Übung English 3 Coming of Age in America

Coming of Age in America **You can take this course as a level II or level III sprachpraxis course** Coming-of-age stories have always proved to be popular and fascinating texts because they depict a universal phenomenon, namely the initiation of young protagonists into society. Since these texts chart the problems and tensions that such an initiation entails, they also provide insight into and a critique of the norms and values of the social order in question. In this course, we will discuss four coming-of-age novels spanning the period from the 1960s to the 1990s and use them as a jumping off point to explore historical events and cultural idiosyncrasies during the aforementioned periods. There is a course that runs parallel to this one taught by Dr. Heiler that focuses on how the generic conventions of this narrative sub-genre have changed over the decades. You are encouraged to take part in both courses in which case you will receive separate credit for each course, i.e., for a Proseminar in literature and for a Sprachpraxis II or III course. You are, however, not required to take both courses. Please note: 1. There will be two joint sessions on Friday afternoons (November 28 and January 16). 2. Students who wish to participate have to prepare Outsiders for the first session and pass a quiz on the text. Outsiders (1967) by S. E. Hinton Less Than Zero (1985) by Bret Easton Ellis Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (1994) by Chris Fuhrman Twelve (2002) by Nick McDonell The texts will be available at UNI-Buch in early September. FB 02 Institut für Anglistik / Amerikanistik Uni Kassel WS 2008/2009 English and American Culture and Business Studies Wirtschaftspädagogik Lowman Donald