Course Catalog

Study Program SoSe 2021

English-Speaking Cultures: Language, Text, Media, M. A.

ExMo 1 - Extension Module 1 (9 CP)

In Extension Module 1, students develop the competence to deal with more complex theoretical, conceptual and methodological approaches within the three interrelated profile areas, i.e. language, text and media.
Read more... https://blogs.uni-bremen.de/maesc/modules/

Modulbeauftragter: Prof. Dr. Nobert Schaffeld, nsch@uni-bremen.de
Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
10-76-4-D2/WD2-05Key Concepts in Postcolonial Studies: Histories and Concepts / C2 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 12:15 - 13:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)
Dr. Sukla Chatterjee
10-76-4-WD2-01Key Topics in Linguistics: The Sounds of English Around the World / C3

Seminar (Teaching)
ECTS: 3

Dates:
fortnightly (starts in week: 1) Wed. 10:15 - 13:45 External location: online (4 Teaching hours per week)
Antorlina Mandal
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-01The Postcolonial Novel and Writing Back / C3 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Wed. 12:15 - 13:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

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 Thalia for 11 and 9€ (see links below). All other texts are provided via StudIP.
Class requirements are regular attendance and active class discussion (due to the Corona pandemic through an online platform) as well as in-depth knowledge of reading and viewing material. Reading the texts and watching the films is mandatory. Please note that prior enrollment through StudIP is mandatory. Maximum number of participants: 30.
(https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/ID4281156.htmlhttps://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/ID29100962.html?ProvID=10907022&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1_7Xuay66AIVioeyCh0JegMqEAAYASAAEgJHz_D_BwE)

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Knopf
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-02Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, C1 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Fri. 14:15 - 15:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

Online.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet can rightfully be described as a romantic tragedy where accident finally leads to the unhappy ending that we know. This course will attach great importance to the major thematic concerns of the play, i.e. the feud between the two families, the tragic isolation of the lovers, the role of fortune and order, and the triumph of passion over reason.
As of today, the seminar has to be organised as an asynchronous digital course. As far as requirements are concerned, the seminar will differentiate between assignments which in the absence of real meetings have to be completed by every participant and a specific task that directly corresponds with the respective module of your study programme. The design of the portfolio that you will have to hand in by September 15, 2021, will also make a difference between the work of students who need a grade (PL) and those who want to get a pass (SL). Portfolio is here generally understood as a collection of course work consisting of five short on-topic assignments, i.e. one for each act of the tragedy (obligatory for SL and PL), and one additional paper (obligatory for PL) when a grade is needed.

Please note that prior enrolment via Stud.IP is mandatory.

text:
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. The Arden Shakespeare. Bloomsbury, 2012.

Prof. Dr. Norbert Schaffeld
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-03Literary London - London in Literature/ C3 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Mon. 16:15 - 17:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)
Dr. Jana Nittel
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-04Environmental Humanities (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Wed. 10:15 - 11:45

This course focusses on the concepts and concerns of the environmental humanities, an interdisciplinary field of study that addresses environmental questions, particularly in connection to the environmental crises that are increasingly engulfing us, from the perspective of the humanities. Their work can also be understood as a corrective or an addition to natural-science-based ways of understanding theses crises. The environmental humanities take into account the importance of categories such as history, economy, culture, race, colonialism, and gender. Doing so, they attempt to better grasp how the discourses around environmental questions operate and how environmental crises disproportionately impact communities that are made vulnerable through specific socio-economic structures and power imbalances. In the course we will investigate the concepts more closely that are central to the environmental humanities such as the Anthropocene, slow violence, environmental and climate justice. In addition, we will focus on specific incidents and movements in which these dynamics can be observed first-hand (e.g. the Flint water crisis, the Indigenous NoDapl Movement at Standing Rock). Most of these examples will be U.S.-based, but the course also plans to look beyond this national context.

Class requirements are regular attendance, in-depth knowledge of reading material, and active class discussion. Reading the assigned texts is mandatory.

This class will be completely taught online synchronously and is open to students who participate in exchange programs. All reading and information material will be made available through the U Bremen teaching and learning platform Stud.IP; hence prior enrollment via Stud.IP is mandatory.

N. N.
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-05British History on Screen: Bletchley Park, C1 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 16:15 - 17:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

Online.

In the course of this seminar, we shall analyse the different ways in which Bletchley Park, the centre of British codebreaking during WW2, is being represented on screen as an almost iconic historical site. We shall have a close look at TV documentaries, all are available on YouTube, as well as Morten Tyldum's famous biopic The Imitation Game (2014) starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing and Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke.

The aim of this seminar is to study the way in which the productions venture on a biographical reconstruction of an individual scientist or a group of scientists in the historical context of Bletchley Park, which itself has become a heritage attraction as well as a significant chapter in British memory culture.

As of today, the seminar has to be organised as an asynchronous digital course. In terms of requirements, it will differentiate between assignments which in the absence of real meetings have to be completed by every participant and a specific task that directly corresponds with the respective module of your study programme. The design of the portfolio that you will have to hand in by September 15, 2021, will also make a difference between the work of students who need a grade (PL) and those who want to get a pass (SL). Portfolio is here generally understood as a collection of course work consisting of five on-topic assignments (obligatory for SL and PL) and one additional paper (obligatory for PL) when a grade is needed.

Please note that prior enrolment via Stud.IP is mandatory.

You are kindly asked to stream, purchase or borrow Tyldum's film The Imitation Game. If you want to buy it, the price will be around 7 Euro.

Prof. Dr. Norbert Schaffeld
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-06English in Africa / B - C1 (in English)
Modultyp B (6 CP) im Studiengang Language Sciences, M.A.

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Fri. 10:15 - 11:45 GW2 A3390 (CIP-Labor FB 10) (2 Teaching hours per week)

As a result of colonisation, English was transplanted to Africa and has spread over the entire African continent. It has become an official language in approximately one third of all African nations. The degree to which English is spoken as a first or second language variety in the various African countries depends mostly on the colonial history, linguistic situation, language policy and language planning programs of these countries.

In this seminar, we will investigate the historical and socio-political developments that have determined the formation of African varieties of English and we will also study the functions English serves in various African countries and speaker's attitudes towards this language.
Moreover, we will survey recent corpus-linguistic research on Africa Englishes that has provided detailed descriptions of the distinctive linguistic characteristics of particular varieties.
Depending on the assessment needed for their study program and module, students can opt for oral presentations based on extensive reading or corpus-based research projects on selected African Englishes.

Basic introductory reading

Schneider, Edgar W. 2011. English around the World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (chapters 5.2 and 6.1)

Assessment

MA E-SC; modules: ExMo 1 and ExMo 2, 3 or 6 CPs
for 3 CP: SL = portfolio (to be completed online in the course of the semester)
for 6 CP: PL = portfolio, research proposal and written term paper

MA Language Sciences; module: EM; 3-9 CPs, depending on module choice
for form of assessment check the respective module descriptions https://www.uni-bremen.de/fb-10/studium/linguistik/master/module – portfolio and/or research proposal + term paper

Prof. Dr. Marcus Callies
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-07Semiotics: Beyond the Basics (in English)
C3: synchronous and asynchronous digital sessions

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 10:15 - 11:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

Although relevant for all aspects of communication, the study of semiotics is often considered something of a 'niche' option, with complex terminology of unclear utility. In this course we go substantially beyond this and present new approaches to the study of meaning-making systems (i.e., semiotics) that offer empirically-based analytic tools for uncovering meaning-making wherever it occurs and with what ever materials it is managed (i.e., across all media and combinations of media). The course will work with examples from different media, presenting theoretical foundations for analysis that may be applied for any research materials. Participants will be expected to address particular media and media combinations of their choice.

Prof. John Bateman, Ph.D.
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-08Quantitative Methods for Qualitative Multimodal Research (in English)
C3: synchronous and asynchronous digital sessions

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 16:15 - 17:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

One of the essential advances in linguistics in recent years has been the development of corpus-based methods for looking at larger quantities of real data. In this course, we show how this can also be done for mixed-media artefacts and performances, so that we can study all kinds of communication, from face-to-face spoken interaction to graphic novels to film and many more by preparing corpora containing that data. We will practice this in class with a range of tools that are being developed for such purposes. After participation in the class, students will be able to apply multimodal corpus methods to any targets of analysis, thereby putting them in a strong position for subsequent research topics and MA work. Crucial in this is to understand how quantitative analysis can be made suitable for addressing qualitative questions!

Prof. John Bateman, Ph.D.
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-09Intercultural Pragmatics / C (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 14:15 - 15:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

Pragmatics in International Contexts

Language in context has traditionally been studied within the context of one culture such as British or US-American English. Speech Act Theory, Politeness Theory, Conversation Analysis principles meanwhile have been applied to global speech communities and a previously ethnocentric perspective has made way for research that demonstrates different communicative strategies in different cultures. On this background, we will move on to multimodal interaction and take non-verbal discourse strategies into account. Hence, we expand the traditional concepts and analyze how they are realized multimodally. First, students will learn the major analytical frameworks that are applied in pragmatics. Second, we will look at the state of art in multimodal research in intercultural communication.

Learning Outcomes
• You will be familiar with the major methodological frameworks in Pragmatics (CA; DA; CDA, MMI)
• You will be able to defend different methodological standpoints in Interactional Linguistics
• You will conduct research projects, choose a transcription method and a develop a relevant research question
• You will acquire expert knowledge and relate different perspectives and theories to each other
• You will be able to relate intercultural pragmatic communication conventions to each other

Dr. Inke Du Bois
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-10Ringvorlesung: The Bremen Groningen Online Workshops on Multimodality / C3 (in English)
C3: synchronous and asynchronous digital sessions

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Fri. 13:15 - 16:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

The Bremen-Groningen Online Workshops on Multimodality (https://www.rug.nl/research/clcg/research/dc2017_/events/multimodality-bremen/?lang=en) run every other week on Fridays from 13-17:30 and include presentations from researchers and practitioners working on issues of multimodality worldwide. Each week there are 4 presentations on multimodality topics, often organised into themes. Bremen students participating in the workshop series for credit should attend regularly and select two related presentations for a detailed written report. The written report should summarise the presentations selected, make clear how they differ or resemble each other, critically reflect on the positions adopted, including any points raised in the discussions, and then attempt to apply the methods of analysis presented to data of the students' own choice. An opening organisational meeting discussing the course and how to participate will be held on Friday 16th April at 14h or by arrangement.
TO PARTICIPATE, PARTICIPANTS MUST REGISTER WITH THE WORKSHOP AS DESCRIBED ON THE WORKSHOP HOMEPAGE: PARTICIPATION IS NOT MANAGED VIA STUD.IP!!

Prof. John Bateman, Ph.D.
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-11Linguistic Landscapes / C3 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Wed. 10:15 - 11:45 (2 Teaching hours per week)

The ensemble of linguistic and semiotic traces in public space is particulary interesting for linguists as it forms a caleidoskop of cultural and social diversity in a given territory, as well as it shows a representation of social dynamics with regard to linguistic developments, linguistic repertoires, and negotiations of social identity in multlilingual environments.

The investigation of displayed languages in a particular space is the objective of the emerging field of linguistic landscapes. In line with 'expanding the scenery of the linguistic landscape' (Shohamy & Gorter 2009), the seminar conceptualizes ‘languages‘ as communicative practices in terms of textual, aural, linguistic, spatial and visual resources used to compose meaningful messages.

In light of the interdisciplinary character of the field, we will work together on groundbreaking studies as well as newer approaches in order to become acquainted with specific methods of data collection and analysis, their benefits and their limitations, respectively. In addition to discussing origins of the field, methodologies, approaches and their underlying research paradigms, students will gain practical experience in ethnographic research by discovering and analyzing linguistic landscapes in their own environments.

Henning Vahlenkamp
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-12Multimodality and Cognitive Pragmatics at the Crossroads / C2 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Thu. 14:15 - 15:45 External location: online
Dr. Ahmed Elsayed, Post-doctoral fellow
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-13Cultural Dynamics of the Sixties / C3 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 14:15 - 15:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

This course deals with selected aspects of US cultural history of the 1960s. We will look into some of the transformations, conflicts and interventions which marked the period but emerged much earlier and were not necessarily resolved at the end of the decade. Yet, the 1960s remain a subject of contestation and controversy until today.
Students are invited to develop their own research projects from a range of possible topics, including the civil rights, black power and women’s movements, gay liberation and red power movements; environmentalism, or the Vietnam war. We will use various textual, visual, filmic, auditory sources such as speeches, magazines, photographs, films, and music to investigate the cultural dynamics of the sixties.

Dr. Karin Esders-Angermund

SuStMo - Supplementary Studies Module (9 CP)

Students may opt for language courses offered both by Faculty 10 and the Foreign Language Centre (Fremdsprachenzentrum Bremen - FZHB), relevant courses and lecture series offered both by Faculty 10 and other faculties, or receive credit points for additional internships and academic exchange to Anglophone countries.
Read more... https://blogs.uni-bremen.de/maesc/modules/

Modulverantwortliche: Jana Wachsmuth, jwachsmu@uni-bremen.de
Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
10-M80-2-SuStMo-01Vocabulary & Pronunciation (Part2)

Exercises (Teaching)
ECTS: 3

Additional dates:
Wed. 11.08.21 - Thu. 12.08.21 (Wed., Thu.) 13:00 - 17:30
Fri. 13.08.21 13:00 - 16:30
Wed. 18.08.21 - Thu. 19.08.21 (Wed., Thu.) 13:00 - 17:30
Fri. 20.08.21 13:00 - 16:30

This course offers blended learning and will combine synchronous online meetings with asynchronous tutored self-study units (vocabulary and pronunciation practice). Should we be allowed to teach on campus, we can try to arrange on-campus meetings for those who wish to come.

Dates (online meetings)
Wed 11th August, 13:00 - 17:30 Welcome & info + Vocabulary work
Thur 12th August, 13:00 - 17:30 Focus: Vocabulary work
Fri 13th August, 13:00 - 16:30 Focus: Vocabulary work & Pronunciation
and
Wed 18th August, 13:00 - 17:30 Focus: Vocabulary & Pronunciation
Thur 19th August, 13:00 - 17:30 Focus : Pronunciation
Fri 20th August, 13:00 - 16:30 'Tech prep', Vocabulary exam & preparation for pronunciation exam & outlook

Let's get talking!
This course is highly recommendable for students preparing for oral presentations, students who wish to expand their academic vocabulary, and any student who after the last rather difficult semesters wishes to catch up on aspects of pronunciation and vocabulary.

The focus of this course is on expanding academic vocabulary, practising appropriate pronunciation and intonation in spoken academic language. For vocabulary, we will have a close look at collections of academic vocabulary, for example the Academic Word List (AWL), and how to develop strategies to expand academic vocabulary. For pronunciation, we will look into chunking, intonation, and aspects of connected speech.

Technical prerequisites:
Computer/laptop/tablet + (functioning) headset (headphones and microphone)
You will be asked to work with dictionaries (electronic/digital/online) and pronunciation and vocabulary material (print and digital). You will also provide me with recordings (mp3/mp4/ogg or another suitable format) of your pronunciation work.

You can earn 3 CPs for 90 hours of work (of which you will spend only 28 hours in class (online). The rest of the time is dedicated to completing self-study units as homework.

Recommended material

Vocabulary
Cornell, Alan & Geoff Parkes What’s the Difference? A Guide to Tricky Vocabulary Areas in English, Englang Books.
McCarthy, Michael & Felicity O’Dell English Collocations in Use, Intermediate/Advanced edition. Self-study edition with key. Cambridge University Press/Klett.
McCarthy, Michael & Felicity O’Dell. English Vocabulary in Use, upper-intermediate & advanced. Cambridge UP.
McCarthy, Michael & Felicity O’Dell. Academic Vocabulary in Use, Cambridge UP/Klett. 2nd Ed. 2016

Pronunciation
Hollingsworth, Keith and Laura Park
The Englang Pronunciation Course(BE)
Hewings, Martin, English pronunciation in use : self-study and classroom use (Book, advanced), Cambridge Univ. Press, 2007
Hewings, Martin, English pronunciation in use : self-study and classroom use (advanced, CDs, now also available as mp3 download!), Cambridge Univ. Press
Hancock, Mark, English pronunciation in use: self-study and classroom use (Book, intermediate), Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006,
Hancock, Mark, English pronunciation in use: self-study and classroom use (CDs, intermediate), Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006

Katja Müller, M.A.
10-M80-2-Thea-1Theatre Workshop (in English)

Exercises (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Mon. 14:00 - 16:15 SH D1020 SFG 0140 (3 Teaching hours per week)

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. You will first learn the basic principles of improvisational theater and then apply them to improvised scenework. We will also reflect on the impact of improvisational theater on popular culture, its applications e.g. in teaching and explore its practical approaches to comedic as well as dramatic narrative structures.

There will be a regular meeting on Monday 2 - 4.15pm during the semester, in which we will cover the basics of improvisational theater, followed by an intensive in the lecture-free period, in which we will work on a specific form and prepare for a performance. If you only want to participate in the intensive you need to have some experience, either from this or a previous semester. There is no obligation to be part of the performances. You can also support the performances by helping with the organization.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82373956264?pwd=aTJJRk5VR3phRG1mV0IraGNGWEFmZz09

Tobias Sailer
10-M80-2-Thea-2Theatre Workshop - Presentation & Performance (in English)

Exercises (Teaching)

Additional dates:
Mon. 27.09.21 - Thu. 30.09.21 (Mon., Tue., Wed., Thu.) 10:00 - 13:00 GW2 B3009 (Großer Studierraum)
Fri. 01.10.21 10:00 - 13:00 GW2 B2900
Mon. 04.10.21 10:00 - 13:00 GW2 B3009 (Großer Studierraum)
Tue. 05.10.21 10:00 - 13:00 GW2 B3770
Wed. 06.10.21 10:00 - 13:00 GW2 B2900
Thu. 07.10.21 - Fri. 08.10.21 (Thu., Fri.) 10:00 - 13:00 GW2 B3009 (Großer Studierraum)

This part of the theatre workshop is based on our introductory work during the semester. Requirement is previous participation in the theatre workshop or some experience with long form improvisational theatre. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Tobias Sailer

UEP Part 2 - Using English in the Professional World (3 CP)

The module provides the more practically-focused language, presentation and negotiation skills foundation for the other modules in the study programme.
Read more... https://blogs.uni-bremen.de/maesc/modules/

Modulbeauftragte: Dr. Vanessa Herrmann, vanessa.herrmann@uni-bremen.de
Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
10-M80-2-UEP2-01Using English in the Professional World 2 - Group 1 / C3 (in English)

Exercises (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Mon. 10:15 - 11:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

This course only takes place online; it combines elements which are in synch with the scheduled times and elements which are asynchronous.

UEP 2 is the second part of the UEP module in the Master's programme English-speaking Cultures. Therefore, only MA students are eligible to take this class.

This course focusses on communication skills in the academic context. Students are given the opportunity to develop their own ideas, discuss them in the group and present them. To that end, argumentative strategies established in UEP 1 are incorporated.

The content of this course deals with English-speaking countries and cultures which are explored and critically analysed regarding a variety of aspects. These aspects include but are not limited to politics, history, literature, economy, art.

Credit points are obtained by doing a presentation and a podcast. Materials are provided via StudIP.

Dr. Vanessa Herrmann
10-M80-2-UEP2-02Using English in the Professional World 2 - Group 2 / C3 (in English)

Exercises (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Mon. 12:15 - 13:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

This course only takes place online; it combines elements which are in synch with the scheduled times and elements which are asynchronous.

UEP 2 is the second part of the UEP module in the Master's programme English-speaking Cultures. Therefore, only MA students are eligible to take this class.

This course focusses on communication skills in the academic context. Students are given the opportunity to develop their own ideas, discuss them in the group and present them. To that end, argumentative strategies established in UEP 1 are incorporated.

The content of this course deals with English-speaking countries and cultures which are explored and critically analysed regarding a variety of aspects. These aspects include but are not limited to politics, history, literature, economy, art.

Credit points are obtained by doing a presentation and a podcast. Materials are provided via StudIP.

Dr. Vanessa Herrmann

ExMo 2 - Extension Module 2 (9 CP)

In Extension Module 2, students analyse and discuss topical issues of the three interrelated profile areas, i.e. language, text and media.
Read more... https://blogs.uni-bremen.de/maesc/modules/

Modulverantwortliche: Dr. Jana Nittel, jnittel@uni-bremen.de
Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
10-76-4-D2/WD2-05Key Concepts in Postcolonial Studies: Histories and Concepts / C2 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 12:15 - 13:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)
Dr. Sukla Chatterjee
10-76-4-WD2-01Key Topics in Linguistics: The Sounds of English Around the World / C3

Seminar (Teaching)
ECTS: 3

Dates:
fortnightly (starts in week: 1) Wed. 10:15 - 13:45 External location: online (4 Teaching hours per week)
Antorlina Mandal
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-01The Postcolonial Novel and Writing Back / C3 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Wed. 12:15 - 13:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

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 Thalia for 11 and 9€ (see links below). All other texts are provided via StudIP.
Class requirements are regular attendance and active class discussion (due to the Corona pandemic through an online platform) as well as in-depth knowledge of reading and viewing material. Reading the texts and watching the films is mandatory. Please note that prior enrollment through StudIP is mandatory. Maximum number of participants: 30.
(https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/ID4281156.htmlhttps://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/ID29100962.html?ProvID=10907022&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1_7Xuay66AIVioeyCh0JegMqEAAYASAAEgJHz_D_BwE)

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Knopf
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-02Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, C1 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Fri. 14:15 - 15:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

Online.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet can rightfully be described as a romantic tragedy where accident finally leads to the unhappy ending that we know. This course will attach great importance to the major thematic concerns of the play, i.e. the feud between the two families, the tragic isolation of the lovers, the role of fortune and order, and the triumph of passion over reason.
As of today, the seminar has to be organised as an asynchronous digital course. As far as requirements are concerned, the seminar will differentiate between assignments which in the absence of real meetings have to be completed by every participant and a specific task that directly corresponds with the respective module of your study programme. The design of the portfolio that you will have to hand in by September 15, 2021, will also make a difference between the work of students who need a grade (PL) and those who want to get a pass (SL). Portfolio is here generally understood as a collection of course work consisting of five short on-topic assignments, i.e. one for each act of the tragedy (obligatory for SL and PL), and one additional paper (obligatory for PL) when a grade is needed.

Please note that prior enrolment via Stud.IP is mandatory.

text:
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. The Arden Shakespeare. Bloomsbury, 2012.

Prof. Dr. Norbert Schaffeld
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-03Literary London - London in Literature/ C3 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Mon. 16:15 - 17:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)
Dr. Jana Nittel
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-04Environmental Humanities (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Wed. 10:15 - 11:45

This course focusses on the concepts and concerns of the environmental humanities, an interdisciplinary field of study that addresses environmental questions, particularly in connection to the environmental crises that are increasingly engulfing us, from the perspective of the humanities. Their work can also be understood as a corrective or an addition to natural-science-based ways of understanding theses crises. The environmental humanities take into account the importance of categories such as history, economy, culture, race, colonialism, and gender. Doing so, they attempt to better grasp how the discourses around environmental questions operate and how environmental crises disproportionately impact communities that are made vulnerable through specific socio-economic structures and power imbalances. In the course we will investigate the concepts more closely that are central to the environmental humanities such as the Anthropocene, slow violence, environmental and climate justice. In addition, we will focus on specific incidents and movements in which these dynamics can be observed first-hand (e.g. the Flint water crisis, the Indigenous NoDapl Movement at Standing Rock). Most of these examples will be U.S.-based, but the course also plans to look beyond this national context.

Class requirements are regular attendance, in-depth knowledge of reading material, and active class discussion. Reading the assigned texts is mandatory.

This class will be completely taught online synchronously and is open to students who participate in exchange programs. All reading and information material will be made available through the U Bremen teaching and learning platform Stud.IP; hence prior enrollment via Stud.IP is mandatory.

N. N.
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-05British History on Screen: Bletchley Park, C1 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 16:15 - 17:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

Online.

In the course of this seminar, we shall analyse the different ways in which Bletchley Park, the centre of British codebreaking during WW2, is being represented on screen as an almost iconic historical site. We shall have a close look at TV documentaries, all are available on YouTube, as well as Morten Tyldum's famous biopic The Imitation Game (2014) starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing and Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke.

The aim of this seminar is to study the way in which the productions venture on a biographical reconstruction of an individual scientist or a group of scientists in the historical context of Bletchley Park, which itself has become a heritage attraction as well as a significant chapter in British memory culture.

As of today, the seminar has to be organised as an asynchronous digital course. In terms of requirements, it will differentiate between assignments which in the absence of real meetings have to be completed by every participant and a specific task that directly corresponds with the respective module of your study programme. The design of the portfolio that you will have to hand in by September 15, 2021, will also make a difference between the work of students who need a grade (PL) and those who want to get a pass (SL). Portfolio is here generally understood as a collection of course work consisting of five on-topic assignments (obligatory for SL and PL) and one additional paper (obligatory for PL) when a grade is needed.

Please note that prior enrolment via Stud.IP is mandatory.

You are kindly asked to stream, purchase or borrow Tyldum's film The Imitation Game. If you want to buy it, the price will be around 7 Euro.

Prof. Dr. Norbert Schaffeld
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-06English in Africa / B - C1 (in English)
Modultyp B (6 CP) im Studiengang Language Sciences, M.A.

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Fri. 10:15 - 11:45 GW2 A3390 (CIP-Labor FB 10) (2 Teaching hours per week)

As a result of colonisation, English was transplanted to Africa and has spread over the entire African continent. It has become an official language in approximately one third of all African nations. The degree to which English is spoken as a first or second language variety in the various African countries depends mostly on the colonial history, linguistic situation, language policy and language planning programs of these countries.

In this seminar, we will investigate the historical and socio-political developments that have determined the formation of African varieties of English and we will also study the functions English serves in various African countries and speaker's attitudes towards this language.
Moreover, we will survey recent corpus-linguistic research on Africa Englishes that has provided detailed descriptions of the distinctive linguistic characteristics of particular varieties.
Depending on the assessment needed for their study program and module, students can opt for oral presentations based on extensive reading or corpus-based research projects on selected African Englishes.

Basic introductory reading

Schneider, Edgar W. 2011. English around the World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (chapters 5.2 and 6.1)

Assessment

MA E-SC; modules: ExMo 1 and ExMo 2, 3 or 6 CPs
for 3 CP: SL = portfolio (to be completed online in the course of the semester)
for 6 CP: PL = portfolio, research proposal and written term paper

MA Language Sciences; module: EM; 3-9 CPs, depending on module choice
for form of assessment check the respective module descriptions https://www.uni-bremen.de/fb-10/studium/linguistik/master/module – portfolio and/or research proposal + term paper

Prof. Dr. Marcus Callies
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-07Semiotics: Beyond the Basics (in English)
C3: synchronous and asynchronous digital sessions

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 10:15 - 11:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

Although relevant for all aspects of communication, the study of semiotics is often considered something of a 'niche' option, with complex terminology of unclear utility. In this course we go substantially beyond this and present new approaches to the study of meaning-making systems (i.e., semiotics) that offer empirically-based analytic tools for uncovering meaning-making wherever it occurs and with what ever materials it is managed (i.e., across all media and combinations of media). The course will work with examples from different media, presenting theoretical foundations for analysis that may be applied for any research materials. Participants will be expected to address particular media and media combinations of their choice.

Prof. John Bateman, Ph.D.
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-08Quantitative Methods for Qualitative Multimodal Research (in English)
C3: synchronous and asynchronous digital sessions

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 16:15 - 17:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

One of the essential advances in linguistics in recent years has been the development of corpus-based methods for looking at larger quantities of real data. In this course, we show how this can also be done for mixed-media artefacts and performances, so that we can study all kinds of communication, from face-to-face spoken interaction to graphic novels to film and many more by preparing corpora containing that data. We will practice this in class with a range of tools that are being developed for such purposes. After participation in the class, students will be able to apply multimodal corpus methods to any targets of analysis, thereby putting them in a strong position for subsequent research topics and MA work. Crucial in this is to understand how quantitative analysis can be made suitable for addressing qualitative questions!

Prof. John Bateman, Ph.D.
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-09Intercultural Pragmatics / C (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 14:15 - 15:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

Pragmatics in International Contexts

Language in context has traditionally been studied within the context of one culture such as British or US-American English. Speech Act Theory, Politeness Theory, Conversation Analysis principles meanwhile have been applied to global speech communities and a previously ethnocentric perspective has made way for research that demonstrates different communicative strategies in different cultures. On this background, we will move on to multimodal interaction and take non-verbal discourse strategies into account. Hence, we expand the traditional concepts and analyze how they are realized multimodally. First, students will learn the major analytical frameworks that are applied in pragmatics. Second, we will look at the state of art in multimodal research in intercultural communication.

Learning Outcomes
• You will be familiar with the major methodological frameworks in Pragmatics (CA; DA; CDA, MMI)
• You will be able to defend different methodological standpoints in Interactional Linguistics
• You will conduct research projects, choose a transcription method and a develop a relevant research question
• You will acquire expert knowledge and relate different perspectives and theories to each other
• You will be able to relate intercultural pragmatic communication conventions to each other

Dr. Inke Du Bois
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-10Ringvorlesung: The Bremen Groningen Online Workshops on Multimodality / C3 (in English)
C3: synchronous and asynchronous digital sessions

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Fri. 13:15 - 16:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

The Bremen-Groningen Online Workshops on Multimodality (https://www.rug.nl/research/clcg/research/dc2017_/events/multimodality-bremen/?lang=en) run every other week on Fridays from 13-17:30 and include presentations from researchers and practitioners working on issues of multimodality worldwide. Each week there are 4 presentations on multimodality topics, often organised into themes. Bremen students participating in the workshop series for credit should attend regularly and select two related presentations for a detailed written report. The written report should summarise the presentations selected, make clear how they differ or resemble each other, critically reflect on the positions adopted, including any points raised in the discussions, and then attempt to apply the methods of analysis presented to data of the students' own choice. An opening organisational meeting discussing the course and how to participate will be held on Friday 16th April at 14h or by arrangement.
TO PARTICIPATE, PARTICIPANTS MUST REGISTER WITH THE WORKSHOP AS DESCRIBED ON THE WORKSHOP HOMEPAGE: PARTICIPATION IS NOT MANAGED VIA STUD.IP!!

Prof. John Bateman, Ph.D.
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-11Linguistic Landscapes / C3 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Wed. 10:15 - 11:45 (2 Teaching hours per week)

The ensemble of linguistic and semiotic traces in public space is particulary interesting for linguists as it forms a caleidoskop of cultural and social diversity in a given territory, as well as it shows a representation of social dynamics with regard to linguistic developments, linguistic repertoires, and negotiations of social identity in multlilingual environments.

The investigation of displayed languages in a particular space is the objective of the emerging field of linguistic landscapes. In line with 'expanding the scenery of the linguistic landscape' (Shohamy & Gorter 2009), the seminar conceptualizes ‘languages‘ as communicative practices in terms of textual, aural, linguistic, spatial and visual resources used to compose meaningful messages.

In light of the interdisciplinary character of the field, we will work together on groundbreaking studies as well as newer approaches in order to become acquainted with specific methods of data collection and analysis, their benefits and their limitations, respectively. In addition to discussing origins of the field, methodologies, approaches and their underlying research paradigms, students will gain practical experience in ethnographic research by discovering and analyzing linguistic landscapes in their own environments.

Henning Vahlenkamp
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-12Multimodality and Cognitive Pragmatics at the Crossroads / C2 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Thu. 14:15 - 15:45 External location: online
Dr. Ahmed Elsayed, Post-doctoral fellow
10-M80-2-ExMo1+2-13Cultural Dynamics of the Sixties / C3 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 14:15 - 15:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

This course deals with selected aspects of US cultural history of the 1960s. We will look into some of the transformations, conflicts and interventions which marked the period but emerged much earlier and were not necessarily resolved at the end of the decade. Yet, the 1960s remain a subject of contestation and controversy until today.
Students are invited to develop their own research projects from a range of possible topics, including the civil rights, black power and women’s movements, gay liberation and red power movements; environmentalism, or the Vietnam war. We will use various textual, visual, filmic, auditory sources such as speeches, magazines, photographs, films, and music to investigate the cultural dynamics of the sixties.

Dr. Karin Esders-Angermund

AWE 1 - Academic Work Experience 1 (9CP)

In this module students will choose two seminars either from different profile areas or from only one profile area to specialise in the respective field of interest.
Read more... https://blogs.uni-bremen.de/maesc/modules/

Modulbeauftragter: Prof. Dr. Marcus Callies, callies@uni-bremen.de
Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
10-M80-2-AWE 1-01Producing a Critical Edition of a Postcolonial Novel / C3 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)
ECTS: This class is not designed for E

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 12:15 - 13:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

This class is desined only for students in the Master programme English-Speaking cultures.
In this class we will venture into producing a critical edition of a postcolonial novel, which is an activity at the interface between research, studying, and learning skills for later professional careers in academia and beyond. We will read the novels Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Oil on Water by Helon Habila and produce a critical edition of Oil on Water. This includes writing articles on the historical background, on the cultural, social, environmental, and political context as well as critical analytical articles. We aim at publicizing the material online.
Pls purchase and read the Norton Critical Edition of Heart of Darkness (11,50€ at Amazon) and Oil on Water (9 € at Thalia) (see the links below).
https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/ID29100962.html?ProvID=10907022&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1_7Xuay66AIVioeyCh0JegMqEAAYASAAEgJHz_D_BwE
https://www.amazon.de/Heart-Darkness-Norton-Critical-Armstrong/dp/0393264866/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&dchild=1&keywords=heart+of+darkness+norton&qid=1617293022&sr=8-1
You have to register on StudIP. You may earn between 6 and 9 CP for AWE, depending on your engagement in class and beyond. Max participants: 30.

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Knopf
10-M80-2-AWE 1-02Presenting a scientific paper at an international online gathering / C3 (in English)
C3: synchronous and asynchronous digital sessions

Seminar (Teaching)

Additional dates:
Fri. 16.04.21 12:15 - 13:45 online

This course is intended for MA E-SC students who need to gain further AWE, academic work experience, credits. The goal for successful participation in this unit is to prepare a short scientific lecture (30 minutes) reporting on some piece of practical analysis of the multimodality of some communicative artefact or performance. The context for the report will be a genuine international scientific gathering with participants from all over the world joining using Zoom. Work in the unit will be deciding on a study to present (completing the study if the results are not yet available), working out how best to present the results in a short time frame, preparing the audiovisual materials for the presentation (typically using Powerpoint, Keynotes or something similar), holding the presentation, and answering questions following the presentation -- that is, a completely typical piece of academic results presentation in an international context. The presentation runs as part of a regularly running seminar series: the Bremen-Groningen Online Workshops on Multimodality (https://www.rug.nl/research/clcg/research/dc2017_/events/multimodality-bremen/?lang=en). The date for presentations is the session on the 25th June. A first organisational meeting for the unit will be held on Friday 16th April at 12:15. It is possible to present in a group (2 people) but only with clear indication of responsibilities and shared presentation on the day.

Prof. John Bateman, Ph.D.

MaThe - Master Thesis (30 CP)

Upon completion of the module, students have written their master thesis and they are familiar with:
Read more... https://blogs.uni-bremen.de/maesc/modules/

Modulbeauftragte: Prof. Dr. Kerstin Knopf, kknopf@uni-bremen.de
Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
10-76-4-AP-01Begleitveranstaltung Literaturwissenschaft - Research Colloquium in Literatures in English/ C3 (in English)

Colloquium (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Thu. 12:15 - 13:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

Online course in the summer term 2021 – Due to the COVID 19 pandemic we will meet in weekly ZOOM sessions. This course is one of the specific colloquia designed for students planning their final dissertation either on undergraduate or graduate level in the field of literary studies (Module choices: Bachelor thesis module P or Master thesis module MA The). We shall look at a number of strategies for planning, structuring and writing longer pieces of work and this course will include formal issues such as format and layout of the final assignment. Please register on Stud. IP and explore the sections “Information” and “Schedule” on Stud. IP. for further details.
All students, who are planning to write their final dissertations in the field of literary studies, are welcome to join my course. In addition, I am happy to take on the role of a supervisor or co-supervisor for projects that correspond to my research and teaching focus, in other words, students who have a supervisor or co-supervisor that is not me are also welcome to join this course.

Dr. Jana Nittel
10-M80-4-MaThe-01Master Thesis, C1 (in English)

Colloquium (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 10:15 - 11:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

Online.

This module is one of the specific colloquia designed for Master students writing their MA-thesis in the field of literature or film studies. On the basis of your research proposals, we shall look at a number of strategies for producing a longer piece of work, and this programme will also include formal issues such as format and layout of the final thesis. As of today, the seminar has to be organised as an asynchronous digital course.

In view of my expertise, I can offer to supervise MA-theses in the following areas:

British theatre and drama, including the work of William Shakespeare,
the literature of the 20th and 21st century,
and film.

Prior enrolment via Stud.IP is mandatory. Since no more than 15 students can participate in the final course, early registration is strongly recommended.

Prof. Dr. Norbert Schaffeld
10-M80-4-MaThe-02Research Colloquium for PhD / MA students / C2 (in English)

Colloquium (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 09:00 - 10:30 External location: online

Colloquium: by invitation only: Colloquium for PhD / MA students who are currently pursuing their thesis with me (in Englisch) - Brief information

Prof. Dr. Claudia Harsch
10-M80-4-MaThe-03Research colloquium for MA and PhD students / B - C2 (in English)

Colloquium (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Thu. 09:15 - 10:45 GW2 A3390 (CIP-Labor FB 10) (2 Teaching hours per week)

This is a research colloquium for MA and PhD students who planning on writing or are currently working on their final theses in the fields of (applied) English linguistics, World Englishes or SLA.

Prof. Dr. Marcus Callies
10-M80-4-MaThe-04Research Colloquium for MA and Doctoral Students / C3 (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Wed. 14:15 - 15:45 External location: online (2 Teaching hours per week)

This course is designed as a colloquium for young researchers writing their MA, PhD or postdoctoral thesis. Depending on particpants and their research topics, we will read theoretical or other texts suggested by the participants. Participants are invited to present their research topic, proposal, table of contents and/or written chapters and get constructive feedback in plenum discussions.
Pls register online through StudIP. Max number of participants: 15
Due to the corona pandemic, this course will take place as an online course.

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Knopf
10-M80-4-MaThe-05Research colloquium for MA and PhD students: Multimodality / C3 (in English)
C3: synchronous and asynchronous digital sessions

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 14:15 - 15:45 External location: online

This colloquium is designed for MA students or doctoral students planning to write their thesis in the fields of multimodal linguistics and its application to treatments of mixed media artefacts or performances and for critical discourse analysis, particularly empirically based studies. Examples of media that might be targetted include: film, comics, graphic novels, advertisements and so on. Particularly of interest will be areas where language (spoken or written) works together with visual representations of any kind. We will discuss theoretical and methodological approaches for characterising combinations of language and visual information, consider practical methods for corpus work (particularly involving mixed media, but not only), develop outlines and structures of the thesis, and consider how to construct strong thesis statements in order to focus your search for information, to tackle your subject and to construct your argument. Students will be expected to present and discuss their project in various stages of progression both in class as well as in individual monitoring sessions as well as to give input to others. Standard styles of presenting work within linguistics will be discussed as well as ways of addressing and analysing data and showing that analyses are adequate.

Prof. John Bateman, Ph.D.