LFU:online

In this course students will acquire a deeper insight into the theme of forced migration and its representation in literature. They will practice methods of critical reading and textual analysis and acquire an understanding of the basic concepts of narratology 

Refugee Tales is an initiative modelled on The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories written by the late medieval writer Geoffrey Chaucer. In it, pilgrims on their way to Canterbury decide to enhance their journey by taking turns and telling each other stories. The initiators of Refugee Tales adopted this idea in 2014 and launched a 5-day walking event on which different writers would present texts they had written about individual refugees in order to draw attention to the treatment irregular migrants were receiving from British immigration authorities and quite specifically to indefinite detention, a particularly inhumane measure of immigration control. Our focus will be on these texts and others produced for Refugee Tales and presented at further walking events organized since the inception of Refugee Tales (see https://www.refugeetales.org/).

We will study the different ways in which they tackle the themes of migration and homelessness, the experience of being “out of place” and foreign in Europe, asylum seekers’ encounters with immigration authorities on the one hand and with either helping or hostile Europeans on the other. In our discussions we will pay special attention to how writers talk about place and space, movement and mobility and do so for a good reason: for

in the first week of May, you will have a chance to learn more about Refugee Tales directly from the writer, David Herd, who is coming to Innsbruck to explore possibilities of bringing Refugee Tales to Austria and organizing a walk in solidarity with refugees in Tyrol. Weather permitting there will be a chance to join a first trial walk with him and the Greek filmmaker Lucas Paleocrassas on the 4^th of May. So please earmark this date, if you can.

presentations, discussions
 

participation in class discussions, presentations, written paper

BA 2015: positive completion of compulsory module 10

Teacher Training Programme BA 2015: positive completion of compulsory module 13

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.