Vorlesung A History of American Literature

This lecture course, which will be offered every other semester, is the basis for any course you will be taking in American literature. It is intended primarily for students in the first or second year of their studies but may also be useful for others. Any -Zwischenprüfung- of -Magister Amerikanistik- students will deal with several areas of this lecture. Any student specializing in American literature (whether for -Magister,- -Lehramt,- -B.A. Anglophone Studies- or B.A. -Kulturwirt-) will be expected to attend this class at some time in his or her career; any student not specializing in American literature should consider this lecture course a convenient way of finding out about the field; i.e. if you are going to take only one class in American literature during your studies, this should be it. This lecture course will introduce students to the main periods of American literature, to about 50 of the most prominent American authors, and to a variety of individual texts. Background lectures will be complemented by the reading and discussion of passages from all major literary genres, covering at least five centuries of American literature. For students of -Magister Amerikanistik- and -B.A. Anglophone Studies with a Specialization in Literary Studies- this lecture course is meant to complement the seminar -A Survey of American Literature,- which is offered every semester. A reader containing all the texts with which we will deal in this class will be available from the copy shop at Reckhammerweg 4 after the first class meeting. There will be a midterm and a final exam. Anglistik Universität Duisburg-Essen SS 2009 LBK, Lehramt an Berufskollegs Anglistik