Hauptseminar Political Autobiographies

How does politics feel for those actively involved in it? And how do they account for their own share in the often chaotic processes later called -history”? This course, designed for students with an interest in both historical and literary American studies, will look at (semi)autobiographical texts by four eminent individuals whose lives were, in one way of another, intimately connected to American politics between the Civil War and the Great Depression: Carl Schurz (1819-1906), the German-born statesman and political reformer, who helped Lincoln get elected and served as a diplomat, a brigadier general in the Civil War, and a Secretary of the Interior (1877-81); Henry Adams (1838-1919), distinguished historian, man of letters, and (great)grandson of two Presidents, whose Education of Henry Adams (1906) remains one of the most intriguing autobiographies in American literature; Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), the vigorous, reform-oriented President in the Progressive Era (1901-09), when the U.S. society changed dramatically; and finally Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s formidable wife Eleanor (1884-1962), whose memoirs offer keen insights into the largely male world of American politics in the 1930s. Course discussions will focus on these authors’ recollections which will be put into their proper historical context. We will practise the following skills (-Kompetenzen”): close reading, debating, library research, composing outlines or handouts, and giving succinct oral presentations in class. For historical context, our main textbook will be Paul Boyer’s Enduring Vision (purchase recommended). Students are requested to buy Henry Adams’ Education of Henry Adams (Dover Publications). Both books are available through good bookstores like our -UNI-Buch-. Additional reading material will be provided in a reader, in the WISO Pool and on the reserve shelf in BB2, by late September. Bemerkung L2, L3, L4, BA EAS and EACBS, MA EAS and EACBS, Mag., Dipl. N.B.: auch -Kulturwissenschaft-! Voraussetzungen This course is open to students who have successfully completed at least one undergraduate a research paper (-Proseminararbeit-) or exam (-Klausur”) in Historical and Cultural Studies (-Landes- und Kulturwissenschaften”) or a paper in Literary Studies. Regular and active participation, including a short oral report and handout, is required of everybody. Prior to the first meeting, you must have read the chapter on the immediate antebellum period (-The Crisis of the Union”) in Boyer’s Enduring Vision and Adams’s account of his years at Harvard and in Berlin (1854-59) i.e. chaps. 4 and 5 of the Education. We will practise the following skills (-Kompetenzen”) on an advanced level: close reading, debating, library research, composing outlines or handouts, and giving oral presentations in class. Leistungsnachweis Credit (-Studienleistung-) for regular and active participation, including an oral presentation with handout; full credit (-Prüfungsleistung-) for an additional term paper (approx. 20-25 standard pages). Topics of your choice can be discussed with me well in advance. FB 02 Institut für Anglistik / Amerikanistik This course is open to students who have successfully completed at least one undergraduate a research paper (-Proseminararbeit-) or exam (-Klausur”) in Historical and Cultural Studies (-Landes- und Kulturwissenschaften”) or a paper in Literary Studies. Regular and active participation, including a short oral report and handout, is required of everybody. Prior to the first meeting, you must have read the chapter on the immediate antebellum period (-The Crisis of the Union”) in Boyer’s Enduring Vision and Adams’s account of his years at Harvard and in Berlin (1854-59) i.e. chaps. 4 and 5 of the Education. We will practise the following skills (-Kompetenzen”) on an advanced level: close reading, debating, library research, composing outlines or handouts, and giving oral presentations in class. Credit (-Studienleistung-) for regular and active participation, including an oral presentation with handout; full credit (-Prüfungsleistung-) for an additional term paper (approx. 20-25 standard pages). Topics of your choice can be discussed with me well in advance. Uni Kassel WiSe 2013/14 Amerikanistik Prof. Dr. Göske Daniel