| 10-M80-3-SpecMo-03 | American Maritime Narratives (in English) The course examines how the American maritime genre engages with nineteenth century imperial anxieties, situating the Atlantic ocean now theorized as the Black (…) The course examines how the American maritime genre engages with nineteenth century imperial anxieties, situating the Atlantic ocean now theorized as the Black Atlantic, as a central cultural and economic system in the making of modern nation-states.
Kindly get a copy each of:
Edgar Allan Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pam of Nantucket (1838)
Herman Melville's Benito Cereno (1855)
Charles Johnson's Middle Passage (1990) | Dr. Okanmiyinoluwa Oluwadunni Talabi |
| 10-M80-3-SpecMo-05 | Fictions of Publishing (in English) Our contemporary notion of ‘literature’ goes back to the differentiation between academic knowledge production and the ‘literary’ – a field of production as well as (…) Our contemporary notion of ‘literature’ goes back to the differentiation between academic knowledge production and the ‘literary’ – a field of production as well as debate, borrowing variously from traditions in historiography, poesie, rhetoric, and the ‘belles lettres’ – in the eighteenth-century book market. The analysis of literature from the perspective of publishing allows for a consideration of its economic, social, and cultural contexts. In this seminar, students will become familiar with the historically and regionally specific conditions of the literary marketplace (such as copyright), the constitution of and interaction between key participants (booksellers, authors, readers, critics), and the notion of literary value and its development from the early eighteenth century onwards based on secondary sources from the sociology of literature, publishing studies and the history of the book.
Our specific entry point, however, will be those literary and cultural productions which themselves take an interest in their publishing contexts: visual and textual representations of the book market, its conditions and major players, which use the means of fiction to display, expose and often make fun of the ‘fictions’ of publishing. We will frame the seminar with a discussion of the contemporary literary marketplace, guided by the topic of diversity in publishing, starting with the comedy-drama American Fiction (2023, dir. Cord Jefferson) and culminating in a reading of R.F. Kuang’s novel Yellowface (2023). This interest in the production, circulation, and reception of literature today will be compared and contrasted with a discussion of the book market in the eighteenth century, based on Jonathan Swift’s satire Tale of a Tub (1704), and the nineteenth century, based on George Gissing’s novel New Grub Street (1891).
Please, buy and watch the following film:
- American Fiction (2023, dir. Cord Jefferson)
Please, buy and read the following novels:
- George Gissing, New Grub Street [1891]. London: Penguin, 1891. ISBN: 9780140430325
- R.F. Kuang. Yellowface. New York: HarperCollins, 2023. ISBN: 978-0-00-853281-9 | Anna Auguscik |
| 10-M80-3-ReMo-03 | Fun with Data - Research Methods in Language, Linguistics and Cultural Studies (in English) Content
In the colloquium/seminar, we will explore selected research approaches and analytic methods relevant for language, linguistics and cultural studies. On the one (…) Content
In the colloquium/seminar, we will explore selected research approaches and analytic methods relevant for language, linguistics and cultural studies. On the one hand, the sessions aim to develop your skills in understanding and critically evaluating methodological aspects in the research literature. On the other hand, the sessions will prepare you for your MA thesis: We will look at important steps for planning, design, data collection, analysis and presentation.
We will cover empirical and hermeneutical approaches, quantitative and qualitative analyses, mixed-methods designs, and instruments such as questionnaires and interviews. Besides these, you are welcome to bring your own focus to the seminar. We will illustrate theoretical aspects with practical examples – you are very welcome to bring in your own ideas and projects.
At the end of the seminar, you will have developed an initial or mock research proposal that you present in class. (! Students on the Research Module: You will develop and write your final research proposal for your MA thesis with your supervisor!).
Learning outcomes
At the end of the seminar, students are familiar with:
- a variety of field-relevant data collection methods,
- techniques for processing data,
- methods of data evaluation,
- key components of a research proposal.
Students will develop: - an in-depth understanding and awareness of selected key themes and approaches in language, linguistics and cultural studies, - an advanced comprehension of sophisticated theories and methodologies, - the ability to apply theoretical approaches and methodologies to the reading and analysis of a range of primary sources.
Students’ skills include:
- finding and formulating research questions,
- justifying the choice of appropriate research methods and methods of data evaluation,
- developing and structuring a research proposal.
Overview and dates
We meet face-to-face the following seven Tuesdays, from 12:15am to 15:45pm (the meetings for presentations are after term, so that you have enough time to prepare). Prerequisite is that you do the preparatory and homework tasks on StudIP, and present a (mock) proposal at the end. Presentations can be done in small groups – that is more fun
Preliminary semester plan:
18.11.2025 Introduction: research traditions, research designs, research questions, first steps in planning and structuring research
02.12.2025 Qualitative approaches: data collection, coding and analyses
16.12.2025 Quantitative approaches, introduction to basic statistical terms; what do data sets look like; how do I handle my variables
13.01.2026 Key concepts of research quality; Interviews, questionnaires: design, coding, analyses
27.01.2026 Mixed-methods approaches: design and analyses, how to handle data sets
End-of-term presentations:
Tuesday 10.02.2026, 12.15-15.45 Presentation of (mock) research proposals, feedback (I)
Wednesday 11.02.2026, 9.15-12.45 Presentation of (mock) research proposals, feedback (II)
Prof. Dr. Claudia Harsch FB 10 Sprachlehr- und -lernforschung
GW2 A 3190, Sprechstunde n.V., harschprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
MA ESC Specialization Module: 6 CPs (Studienleistung, unbenotet) [in special cases: MA ESC Research Module: 9# CPs (Studienleistung, unbenotet)]
1. Regular and active participation in preparatory tasks, seminar groups, discussions, and teamwork.
2. Preparatory reading of the assigned texts and preparation of the tasks that will be published in advance on StudIP.
3. Initial development and presentation of a (mock) research proposal
# For ReMo, please do speak with me beforehand. For completing the Research Module, you need develop and write your final research proposal for your MA thesis with your supervisor.
Initial reading
*Cohen, L., L. Mannion and K. Morrison. 2011 (7th ed.). Research methods in education. London and New York: Routledge Palmer.
*Creswell, J. W. 2014 (4th ed.). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Further reading
*Brown, J. D. & Rodgers, T. S. 2002. Doing Second Language Research. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
*Creswell, J. & Plano Clark, V. 2018 (3rd ed.). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Dörnyei, Z. 2012. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
*Hua, Z. (ed.) 2016. Research Methods in Intercultural Communication: A Practical Guide. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
King, K. & Mackey, A. 2016. Research methodology in second language studies: trends, concerns, and new directions. The Modern Language Journal 100, 209-227.
*Mackey, A. & Gass, S. M. 2012. Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition: A Practical Guide. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
*McDonough, J. & McDonough, S. 2016. Research Methods for English Language Teachers. London: Hodder.
*Muijs, D. 2011. Doing Quantitative Research in Education with SPSS. London: Sage.
Noble H, Smith J. 2015. Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research. Evidence-Based Nursing, 18:34-35.
*Nunan, D. 1999. Research Methods in Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
*Saldana, J. 2021. The coding manual for qualitative researchers. London: Sage.
Whittemore, R., Chase, S. K., & Mandle, C. L. (2001). Validity in qualitative research. Qualitative Health Research, 11, 522–537.
*You can find these books in the Semesterapparat in the library. All journal articles are accessible online via the library.
Research Examples that will be discussed in the colloquium/seminar
Claudia Harsch, Valeriia Koval, Paraskevi (Voula) Kanistra, Ximena Delgado-Osorio and Johannes Hartig (2024): Validation of an integrated reading-into-writing scale: reliability, validity and rating challenges of novice raters. Assessing Writing. Vol. 62, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2024.100894.
Claudia Harsch, Anika Müller-Karabil, Ekaterina Buchminskaia (2021): Addressing the challenges of interaction in online language courses. System, Volume 103, December 2021, 102673, online: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0346251X2100227X.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102673 | Prof. Dr. Claudia Harsch |
| 10-M80-3-SpecMo-01 | Irish English and Celtic Englishes (in English) You can find course dates and further information in Stud.IP. | Prof. Dr. Arne Peters |
| 10-M80-3-SpecMo-02 | Metaphor at the nexus of language and culture in World Englishes (in English) In the last decades, the research paradigm of World Englishes has experienced a proliferation of detailed studies of different aspects of Englishes across the world. (…) In the last decades, the research paradigm of World Englishes has experienced a proliferation of detailed studies of different aspects of Englishes across the world. These descriptions have largely focused on phonological, lexical, morphosyntactic, and, more recently, also pragmatic characteristics of World Englishes. However, the field of figurative language use, as manifest e.g. in conceptual metaphors and idioms, has largely been neglected so far.
The English language and its worldwide diversification provides rich potential for looking into aspects of variation in conceptual and linguistic metaphor, and for exploring how the culturally specific settings of the many Englishes may determine some of that variation. Thus, research on metaphor in World Englishes addresses the nexus of language and culture and is therefore a truly interdisciplinary research field located at the interface of Cognitive Linguistics and Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Cultural Linguistics, and World Englishes.
In this seminar, we will first deal with Conceptual Metaphor Theory as a major strand within Cognitive Linguistics and then address recent developments in Cognitive Sociolinguistics and Cultural Linguistics before reviewing the merging research on metaphor in World Englishes. The following main questions will be discussed:
To what extent are electronic corpora viable sources of data to examine metaphor and figurativ elanguage in World Englishes, and what are state-of-the-art approaches to the identification and retrieval of metaphorical expressions and idioms from corpus data?
What source and target domains can be identified as fruitful for the study of metaphor and idioms in World Englishes (e.g. the conceptualization of emotions, FOOD / EATING as source domains)?
Can certain types of figurative language serve as markers of nativization / indigenization in World Englishes?
How do metaphors and idioms relate to underlying differences in cultural conceptualizations in World Englishes?
Required preparatory reading for this class:
Kövecses, Z. (2010), Metaphor. A Practical Introduction. 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapters 1 and 14. | Prof. Dr. Marcus Callies |
| 10-M80-3-SpecMo-06 | Negotiating User Identities Under Techno-Plutocratic Structures (in English) This MA-level seminar is located on the nexus of literary, cultural, and media studies and tries to understand the effects of technologized societies on (i) political (…) This MA-level seminar is located on the nexus of literary, cultural, and media studies and tries to understand the effects of technologized societies on (i) political governance and (ii) shaping user identities. Departing from the assumption that our societies are increasingly embedded under techno-plutocratic structures, i.e. layered systems of violent control in which our freedom to freely inhabit the Earth and use the planet’s resources is constantly usurped by a privileged elite or powerful individuals who possess both immense wealth and a monopoly on technology, the seminar attempts to complicate the identity of the user. Understanding users as dynamic and multi-dimensional agents existing on a continuum of experts and lay-persons who are themselves embedded in techno-plutocratic structures, the seminar will explore how users take on and perform different roles that either reinforce or challenge techno-plutocratic structures. This seminar is planned to be an interactive and research intensive seminar where students will work on specific case studies/small projects to answer several questions posed by the seminar. Examples of questions that the seminar will explore include: how does literature and film depict techno-plutocratic structures? How do social media platforms participate in reinforcing or challenging techno-plutocratic structures? How do users on social media platforms inhabit and/or negotiate different identities or roles that resist or affirm techno-plutocratic structures? How is violence exercised in techno-plutocratic structures? What role does AI play in the techno-plutoctratic turn? How do we historicize and contextualize techno-plutocratic structures? How do billionaires leverage wealth, hubris, and technological expertise to capture the state? How does the extraction of resources (for eg water, energy, land, minerals) feature under techno-plutocratic structures? How do existing forms of oppression such as settler colonialism and patriarchy metamorphize under techno-plutocratic structures and how are they resisted? How are notions of love and kindness expressed under techno-plutocracy? How do different users and speculative fiction envision alternative futures to techno-plutocratic societies? Note that this seminar has a heavy reading load and in addition to reading the mandatory literary texts and watching the assigned film, we will also have weekly readings of theoretical texts and other secondary sources. We will also work with social media data and other forms of data as required. First day of class is on 21.10.2025. Please consult Handout_01 to see the list of literary texts_film that you will be required to read/watch for this seminar. Handout_01 is available for download here: http://unihb.eu/LWg1C6Ga I strongly advise that you acquire the assigned novels before the Winter semester commences. An email containing further information and a tentative syllabus for this seminar will be circulated before first day of class. You will be expected to complete your assignments (graded or ungraded) according to the requirements of your specific module. If you are already enrolled in this seminar and no longer wish to participate please cancel your participation so that your spot can be offered to someone else. If you have questions pertaining to the seminar that cannot wait until the start of the Winter semester you can email me at nyanguluprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de | Dr. Deborah Nyangulu |
| 10-M80-3-SpecMo-04 | Women Explorers (in English) The history of exploration is also a history of the self-fashioning of the explorer subject and the explorer as author (Craciun 2011). As contemporary cultural (…) The history of exploration is also a history of the self-fashioning of the explorer subject and the explorer as author (Craciun 2011). As contemporary cultural products become invested in revising heroic, often aristocratic and predominantly male explorer myths, female narrators and characters are often championed as figures of empowerment. Historical fiction and film has discovered female expeditioners that combine knowledge-making and mobility as historical counterparts to masculinist explorer narratives. Such rewritings of the traditionally male domain of exploration are particularly worthwhile to examine as they “commemorate the contribution of women to the history of science” (Heilmann 2014: 109) but not without their own sets of problems.
Indeed, 'women explorers' have a long history as travellers and authors of travel writing. Despite the awareness of their own alterity in patriarchal societies, Euro-American female explorers travelling to Asia, Africa or Oceania were by no means automatically champions of anti-colonial sentiments or racial justice. In fact, their writings often reflect on processes of ‘othering’, as much as they display tensions, conflicts of loyalty, and discursive constraints (Bijon and Gacon 2009: 2). As women explorers faced difficulties in preparing, realising and writing up their travel, their accounts recognised “serendipity, chance and intuitive curiosity”, as well as “[f]ailures, strain and fear” and can be read as “fragments of critical interventions in the broad masculine historiography of expeditions and the epistemology of exploration” (Leshem and Pinkerton 2019: 503-4).
This seminar aims at familiarising students with the (gendered) history of colonial exploration and scientific expeditions, the historical depth and regional width of female travels, as much as the role of women explorers and their representations in constituting a seemingly universal women’s empowerment based on a specifically white feminist gaze. We will frame the discussion in this seminar with two short stories about Antarctic exploration, Ursula K Le Guin’s “Sur” (1982) and Pippa Goldschmidt’s “The First and the Last Expedition to Antarctica” (2024) with its ties to Bremerhaven. In between, our focus will be on texts by and about English explorer and naturalist Isabella Bird (1831-1904), English ethnographer Mary Henrietta Kingsley (1862-1900), and American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978).
Please, buy and read the following texts:
- Caryl Churchill. Top Girls [1982]. Ed. Sophie Bush. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2018.
- Lily King. Euphoria. London: Picador, 2014.
- Sabina Murray, Tales of the New World. New York. Black Cat, 2011.
| Anna Auguscik |
