Genre and Race - Einzelansicht

The seminar will focus on a small set of genres - weird fiction (horror/sf), the slave narrative, and the plantation romance - and discuss how the respective generic conventions are deeply entangled with ideas of race, yet at the same time questioning such ideas by looking at/sugesting texts that contradict commonplaces about race and genre. This seminar will be taught online and follows a tri-weekly rhythm:

W1: Introduction video and first assignment - needs to be completed in order to be accepted into the course via PULS

I will be asking you to do a tiny assignment (to confirm that you are a participating student and not a bot, so to speak) before I officially admit you to the course on PULS. But do not be concerned, it is a tiny task. If you fulfill that (ideally, by the 13th of November), you will definitely be admitted to the course.

W2: zoom meeting (13th of Nov)

W3: video lecture and assignment

W4: deadline for assignment

W5: zoom meeting (4th of Dec)

W6: video lecture and assignment

W7: (see W8)

W8: deadline for assignment and zoom meeting (8th of January)

W9: video lecture and assignment

W10: deadline for assignment

W11: Zoom meeting (29th of January)

W12: video lecture and assignment

W13: deadline final assignment/feedback (19th of February)

As the zoom meetings are an essential part of this course and are dear to the lecturer's heart, it is crucial that students ensure that they can participate on the set dates during course hours (Fri, 10 - 12).

Secondary literature will be supplied on moodle. Please be aware that in order to discuss a topic like genre effectively, a considerable amount of reading literary works from the respective genres is required (ca. 2-4 short stories, 3 novellas, and 3 novels are the minimum, more is encouraged). This is explicitly a course of literature nerds/book worms etc.

Primary reading:

Craft, William. Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom; or, the Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery. avialable online.

Hentz, Caroline. The Planter's Northern Bride. available online.

Loveraft, H.P. "The Horror of Red Hook"; "The Call of Cthulhu" available online.

Khaw, Cassandra. Hammers on Bone. Please purchase a copy in advance.

LaValle, Victor. The Ballad of Black Tome. Please purchase a copy in advance. ! Both books are available in this collection: https://publishing.tor.com/reimagininglovecraftfourtorcomnovellas-victorlavalle/9781250167071/

Plus excerpts of further slave narratives, plantation novels, and reworkings of Lovecraft.

If no Module exam (Portfolioprüfung) is required, completing the assignments and discussing them via zoom will suffice. The assignments will be fairly straightforward (reading questions and small argumentative outlines) whereas the discussions will be your chance to shine. BOTH together count as the required 'Prüfungsleistung.'