemporary forms of activism.

Our discussions will engage with texts by writers such as Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and Jacqueline Woodson, whose works reflect evolving perspectives within African American communities and highlight the multifaceted narratives that shape the ongoing fight for civil rights. Drawing on approaches from cultural studies, memory studies, and theories of race and social justice, we will analyze how literature functions both as testimony and as a vehicle for collective remembrance.

Regular course attendance and active in-class participation are expected.

This course explores key concepts in literature, art, and aesthetic value. It introduces students to foundational questions in aesthetics and the philosophy of literature, while developing their ability to analyze and interpret literary works as forms of art. The course examines both the theory and the practice of literature, as well as the institutional conventions that shape literary reading and criticism.

The aesthetic value of literature will be considered in relation to other kinds of value, including ethical, sociological, and cognitivist approaches. The concepts of genre and medium will also be discussed in order to situate literature in relation to a range of artistic and narrative forms (e.g. horror, science fiction, comics).

Primary materials will include short stories and essays by authors who reflect on the relationship between art and the world.

This seminar will look at the cultural history of the twentieth century as seen through poetry. We will think about how history is written and what a literary genre like poetry can contribute to historiography. We will use Michael Hulse and Simon Rae’s Anthology The Twentieth Century in Poetry (Pegasus 2011) as the basis of our discussion.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel
regular attendance (max. two absences), in-class and preparatory participation (Stud. IP assignments), group presentation, research proposal, term paper/a written examination.
You are not allowed to use any AI tools for any task of the course (whether it is graded or not).

In this class, students are introduced to key poets and poetic forms of modernism. Engaging in close readings and interrogating the aesthetic theory and poetics of modernism, we will trace such trends as sprung rhythm, imagism, symbolism, tradition and modernity etc. A reader with texts will be provided through StudIP at the beginning of term.

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

This course will deal with concepts und representations of genealogy, identites and chosen families in British and American literature and culture, including William Shakespeare's "Richard the Third", Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" and Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City".

Was the will really written by the deceased or is it more likely that one of the family members faked it? Do the protocols of a murder confession represent exactly what the alleged murderer said or may the protocols have been tampered with by a police officer? Was this person drunk when he gave the interview? All these questions stem from the very heart of forensic linguistics, i.e. the usage of linguistic concepts and methods in legal contexts. In forensic linguistics, two areas are generally differentiated, i.e. the forensic linguist describing the language of law and the forensic linguist producing objective evidence based on the structures found in particular text for legal purposes.

In the course of the seminar, we will familiarise ourselves with different types of linguistic evidence – phonetic, lexical, syntactic, stylistic – in the context of legal examinations and seek to critically establish what role this type of linguistic evidence can and may be allowed to play in legal matters.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the ‘Introduction to English Linguistics’ course.

Reading: Reading material will be provided via Stud.IP.

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

Ungraded credit: Regular attendance, completion of reading and homework assignments and active participation in class.
Graded credit: In addition to the above, a final exam or a term paper.

Exam period: Final exam on 16 July 2026; deadline for term paper submission: 15 September 2026.

In this course, we will explore the fascinating intersection of language and the digital world, focusing on how the internet reshapes the way we communicate and share information.

We will look into the dynamics of online discourse, exploring how language is used in different social media contexts, such as the informal, fast-paced exchanges on Twitter/X, the visually driven communication on Instagram, and the community-oriented discussions on Reddit.

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

Second Language Acquisition

Second language acquisition has fascinated both scholars and laypeople for centuries. One of the main questions that SLA researchers have been trying to answer is how languages other than one´s native tongue are learned. Why is it so challenging for most second language learners to become as equally proficient L2 users as L1 users? What do second language learners learn and what do they not learn during the process?

Some of the topics that we will explore in the seminar will include linguistic, psycholinguistic, and neurolinguistic theories and perspectives, the role of input, interaction and output in the process of second language acquisition. We will also look at the context of language learning. For instance, what happens in a classroom setting, through interaction with native speakers or when it is supported by the use of technology. Finally, we will investigate the individual language learner and the role of aptitude, motivation and learning strategies among other things.

It is also worth pointing out that even though the seminar will focus on second language learning, it will also help us understand the complex phenomenon that each of us has experienced and as such provide valuable insights for future language teachers.

Reading: Reading material will be made available for download via Stud.IP (students will receive an access code during the first seminar session).

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

Ungraded credit: Regular attendance, active participation in class, completion of weekly reading and/or exercises, an assignment, and an oral presentation.

Graded credit: In addition to the above, a final exam or a term paper.

Exam period: Final exam on July 15, 2026.

In this course we will explore different English varieties of the Caribbean. After a brief historical overview on how English came to be spoken in the region, we will zoom in and analyze the structural peculiarities of Caribbean English(es). We will focus on both standard and non-standard varieties. By means of small group presentations, we will get to know the different countries and their Englishes. Additional aspects such as language attitudes or language education policies in the Caribbean will be discussed as well.

Ungraded: regular attendance, assigned readings, active participation in discussions, assignments, presentation.
Graded: final exam on July 13th, 2026.

Was the will really written by the deceased or is it more likely that one of the family members faked it? Do the protocols of a murder confession represent exactly what the alleged murderer said or may the protocols have been tampered with by a police officer? Was this person drunk when he gave the interview? All these questions stem from the very heart of forensic linguistics, i.e. the usage of linguistic concepts and methods in legal contexts. In forensic linguistics, two areas are generally differentiated, i.e. the forensic linguist describing the language of law and the forensic linguist producing objective evidence based on the structures found in particular text for legal purposes.

In the course of the seminar, we will familiarise ourselves with different types of linguistic evidence – phonetic, lexical, syntactic, stylistic – in the context of legal examinations and seek to critically establish what role this type of linguistic evidence can and may be allowed to play in legal matters.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the ‘Introduction to English Linguistics’ course.

Reading: Reading material will be provided via Stud.IP.

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

Ungraded credit: Regular attendance, completion of reading and homework assignments and active participation in class.
Graded credit: In addition to the above, a final exam or a term paper.

Exam period: Final exam on 16 July 2026; deadline for term paper submission: 15 September 2026.

In this course, we will explore the fascinating intersection of language and the digital world, focusing on how the internet reshapes the way we communicate and share information.

We will look into the dynamics of online discourse, exploring how language is used in different social media contexts, such as the informal, fast-paced exchanges on Twitter/X, the visually driven communication on Instagram, and the community-oriented discussions on Reddit.

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

Second Language Acquisition

Second language acquisition has fascinated both scholars and laypeople for centuries. One of the main questions that SLA researchers have been trying to answer is how languages other than one´s native tongue are learned. Why is it so challenging for most second language learners to become as equally proficient L2 users as L1 users? What do second language learners learn and what do they not learn during the process?

Some of the topics that we will explore in the seminar will include linguistic, psycholinguistic, and neurolinguistic theories and perspectives, the role of input, interaction and output in the process of second language acquisition. We will also look at the context of language learning. For instance, what happens in a classroom setting, through interaction with native speakers or when it is supported by the use of technology. Finally, we will investigate the individual language learner and the role of aptitude, motivation and learning strategies among other things.

It is also worth pointing out that even though the seminar will focus on second language learning, it will also help us understand the complex phenomenon that each of us has experienced and as such provide valuable insights for future language teachers.

Reading: Reading material will be made available for download via Stud.IP (students will receive an access code during the first seminar session).

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

Ungraded credit: Regular attendance, active participation in class, completion of weekly reading and/or exercises, an assignment, and an oral presentation.

Graded credit: In addition to the above, a final exam or a term paper.

Exam period: Final exam on July 15, 2026.

In this course we will explore different English varieties of the Caribbean. After a brief historical overview on how English came to be spoken in the region, we will zoom in and analyze the structural peculiarities of Caribbean English(es). We will focus on both standard and non-standard varieties. By means of small group presentations, we will get to know the different countries and their Englishes. Additional aspects such as language attitudes or language education policies in the Caribbean will be discussed as well.

Ungraded: regular attendance, assigned readings, active participation in discussions, assignments, presentation.
Graded: final exam on July 13th, 2026.

Was the will really written by the deceased or is it more likely that one of the family members faked it? Do the protocols of a murder confession represent exactly what the alleged murderer said or may the protocols have been tampered with by a police officer? Was this person drunk when he gave the interview? All these questions stem from the very heart of forensic linguistics, i.e. the usage of linguistic concepts and methods in legal contexts. In forensic linguistics, two areas are generally differentiated, i.e. the forensic linguist describing the language of law and the forensic linguist producing objective evidence based on the structures found in particular text for legal purposes.

In the course of the seminar, we will familiarise ourselves with different types of linguistic evidence – phonetic, lexical, syntactic, stylistic – in the context of legal examinations and seek to critically establish what role this type of linguistic evidence can and may be allowed to play in legal matters.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the ‘Introduction to English Linguistics’ course.

Reading: Reading material will be provided via Stud.IP.

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

Ungraded credit: Regular attendance, completion of reading and homework assignments and active participation in class.
Graded credit: In addition to the above, a final exam or a term paper.

Exam period: Final exam on 16 July 2026; deadline for term paper submission: 15 September 2026.

In this course, we will explore the fascinating intersection of language and the digital world, focusing on how the internet reshapes the way we communicate and share information.

We will look into the dynamics of online discourse, exploring how language is used in different social media contexts, such as the informal, fast-paced exchanges on Twitter/X, the visually driven communication on Instagram, and the community-oriented discussions on Reddit.

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

In this course we will explore different English varieties of the Caribbean. After a brief historical overview on how English came to be spoken in the region, we will zoom in and analyze the structural peculiarities of Caribbean English(es). We will focus on both standard and non-standard varieties. By means of small group presentations, we will get to know the different countries and their Englishes. Additional aspects such as language attitudes or language education policies in the Caribbean will be discussed as well.

Ungraded: regular attendance, assigned readings, active participation in discussions, assignments, presentation.
Graded: final exam on July 13th, 2026.

Welcome! This lecture serves as an introduction to cognitive literary studies (CLS). It addresses the question of how readers process literature through cognitive parameters and mechanisms that are derived from their real-world experiences. More specifically, we will discuss experientiality; the creation of mental models like storyworlds (including top-down and bottom-up processes); knowledge structures (such as frames and scripts); mechanisms of perception (figure vs. ground; primacy and recency effects); processing mechanisms (such as the principle of minimal departure, naturalization, and blending); the worlds of text-world theory; character models; theory of mind; hypothetical intentionalism; storyworld possible selves; as well as important differences between first- and second-generation approaches within cognitive literary studies. At the end of the term, we will move towards empirical literary studies (ELS) to demonstrate that empirical investigations are essential if we want to get a sense of what flesh-and-blood readers do when they process literary texts. Most of the readings will be taken from the new Routledge Companion to Literature and Cognitive Studies (ed. Alber/Schneider, 2026).

This course will trace the evolution of animal characters in British children’s literature from Victorian times to the present. Through close reading and comparative analysis we will discuss how animals function as mirrors and agents of empathy, social critique, and environmental stewardship, and how their portrayals shift in response to changing child‑audiences and cultural anxieties.

This seminar examines the ways contemporary African American literature represents cultural memory, linguistic diversity, and experiences of epistemic injustice in connection with the legacy of the US Civil Rights Movement. We will investigate how authors across generations have used literary expression to comment on African American life in both historical and present-day contexts, tracing continuities between past struggles for justice and contemporary forms of activism.

Our discussions will engage with texts by writers such as Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and Jacqueline Woodson, whose works reflect evolving perspectives within African American communities and highlight the multifaceted narratives that shape the ongoing fight for civil rights. Drawing on approaches from cultural studies, memory studies, and theories of race and social justice, we will analyze how literature functions both as testimony and as a vehicle for collective remembrance.

Regular course attendance and active in-class participation are expected.

This course examines the enduring legacy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula through the lenses of both literature and cinema, tracing its transformation from a 19th‑century novel to a contemporary cultural icon. We will interrogate themes of identity, sexuality, bigraphy and historythat recur across both mediums, as well as the evolving moral and cultural anxieties (and hopes) they have evoked.

This course explores key concepts in literature, art, and aesthetic value. It introduces students to foundational questions in aesthetics and the philosophy of literature, while developing their ability to analyze and interpret literary works as forms of art. The course examines both the theory and the practice of literature, as well as the institutional conventions that shape literary reading and criticism.

The aesthetic value of literature will be considered in relation to other kinds of value, including ethical, sociological, and cognitivist approaches. The concepts of genre and medium will also be discussed in order to situate literature in relation to a range of artistic and narrative forms (e.g. horror, science fiction, comics).

Primary materials will include short stories and essays by authors who reflect on the relationship between art and the world.

This seminar will look at the cultural history of the twentieth century as seen through poetry. We will think about how history is written and what a literary genre like poetry can contribute to historiography. We will use Michael Hulse and Simon Rae’s Anthology The Twentieth Century in Poetry (Pegasus 2011) as the basis of our discussion.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel
regular attendance (max. two absences), in-class and preparatory participation (Stud. IP assignments), group presentation, research proposal, term paper/a written examination.
You are not allowed to use any AI tools for any task of the course (whether it is graded or not).

In this class, students are introduced to key poets and poetic forms of modernism. Engaging in close readings and interrogating the aesthetic theory and poetics of modernism, we will trace such trends as sprung rhythm, imagism, symbolism, tradition and modernity etc. A reader with texts will be provided through StudIP at the beginning of term.

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

This course will be taught in cooperation with Bonn University and there will be a joint component on the weekend of June 26th/27th, 2026, where students take part in an intensive weekend session / student conference to be held in Bonn. Workload will be compensated but anyone taking part in this course should be prepared to possibly speak at the conference and take part in the conference in Bonn.

We will focus on ways in which Shakespeare engages with and reinvents dramatic genre and discuss how genre theory has become relevant to the study of Shakespearean drama and theatre. Students are asked to buy and read The Merchant of Venice and The Tempest (Arden edition recommended), a supplementary selection of texts and the syllabus will be made available through StudIP at the beginning of term.

This course will deal with concepts und representations of genealogy, identites and chosen families in British and American literature and culture, including William Shakespeare's "Richard the Third", Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" and Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City".

This course will trace the evolution of animal characters in British children’s literature from Victorian times to the present. Through close reading and comparative analysis we will discuss how animals function as mirrors and agents of empathy, social critique, and environmental stewardship, and how their portrayals shift in response to changing child‑audiences and cultural anxieties.

This seminar examines the ways contemporary African American literature represents cultural memory, linguistic diversity, and experiences of epistemic injustice in connection with the legacy of the US Civil Rights Movement. We will investigate how authors across generations have used literary expression to comment on African American life in both historical and present-day contexts, tracing continuities between past struggles for justice and contemporary forms of activism.

Our discussions will engage with texts by writers such as Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and Jacqueline Woodson, whose works reflect evolving perspectives within African American communities and highlight the multifaceted narratives that shape the ongoing fight for civil rights. Drawing on approaches from cultural studies, memory studies, and theories of race and social justice, we will analyze how literature functions both as testimony and as a vehicle for collective remembrance.

Regular course attendance and active in-class participation are expected.

This course examines the enduring legacy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula through the lenses of both literature and cinema, tracing its transformation from a 19th‑century novel to a contemporary cultural icon. We will interrogate themes of identity, sexuality, bigraphy and historythat recur across both mediums, as well as the evolving moral and cultural anxieties (and hopes) they have evoked.

This course explores key concepts in literature, art, and aesthetic value. It introduces students to foundational questions in aesthetics and the philosophy of literature, while developing their ability to analyze and interpret literary works as forms of art. The course examines both the theory and the practice of literature, as well as the institutional conventions that shape literary reading and criticism.

The aesthetic value of literature will be considered in relation to other kinds of value, including ethical, sociological, and cognitivist approaches. The concepts of genre and medium will also be discussed in order to situate literature in relation to a range of artistic and narrative forms (e.g. horror, science fiction, comics).

Primary materials will include short stories and essays by authors who reflect on the relationship between art and the world.

This seminar will look at the cultural history of the twentieth century as seen through poetry. We will think about how history is written and what a literary genre like poetry can contribute to historiography. We will use Michael Hulse and Simon Rae’s Anthology The Twentieth Century in Poetry (Pegasus 2011) as the basis of our discussion.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel
regular attendance (max. two absences), in-class and preparatory participation (Stud. IP assignments), group presentation, research proposal, term paper/a written examination.
You are not allowed to use any AI tools for any task of the course (whether it is graded or not).

In this class, students are introduced to key poets and poetic forms of modernism. Engaging in close readings and interrogating the aesthetic theory and poetics of modernism, we will trace such trends as sprung rhythm, imagism, symbolism, tradition and modernity etc. A reader with texts will be provided through StudIP at the beginning of term.

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

This course will be taught in cooperation with Bonn University and there will be a joint component on the weekend of June 26th/27th, 2026, where students take part in an intensive weekend session / student conference to be held in Bonn. Workload will be compensated but anyone taking part in this course should be prepared to possibly speak at the conference and take part in the conference in Bonn.

We will focus on ways in which Shakespeare engages with and reinvents dramatic genre and discuss how genre theory has become relevant to the study of Shakespearean drama and theatre. Students are asked to buy and read The Merchant of Venice and The Tempest (Arden edition recommended), a supplementary selection of texts and the syllabus will be made available through StudIP at the beginning of term.

This course will deal with concepts und representations of genealogy, identites and chosen families in British and American literature and culture, including William Shakespeare's "Richard the Third", Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" and Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City".

The internship module introduces students of the BA programme Anglophone Stduies to possible careers or fields of activity and their specific requirements. It promotes the applied relevance of the programme and serves as an orientation aid for the transition from study to work within and outside an academic work environment.
This course intends to prepare students for their internships (e.g. formalities, processes). A professional internship may be substituted for a hands-on project in English.

This seminar examines the ways contemporary African American literature represents cultural memory, linguistic diversity, and experiences of epistemic injustice in connection with the legacy of the US Civil Rights Movement. We will investigate how authors across generations have used literary expression to comment on African American life in both historical and present-day contexts, tracing continuities between past struggles for justice and contemporary forms of activism.

Our discussions will engage with texts by writers such as Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and Jacqueline Woodson, whose works reflect evolving perspectives within African American communities and highlight the multifaceted narratives that shape the ongoing fight for civil rights. Drawing on approaches from cultural studies, memory studies, and theories of race and social justice, we will analyze how literature functions both as testimony and as a vehicle for collective remembrance.

Regular course attendance and active in-class participation are expected.

This course examines the enduring legacy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula through the lenses of both literature and cinema, tracing its transformation from a 19th‑century novel to a contemporary cultural icon. We will interrogate themes of identity, sexuality, bigraphy and historythat recur across both mediums, as well as the evolving moral and cultural anxieties (and hopes) they have evoked.

This seminar will look at the cultural history of the twentieth century as seen through poetry. We will think about how history is written and what a literary genre like poetry can contribute to historiography. We will use Michael Hulse and Simon Rae’s Anthology The Twentieth Century in Poetry (Pegasus 2011) as the basis of our discussion.

In this class, students are introduced to key poets and poetic forms of modernism. Engaging in close readings and interrogating the aesthetic theory and poetics of modernism, we will trace such trends as sprung rhythm, imagism, symbolism, tradition and modernity etc. A reader with texts will be provided through StudIP at the beginning of term.

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

This course will deal with concepts und representations of genealogy, identites and chosen families in British and American literature and culture, including William Shakespeare's "Richard the Third", Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" and Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City".

This seminar examines the ways contemporary African American literature represents cultural memory, linguistic diversity, and experiences of epistemic injustice in connection with the legacy of the US Civil Rights Movement. We will investigate how authors across generations have used literary expression to comment on African American life in both historical and present-day contexts, tracing continuities between past struggles for justice and contemporary forms of activism.

Our discussions will engage with texts by writers such as Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and Jacqueline Woodson, whose works reflect evolving perspectives within African American communities and highlight the multifaceted narratives that shape the ongoing fight for civil rights. Drawing on approaches from cultural studies, memory studies, and theories of race and social justice, we will analyze how literature functions both as testimony and as a vehicle for collective remembrance.

Regular course attendance and active in-class participation are expected.

This course examines the enduring legacy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula through the lenses of both literature and cinema, tracing its transformation from a 19th‑century novel to a contemporary cultural icon. We will interrogate themes of identity, sexuality, bigraphy and historythat recur across both mediums, as well as the evolving moral and cultural anxieties (and hopes) they have evoked.

This seminar will look at the cultural history of the twentieth century as seen through poetry. We will think about how history is written and what a literary genre like poetry can contribute to historiography. We will use Michael Hulse and Simon Rae’s Anthology The Twentieth Century in Poetry (Pegasus 2011) as the basis of our discussion.

In this class, students are introduced to key poets and poetic forms of modernism. Engaging in close readings and interrogating the aesthetic theory and poetics of modernism, we will trace such trends as sprung rhythm, imagism, symbolism, tradition and modernity etc. A reader with texts will be provided through StudIP at the beginning of term.

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

This course will deal with concepts und representations of genealogy, identites and chosen families in British and American literature and culture, including William Shakespeare's "Richard the Third", Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" and Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City".

In this course, you will develop your skills in effective and professional communication for international business contexts. You will learn how to plan messages, choose the appropriate style and tone, and adapt your language to different audiences and situations.

Throughout the semester, you will work on short oral and written tasks — such as presentations, emails, memos, and reports — to practice various communicative approaches (direct vs. indirect, routine vs. non-routine, informative, persuasive, bad news, etc.), registers (formal vs. informal, familiar vs. unfamiliar, etc.), types (written, spoken, verbal, nonverbal), and channels/communication technologies (meetings, letters, memos, emails, blogs, IMs, etc.) for various audiences (internal vs. external, top-down vs. bottom-up directionality, etc.). You will also improve your listening comprehension through authentic business dialogues, meetings, and presentations.

By the end of the course, you will be able to communicate clearly and confidently in a variety of business situations, produce well-structured and correctly formatted documents, and analyze different professional communication genres. The course concludes with a written exam where you apply what you have learned to practical business scenarios.

Assessment: Individual presentation (40%) and final exam (60%; date: July 14)

In this course, we will focus on the language used in business and economics. Topics include the role of government, the financial system, the business cycle, international trade, and global business issues such as ethics, public relations, and human resources.

You will practice expressing complex ideas clearly and confidently in spoken and written English. Through discussions, debates, and role-play activities, you will improve your skills for meetings, negotiations, and interviews while using appropriate business and economic vocabulary. Listening tasks are based on authentic materials such as news reports, press conferences, and public statements.

You will also develop your academic reading and writing skills by working with case studies related to current business and economic topics. This includes summarizing information, analyzing strategies, and making well-supported recommendations.

In addition, the course prepares you for studying or working in an international environment. You will update your CV, practice presenting your skills and experience, and take part in job interview role-plays.

Assessment form: Case studies and final exam (date to be announced)

In this course, we will focus on the language used in business and economics. Topics include the role of government, the financial system, the business cycle, international trade, and global business issues such as ethics, public relations, and human resources.

You will practice expressing complex ideas clearly and confidently in spoken and written English. Through discussions, debates, and role-play activities, you will improve your skills for meetings, negotiations, and interviews while using appropriate business and economic vocabulary. Listening tasks are based on authentic materials such as news reports, press conferences, and public statements.

You will also develop your academic reading and writing skills by working with case studies related to current business and economic topics. This includes summarizing information, analyzing strategies, and making well-supported recommendations.

In addition, the course prepares you for studying or working in an international environment. You will update your CV, practice presenting your skills and experience, and take part in job interview role-plays.

Assessment form: Case studies and final exam (date to be announced)

This seminar examines the ways contemporary African American literature represents cultural memory, linguistic diversity, and experiences of epistemic injustice in connection with the legacy of the US Civil Rights Movement. We will investigate how authors across generations have used literary expression to comment on African American life in both historical and present-day contexts, tracing continuities between past struggles for justice and contemporary forms of activism.

Our discussions will engage with texts by writers such as Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and Jacqueline Woodson, whose works reflect evolving perspectives within African American communities and highlight the multifaceted narratives that shape the ongoing fight for civil rights. Drawing on approaches from cultural studies, memory studies, and theories of race and social justice, we will analyze how literature functions both as testimony and as a vehicle for collective remembrance.

Regular course attendance and active in-class participation are expected.

This course examines the enduring legacy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula through the lenses of both literature and cinema, tracing its transformation from a 19th‑century novel to a contemporary cultural icon. We will interrogate themes of identity, sexuality, bigraphy and historythat recur across both mediums, as well as the evolving moral and cultural anxieties (and hopes) they have evoked.

This course explores key concepts in literature, art, and aesthetic value. It introduces students to foundational questions in aesthetics and the philosophy of literature, while developing their ability to analyze and interpret literary works as forms of art. The course examines both the theory and the practice of literature, as well as the institutional conventions that shape literary reading and criticism.

The aesthetic value of literature will be considered in relation to other kinds of value, including ethical, sociological, and cognitivist approaches. The concepts of genre and medium will also be discussed in order to situate literature in relation to a range of artistic and narrative forms (e.g. horror, science fiction, comics).

Primary materials will include short stories and essays by authors who reflect on the relationship between art and the world.

This seminar will look at the cultural history of the twentieth century as seen through poetry. We will think about how history is written and what a literary genre like poetry can contribute to historiography. We will use Michael Hulse and Simon Rae’s Anthology The Twentieth Century in Poetry (Pegasus 2011) as the basis of our discussion.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel
regular attendance (max. two absences), in-class and preparatory participation (Stud. IP assignments), group presentation, research proposal, term paper/a written examination.
You are not allowed to use any AI tools for any task of the course (whether it is graded or not).

In this class, students are introduced to key poets and poetic forms of modernism. Engaging in close readings and interrogating the aesthetic theory and poetics of modernism, we will trace such trends as sprung rhythm, imagism, symbolism, tradition and modernity etc. A reader with texts will be provided through StudIP at the beginning of term.

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

This course will be taught in cooperation with Bonn University and there will be a joint component on the weekend of June 26th/27th, 2026, where students take part in an intensive weekend session / student conference to be held in Bonn. Workload will be compensated but anyone taking part in this course should be prepared to possibly speak at the conference and take part in the conference in Bonn.

We will focus on ways in which Shakespeare engages with and reinvents dramatic genre and discuss how genre theory has become relevant to the study of Shakespearean drama and theatre. Students are asked to buy and read The Merchant of Venice and The Tempest (Arden edition recommended), a supplementary selection of texts and the syllabus will be made available through StudIP at the beginning of term.

This seminar examines the ways contemporary African American literature represents cultural memory, linguistic diversity, and experiences of epistemic injustice in connection with the legacy of the US Civil Rights Movement. We will investigate how authors across generations have used literary expression to comment on African American life in both historical and present-day contexts, tracing continuities between past struggles for justice and contemporary forms of activism.

Our discussions will engage with texts by writers such as Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and Jacqueline Woodson, whose works reflect evolving perspectives within African American communities and highlight the multifaceted narratives that shape the ongoing fight for civil rights. Drawing on approaches from cultural studies, memory studies, and theories of race and social justice, we will analyze how literature functions both as testimony and as a vehicle for collective remembrance.

Regular course attendance and active in-class participation are expected.

This course examines the enduring legacy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula through the lenses of both literature and cinema, tracing its transformation from a 19th‑century novel to a contemporary cultural icon. We will interrogate themes of identity, sexuality, bigraphy and historythat recur across both mediums, as well as the evolving moral and cultural anxieties (and hopes) they have evoked.

This course explores key concepts in literature, art, and aesthetic value. It introduces students to foundational questions in aesthetics and the philosophy of literature, while developing their ability to analyze and interpret literary works as forms of art. The course examines both the theory and the practice of literature, as well as the institutional conventions that shape literary reading and criticism.

The aesthetic value of literature will be considered in relation to other kinds of value, including ethical, sociological, and cognitivist approaches. The concepts of genre and medium will also be discussed in order to situate literature in relation to a range of artistic and narrative forms (e.g. horror, science fiction, comics).

Primary materials will include short stories and essays by authors who reflect on the relationship between art and the world.

This seminar will look at the cultural history of the twentieth century as seen through poetry. We will think about how history is written and what a literary genre like poetry can contribute to historiography. We will use Michael Hulse and Simon Rae’s Anthology The Twentieth Century in Poetry (Pegasus 2011) as the basis of our discussion.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel
regular attendance (max. two absences), in-class and preparatory participation (Stud. IP assignments), group presentation, research proposal, term paper/a written examination.
You are not allowed to use any AI tools for any task of the course (whether it is graded or not).

In this class, students are introduced to key poets and poetic forms of modernism. Engaging in close readings and interrogating the aesthetic theory and poetics of modernism, we will trace such trends as sprung rhythm, imagism, symbolism, tradition and modernity etc. A reader with texts will be provided through StudIP at the beginning of term.

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

This course will be taught in cooperation with Bonn University and there will be a joint component on the weekend of June 26th/27th, 2026, where students take part in an intensive weekend session / student conference to be held in Bonn. Workload will be compensated but anyone taking part in this course should be prepared to possibly speak at the conference and take part in the conference in Bonn.

We will focus on ways in which Shakespeare engages with and reinvents dramatic genre and discuss how genre theory has become relevant to the study of Shakespearean drama and theatre. Students are asked to buy and read The Merchant of Venice and The Tempest (Arden edition recommended), a supplementary selection of texts and the syllabus will be made available through StudIP at the beginning of term.

This seminar examines the ways contemporary African American literature represents cultural memory, linguistic diversity, and experiences of epistemic injustice in connection with the legacy of the US Civil Rights Movement. We will investigate how authors across generations have used literary expression to comment on African American life in both historical and present-day contexts, tracing continuities between past struggles for justice and contemporary forms of activism.

Our discussions will engage with texts by writers such as Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and Jacqueline Woodson, whose works reflect evolving perspectives within African American communities and highlight the multifaceted narratives that shape the ongoing fight for civil rights. Drawing on approaches from cultural studies, memory studies, and theories of race and social justice, we will analyze how literature functions both as testimony and as a vehicle for collective remembrance.

Regular course attendance and active in-class participation are expected.

This course explores key concepts in literature, art, and aesthetic value. It introduces students to foundational questions in aesthetics and the philosophy of literature, while developing their ability to analyze and interpret literary works as forms of art. The course examines both the theory and the practice of literature, as well as the institutional conventions that shape literary reading and criticism.

The aesthetic value of literature will be considered in relation to other kinds of value, including ethical, sociological, and cognitivist approaches. The concepts of genre and medium will also be discussed in order to situate literature in relation to a range of artistic and narrative forms (e.g. horror, science fiction, comics).

Primary materials will include short stories and essays by authors who reflect on the relationship between art and the world.

This seminar will look at the cultural history of the twentieth century as seen through poetry. We will think about how history is written and what a literary genre like poetry can contribute to historiography. We will use Michael Hulse and Simon Rae’s Anthology The Twentieth Century in Poetry (Pegasus 2011) as the basis of our discussion.

In this class, students are introduced to key poets and poetic forms of modernism. Engaging in close readings and interrogating the aesthetic theory and poetics of modernism, we will trace such trends as sprung rhythm, imagism, symbolism, tradition and modernity etc. A reader with texts will be provided through StudIP at the beginning of term.

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

This course will deal with concepts und representations of genealogy, identites and chosen families in British and American literature and culture, including William Shakespeare's "Richard the Third", Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" and Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City".

This seminar examines the ways contemporary African American literature represents cultural memory, linguistic diversity, and experiences of epistemic injustice in connection with the legacy of the US Civil Rights Movement. We will investigate how authors across generations have used literary expression to comment on African American life in both historical and present-day contexts, tracing continuities between past struggles for justice and contemporary forms of activism.

Our discussions will engage with texts by writers such as Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and Jacqueline Woodson, whose works reflect evolving perspectives within African American communities and highlight the multifaceted narratives that shape the ongoing fight for civil rights. Drawing on approaches from cultural studies, memory studies, and theories of race and social justice, we will analyze how literature functions both as testimony and as a vehicle for collective remembrance.

Regular course attendance and active in-class participation are expected.

This course explores key concepts in literature, art, and aesthetic value. It introduces students to foundational questions in aesthetics and the philosophy of literature, while developing their ability to analyze and interpret literary works as forms of art. The course examines both the theory and the practice of literature, as well as the institutional conventions that shape literary reading and criticism.

The aesthetic value of literature will be considered in relation to other kinds of value, including ethical, sociological, and cognitivist approaches. The concepts of genre and medium will also be discussed in order to situate literature in relation to a range of artistic and narrative forms (e.g. horror, science fiction, comics).

Primary materials will include short stories and essays by authors who reflect on the relationship between art and the world.

This seminar will look at the cultural history of the twentieth century as seen through poetry. We will think about how history is written and what a literary genre like poetry can contribute to historiography. We will use Michael Hulse and Simon Rae’s Anthology The Twentieth Century in Poetry (Pegasus 2011) as the basis of our discussion.

In this class, students are introduced to key poets and poetic forms of modernism. Engaging in close readings and interrogating the aesthetic theory and poetics of modernism, we will trace such trends as sprung rhythm, imagism, symbolism, tradition and modernity etc. A reader with texts will be provided through StudIP at the beginning of term.

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

This course will deal with concepts und representations of genealogy, identites and chosen families in British and American literature and culture, including William Shakespeare's "Richard the Third", Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" and Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City".

This course explores key concepts in literature, art, and aesthetic value. It introduces students to foundational questions in aesthetics and the philosophy of literature, while developing their ability to analyze and interpret literary works as forms of art. The course examines both the theory and the practice of literature, as well as the institutional conventions that shape literary reading and criticism.

The aesthetic value of literature will be considered in relation to other kinds of value, including ethical, sociological, and cognitivist approaches. The concepts of genre and medium will also be discussed in order to situate literature in relation to a range of artistic and narrative forms (e.g. horror, science fiction, comics).

Primary materials will include short stories and essays by authors who reflect on the relationship between art and the world.

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

This course explores key concepts in literature, art, and aesthetic value. It introduces students to foundational questions in aesthetics and the philosophy of literature, while developing their ability to analyze and interpret literary works as forms of art. The course examines both the theory and the practice of literature, as well as the institutional conventions that shape literary reading and criticism.

The aesthetic value of literature will be considered in relation to other kinds of value, including ethical, sociological, and cognitivist approaches. The concepts of genre and medium will also be discussed in order to situate literature in relation to a range of artistic and narrative forms (e.g. horror, science fiction, comics).

Primary materials will include short stories and essays by authors who reflect on the relationship between art and the world.

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

Welcome! This lecture serves as an introduction to cognitive literary studies (CLS). It addresses the question of how readers process literature through cognitive parameters and mechanisms that are derived from their real-world experiences. More specifically, we will discuss experientiality; the creation of mental models like storyworlds (including top-down and bottom-up processes); knowledge structures (such as frames and scripts); mechanisms of perception (figure vs. ground; primacy and recency effects); processing mechanisms (such as the principle of minimal departure, naturalization, and blending); the worlds of text-world theory; character models; theory of mind; hypothetical intentionalism; storyworld possible selves; as well as important differences between first- and second-generation approaches within cognitive literary studies. At the end of the term, we will move towards empirical literary studies (ELS) to demonstrate that empirical investigations are essential if we want to get a sense of what flesh-and-blood readers do when they process literary texts. Most of the readings will be taken from the new Routledge Companion to Literature and Cognitive Studies (ed. Alber/Schneider, 2026).

This course will trace the evolution of animal characters in British children’s literature from Victorian times to the present. Through close reading and comparative analysis we will discuss how animals function as mirrors and agents of empathy, social critique, and environmental stewardship, and how their portrayals shift in response to changing child‑audiences and cultural anxieties.

This seminar examines the ways contemporary African American literature represents cultural memory, linguistic diversity, and experiences of epistemic injustice in connection with the legacy of the US Civil Rights Movement. We will investigate how authors across generations have used literary expression to comment on African American life in both historical and present-day contexts, tracing continuities between past struggles for justice and contemporary forms of activism.

Our discussions will engage with texts by writers such as Maya Angelou, John Lewis, and Jacqueline Woodson, whose works reflect evolving perspectives within African American communities and highlight the multifaceted narratives that shape the ongoing fight for civil rights. Drawing on approaches from cultural studies, memory studies, and theories of race and social justice, we will analyze how literature functions both as testimony and as a vehicle for collective remembrance.

Regular course attendance and active in-class participation are expected.

This course examines the enduring legacy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula through the lenses of both literature and cinema, tracing its transformation from a 19th‑century novel to a contemporary cultural icon. We will interrogate themes of identity, sexuality, bigraphy and historythat recur across both mediums, as well as the evolving moral and cultural anxieties (and hopes) they have evoked.

This course explores key concepts in literature, art, and aesthetic value. It introduces students to foundational questions in aesthetics and the philosophy of literature, while developing their ability to analyze and interpret literary works as forms of art. The course examines both the theory and the practice of literature, as well as the institutional conventions that shape literary reading and criticism.

The aesthetic value of literature will be considered in relation to other kinds of value, including ethical, sociological, and cognitivist approaches. The concepts of genre and medium will also be discussed in order to situate literature in relation to a range of artistic and narrative forms (e.g. horror, science fiction, comics).

Primary materials will include short stories and essays by authors who reflect on the relationship between art and the world.

This seminar will look at the cultural history of the twentieth century as seen through poetry. We will think about how history is written and what a literary genre like poetry can contribute to historiography. We will use Michael Hulse and Simon Rae’s Anthology The Twentieth Century in Poetry (Pegasus 2011) as the basis of our discussion.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel
regular attendance (max. two absences), in-class and preparatory participation (Stud. IP assignments), group presentation, research proposal, term paper/a written examination.
You are not allowed to use any AI tools for any task of the course (whether it is graded or not).

Bigamy, madness, hidden identities, and crimes behind closed doors…Victorian sensation fiction had it all. This seminar explores the rise of sensation fiction and its ongoing influence on popular culture through Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. Combining discussions with close readings, we examine how scandal, secrecy, and domestic crime reshaped the nineteenth-century novel. Students will learn to identify the key features and contexts of sensation fiction, practice close reading, and analyze how narrative form produces emotional and sensory effects.
Required Text: Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret (any edition)

No final exam; ungraded credit only.

Was the will really written by the deceased or is it more likely that one of the family members faked it? Do the protocols of a murder confession represent exactly what the alleged murderer said or may the protocols have been tampered with by a police officer? Was this person drunk when he gave the interview? All these questions stem from the very heart of forensic linguistics, i.e. the usage of linguistic concepts and methods in legal contexts. In forensic linguistics, two areas are generally differentiated, i.e. the forensic linguist describing the language of law and the forensic linguist producing objective evidence based on the structures found in particular text for legal purposes.

In the course of the seminar, we will familiarise ourselves with different types of linguistic evidence – phonetic, lexical, syntactic, stylistic – in the context of legal examinations and seek to critically establish what role this type of linguistic evidence can and may be allowed to play in legal matters.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the ‘Introduction to English Linguistics’ course.

Reading: Reading material will be provided via Stud.IP.

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

Ungraded credit: Regular attendance, completion of reading and homework assignments and active participation in class.
Graded credit: In addition to the above, a final exam or a term paper.

Exam period: Final exam on 16 July 2026; deadline for term paper submission: 15 September 2026.

In this course, we will explore the fascinating intersection of language and the digital world, focusing on how the internet reshapes the way we communicate and share information.

We will look into the dynamics of online discourse, exploring how language is used in different social media contexts, such as the informal, fast-paced exchanges on Twitter/X, the visually driven communication on Instagram, and the community-oriented discussions on Reddit.

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

Second Language Acquisition

Second language acquisition has fascinated both scholars and laypeople for centuries. One of the main questions that SLA researchers have been trying to answer is how languages other than one´s native tongue are learned. Why is it so challenging for most second language learners to become as equally proficient L2 users as L1 users? What do second language learners learn and what do they not learn during the process?

Some of the topics that we will explore in the seminar will include linguistic, psycholinguistic, and neurolinguistic theories and perspectives, the role of input, interaction and output in the process of second language acquisition. We will also look at the context of language learning. For instance, what happens in a classroom setting, through interaction with native speakers or when it is supported by the use of technology. Finally, we will investigate the individual language learner and the role of aptitude, motivation and learning strategies among other things.

It is also worth pointing out that even though the seminar will focus on second language learning, it will also help us understand the complex phenomenon that each of us has experienced and as such provide valuable insights for future language teachers.

Reading: Reading material will be made available for download via Stud.IP (students will receive an access code during the first seminar session).

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

Ungraded credit: Regular attendance, active participation in class, completion of weekly reading and/or exercises, an assignment, and an oral presentation.

Graded credit: In addition to the above, a final exam or a term paper.

Exam period: Final exam on July 15, 2026.

In this course we will explore different English varieties of the Caribbean. After a brief historical overview on how English came to be spoken in the region, we will zoom in and analyze the structural peculiarities of Caribbean English(es). We will focus on both standard and non-standard varieties. By means of small group presentations, we will get to know the different countries and their Englishes. Additional aspects such as language attitudes or language education policies in the Caribbean will be discussed as well.

Ungraded: regular attendance, assigned readings, active participation in discussions, assignments, presentation.
Graded: final exam on July 13th, 2026.

Was the will really written by the deceased or is it more likely that one of the family members faked it? Do the protocols of a murder confession represent exactly what the alleged murderer said or may the protocols have been tampered with by a police officer? Was this person drunk when he gave the interview? All these questions stem from the very heart of forensic linguistics, i.e. the usage of linguistic concepts and methods in legal contexts. In forensic linguistics, two areas are generally differentiated, i.e. the forensic linguist describing the language of law and the forensic linguist producing objective evidence based on the structures found in particular text for legal purposes.

In the course of the seminar, we will familiarise ourselves with different types of linguistic evidence – phonetic, lexical, syntactic, stylistic – in the context of legal examinations and seek to critically establish what role this type of linguistic evidence can and may be allowed to play in legal matters.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the ‘Introduction to English Linguistics’ course.

Reading: Reading material will be provided via Stud.IP.

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.

Ungraded credit: Regular attendance, completion of reading and homework assignments and active participation in class.
Graded credit: In addition to the above, a final exam or a term paper.

Exam period: Final exam on 16 July 2026; deadline for term paper submission: 15 September 2026.

In this course, we will explore the fascinating intersection of language and the digital world, focusing on how the internet reshapes the way we communicate and share information.

We will look into the dynamics of online discourse, exploring how language is used in different social media contexts, such as the informal, fast-paced exchanges on Twitter/X, the visually driven communication on Instagram, and the community-oriented discussions on Reddit.

Registration: Please register with FlexNow.