American Studies

This course takes a closer look at some of the historical developments that have shaped North American literature and culture, and have been shaped by them in turn. The course also addresses the question of how an understanding of history is informed by one's standpoint as well as social hierarchies more generally. Some of the topics the course discusses include the ongoing significance of settler colonialism; slavery and its afterlives; the American Revolution; the constitution of the United States; abolitionism; feminism; U.S. imperialism; the Civil Rights Movement, Indigenous rights movements; the Black Lives Matter movement; and the historical roots of the Trump presidency. The course foregrounds an understanding of ongoing historiographical debates and methods of interpreting primary sources.

This interdisciplinary course explores the place of the supernatural in American history and culture from the beginnings of English settlement in North America through the current era. It explores the ways in which the “original sins” of American history, such as the enslavement of African-Americans and the dispossession of Native Americans, have been understood through the figures of ghosts, monsters, and spirits, and how the recurrence of such figures over centuries reflects the novelist William Faulkner’s claim that “the past is never dead; it’s not even past.” 

This course examines the scope and impact of American media. It looks at the relationship between US media industries and the stories people consume. It surveys multiple forms and formats, including cinema, television, radio, podcasts, literature, and social media. Students will be encouraged to examine their own media habits and practices, as well as understand how the US projects an image of itself through its media industries.

This lecture series seeks to analyze North America via the analytical lens of movement/movements. Whether one follows cable news coverage on Latin American refugees, learns about supply chain disruptions due to COVID-lockdowns in newspapers, or follow BLM protests on social media accounts: on a daily basis people are witnessing various forms of “movement.” These range from people on the move, items being shipped to humans joining forces in order to pursue common goals. Admittedly, these are not recent phenomena. Migration, international trade, and political advocacy by social movements have been with us – and shaped our societies – for centuries. Yet, looking at those seemingly distinct events and phenomena from a multidisciplinary angle provides fruitful new insights. The lectures hence address the issue of “movement” from various theoretical and disciplinary angles. Ranging from historical accounts of the labor movement to podcasts as an “audiomovement,” this series intends to make sense of the multi-faceted nature of movement/movements.