This class attempts to introduce students to varieties of (spoken) English in the Mediterranean, a linguistically diverse area encompassing numerous islands and nation states with differing national languages, cultures and histories. Given differing roles and statuses of English in the Mediterranean countries, they are commonly considered either Outer or Expanding circle countries (Kachru '85).
Principal focus of this seminar will be on varieties of English spoken in Spain, Gibraltar, Cyprus and Malta. Students will examine spoken data (at times also written texts) and conduct linguistic analyses with a special focus on phonologic and phonetic analyses, utilizing PRAAT where applicable. Further, theoretical concepts central to language change and contact (e.g. ENL-ESL-ESF/standard/national/first language) will be encountered and critically debated. Moreover, current models of Word Englishes (e.g. Kachru ‘85, Schneider ‘07, Mair ‘16) and their possible application to the Mediterranean context will be reviewed.

Requirements:

WD-2a: Studienleistung [pass/fail]
• Active participation: obligatory readings, some homework, some in-class (group) tasks, short presentation +
• Oral presentation (20 min)


WD-2c: Prüfungsleistung [grade]
• Active participation: obligatory readings, some homework, some in-class (group) tasks, short presentation +
• Oral presentation (30 min) + 1 Worksheet + Reading assignment

This course is dedicated to thorough readings of essential theoretical interventions. Students will study a variety of theoretical approaches and frameworks that can give them a better understanding of texts, artifacts and media objects. A list of required readings will be uploaded before the beginning of the lecture period.

In this class we will first learn about approaches and tools to literary analysis before we look at how we read texts specifically from a postcolonial perspective. We will then read and discuss two postcolonial novels: 1. The Caribbean text Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (here the Norton Critical Edition) and the Nigerian text Oil on Water by Helon Habila. Please purchase and read both texts, they are available at the university bookstore on Universitätsboulevard for 11 € each at the beginning of April. All other texts are provided via StudIP.
Class requirements are regular attendance, in-depth knowledge of reading and viewing material, and active class discussion. Reading the texts and watching the films is mandatory. Please note that prior enrollment through StudIP is mandatory.

Language in context has traditionally been studied within the context of one culture, i.e. British or US American English. Variation on the sociopragmatic level, e.g. Speech Act Theory, Politeness Theory, Conversation Analysis principles, has been applied to speech communities all over the world, and a previously ethnocentric perspective has made way for research that demonstrates different communicative strategies in different English speaking cultures. First, this class introduces the major analytical frameworks that are applied in pragmatics. Second, we will look at selected studies which cover the variation in Englishes around the world.

Das Seminar kann auch als Modul FD3 Handlungskompetenzen angerechnet werden.

The aim of the seminar is to provide insights into foreign language acquisition at universities through research-based learning. We will first discuss different theoretical approaches to foreign language learning as well as aspects of learning theory (e.g. learner personality, affective factors) and specifics of language learning and teaching in adulthood/ higher education. Against the background of these theoretical basics, the participants develop research projects, carry them out at the Fremdsprachenzentrum Bremen (FZHB) and present their results in the seminar.

In this workshop we will explore and experiment with contemporary methods of improvisational theater, which is the art of making up theatrical moments on the spot, without a script. It is one of the liveliest and most current forms of theater of today and ingrained in US popular culture. This workshop will introduce the basic principles of improvisational theater, reflect on its impact on popular culture and explore its practical approaches to comedic as well as dramatic narrative structures.

This course (VAK: 10-76-4-D2/WD2-01) welcomes students who wish to complete the following modules: M.A. TnL Profilmodul I: Literatur 10-M83-2; MA TnL Vertiefungsmodul 10-M83; M.A. E-SC ExMo 2 - Extension Module 2; B.A. E-SC “Key Topics in Literature”- D2-c; WD-2a and WD-2b and
for students registered in the study programme M.A. TnL, M.A. E-SC and B.A. E-SC who wish to participate in our summer excursion to London from August 5th to August 12th, 2019.

This course seeks to familiarise students with a number of selected authors, poets and writers, in general, who have held lifelong connections with London, may it be historic or contemporary. We will aim to discuss their continued engagement with the city by exploring a selection of excerpts clustered around five major topic choices: Queer London; Women Writers and London; London’s Imperial Past and Postcolonial Present; London Theatreland and the Shakespearean Stage; London and Crime, and London and the Long Eighteen Century. By virtually tracing forgotten as well as prominent landmarks of the urban centre, we seek to connect the literary representations of the city with historical and cultural developments, present and past. During the summer excursion we will continue our exploration in London.

Since some of the participants are required to submit a research paper, we will use parts of our seminar discussions to the development of topics, the formulation of a thesis statement, as well as considerations about the methodological approaches of writing such a paper.

Additional secondary sources can be accessed in the “Semesterapparat”, a reference only section on the third floor of the library building. A reader with selected secondary text materials will be made available for download on Stud. IP. Please be aware that your registration on Stud. IP. is mandatory (deadline March 15th, 2019). You may wish to check the sections "Information" and "Schedule" further details such as requirements, weekly schedule, select bibliography and modes of assessment.
For Non-E-SC students and academic exchange students: Please contact me if you require more than 3 credit points.

Requirements and Assessment
• Interest in the topics discussed and ideally a regular attendance and informed participation in class discussion (not part of your formal assessment);
• in-depth knowledge of the selected reading material,
• homework assignments,
• group projects and presentation of research paper proposals;
• Research-based term paper.
The requirements as formulated above may vary depending on your overall degree program.

In this class we will look critically at various forms of tourism in our globalized world. We will have approximately six guest speakers/presentations of the INPUTS Forum lecture series integrated into our class. And we will read some critical texts, literary texts and watch one or two documentary films.
Class requirements are regular attendance, in-depth knowledge of reading and viewing material, and active class discussion. Reading the texts and watching the films is mandatory. Please note that prior enrollment through StudIP is mandatory.

Starting with an exploration of critical approaches to tourism and tourist films in a transnational world we will analyze contemporary narrative films and how they construct and exploit touristic fantasies. We will critically examine narrative tropes such as postcolonial encounters, romantic entanglements and sexual adventures; we will assess the consumer-oriented aesthetics of these films; and moreover, we will reflect on the particular ideologies that come into play when the tourist experience becomes the focus of a filmic text.
Essential readings will be available for download on Stud-IP. You should also consult the 'Semesterapparat' (SuUB) for further readings.
Please note that prior enrollment via Stud.IP is mandatory.

Das Seminar kann auch als Modul FD3 Handlungskompetenzen angerechnet werden.

In the current area of increasing migration, foreign language learning is gaining momentum, as ac-quiring the target language is widely understood as one means to enable newly arrived migrants integration and participation. In the seminar, we will examine recent research and practical projects to enhance our understanding of the role language proficiency can play in the process of integra-tion. We will also explore “best practice” examples to understand the conditions under which lan-guages in immigration contexts can successfully be taught and acquired.
Within the realm of language teaching and learning, language tests are coming under scrutiny, as they are used and abused as gate keeping devices and as policy instruments to regulate entry and access. We will critically discuss ethical implications of different kinds of language test use. By re-viewing recent research projects and studies, we will deepen our understanding of the purposes language tests could and should serve in integration and migration contexts in order to ensure fair-ness, justice and ethical values.
You will have the opportunity to become familiar with current research and teaching projects in my working group and at the language centre. You will also have the chance to explore a relevant as-pect of your choice in more depths and present your findings in the seminar.

This course gives an overview of current research trends in the areas of multimodal linguistics and media studies, focusing on recent advancements in the application of linguistic (and other) frameworks to a variety of artifacts and performances. We will discuss various communicative situations in our daily lives, resulting from the use of social media and gaming applications (Instagram, Snapchat, Pokemon Go, etc.), challenged by fake news and global Trumpism and influenced by architecture, design and spatial environments around us.

The course will start with a theoretically and methodologically oriented overview of newest multimodality research. Students will learn how to discuss approaches for characterizing combinations of semiotic modes in different contexts and to develop concrete research questions and analytical approaches for examining the discussed examples.
In the second half of the semester, international guest researchers with multimodal expertise will present their current research project and discuss them with the group. Students will be asked to actively engage in the discussion and develop own research questions and project outlines from these discussions.

This course examines posthumanism as lived experiences, shifting discourses, and dynamic processes co-evolving with the nonhuman turn. Contemporary issues from climate change, war, to cultural heritage centrally involve human-nonhuman entanglements. The course discusses posthumanism in relation to such nonhuman phenomena as technological devices and systems capable of nonconscious cognition; human-robot relationships; and in varied degrees anthropocentric implications on animals and the environment. Our focus lies in articulating how meaning and affects arise with and through machines. The course intersects theories, practices, and fictions in three phases. First, to problematize perspectives privileging humans as above their species others, the course provides an overview of interacting intellectual movements (e.g. critical posthumanism, transhumanism, and speculative posthumanism). Second, participants encounter various media, including digital games, to reflect on posthumanizing effects of technologies. Third, participants engage with crucial debates on posthumanism, cultural practices, and imaginaries to envision sustainable futures for and shaped by (post)humans and nonhumans alike.