LFU:online

Postcolonial criticism understands literature i.a. as a mode of unearthing suppressed truths and re-writing history. This has special relevance for a steadily growing body of texts chronicling the stories of refugees in different parts of the world and in so doing correcting dominant notions of refuge. Students will develop a critical awareness of how such texts work and refine their strategies of critical comparative analysis.

This course is concerned with forced migration as both a historical reality and a literary theme. We will study refugee narratives from different postcolonial contexts and compare in detail the special ways in which their authors describe and artistically process the experience of refuge, how they portray refugees and configure their specific identities as displaced subjects. Special attention will be paid to the narrative reconstruction and creative transformation of trauma and survival as means of critiquing and undermining the dominant refugee discourse increasingly framing asylum seekers as a threat to social and economic stability.

presentation, class discussion, assignments

continuous assesssment of presentations, participation in class discussions and assignments; term paper

to be announced at the beginning of the term

MA: none

Teacher Training Programme 2001: Positive completion of first part of studies (1. Studienabschnitt).

Due to substantial differences in the allocation of ECTS-Credits in various curricula (teacher training program - BA/MA English and American Studies), the requirements for this course vary. Information will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course.