Who's Afraid of Theory? Reading Theory for Literary and Cultural Studies - Einzelansicht

Who is afraid of theory? More importantly, who is not afraid of theory? In academic writing, understanding and being able to use theory is one of the core components that is expected from students studying English and American Studies. However, theory is also written in a language that is specialised and that is not always as readable as a novel or a short story. In this class, we will tackle the question of theory by tackling the style, tone, and writing strategies that theorists use in different texts. This course is best suited for students who want to deepen their reading of theory for their academic work/thesis. By touching upon a short theoretical essay each week, students will be invited to analyse and think about theories that they come across every week in their courses. Other methods of understanding theory will involve students learning to understand theory "in action": by attending talks, lectures, etc. which will be a part of the course schedule. 

NOTE: You don't need prior knowledge of theory in order to attend this class. This class is aimed at students who want to be able to read theory in their bachelors. 

To get full credits for the course,

• students will have to attend the course regularly
• submit a midterm assignment that will be creative use of theory (video essay, podcast, etc.)
• present at the end of the semester or write a long paper by using the theory discussed in the class

For 3 ECTS,

1. students will have to hand in at least 2 short reflection papers and review their peers. 
2. Submit a midterm assignment that will be creative. 
3. Present their reviewed and revised reflection paper at the end of semester

For 6 ECTS,

1. students will have to hand in at least 2 short reflection papers and review their peers.
2. submit a midterm assignment that will be creative. 
3. at the end of the semester, students will have to hand in a long essay (12 pages) where they analyse a literary or cultural text on the basis of one or more theories discussed in the class.

Bachelor students who want to start understanding theory and the language of academic writing