Proseminar European Images of America 1492-2008 Europäische Amerikabilder 1492-2008

Ever since Europeans laid eyes on what they came to call -America- - and perhaps even before, in a way - it has served as a space for them to project their desires (gold, freedom, democracy, equality...) and anxietes (savagery, violence, materialism...), a significant other from which they could make sense of their own identity while trying to impress it upon the -new world.- Thus Mary Nolan could conclude, e.g., that -the different Americas that Germans constructed in different eras reveal as much, if not more, about Germany and particular Germans as they do about the United States.- From that cue we will proceed to analyze the continuity and change in the European and particularly German perception of America and the United States. We will acquaint ourselves with some basic theories of perception and iconography to look at the Renaissance foundations of America-images and their development and political, economic and social dimension through the colonial era. We will probe the significance of the American Revolution and democracy for Europeans and their fear of modernization as Americanization. We will reserve ample time for 20th century images of American popular culture and its decisive role in discourses on European identity bringing us to the post-Cold-War era in which America both became less central to European identity in some ways, but also produced traditional icons of adoration and revulsion such as Michael Moore, George W. Bush and, of course, Barack Obama. Readings will be provided in a reader. Attendance at the first session is mandatory, as presentations will then be allotted. You can browse the topics in advance in Moodle. Basis for a -Schein- / Modulprüfung is the active participation in the seminar as well as writing a term paper or giving a twenty-minute presentation which will be expanded into a term paper. Course language is English. Please register in time on the course platform within Moodle. You will find the key on my office door (or request per e mail). Additional information on my website from roughly March: www.uni-kassel.de/~clark. FB 05 Gesellschaftswissenschaften Uni Kassel SS 2009 Anglistik/Englisch Geschichte NF Dr. Clark Thomas