230462 Academic writing (S) (SoSe 2025)

In this class, students will be given the opportunity to extend and consolidate their writing skills in literary studies through regular and intensive writing tasks. In a range of exercises, students will practise how to develop a research question in literary studies, how to turn this question into a clear and detailed thesis statement as a basis for a well-structured argument, and how to write a coherent, cohesive, stylistically appropriate paper.
The ultimate goal of this class is to help prepare students for writing their long essay in the “Introduction to Literary Studies” (Basic Module 2).

Requirements for participation, required level

It is not advisable to attend this class before you have done - or at least started - ‘Writing and Research’ and/or 'Argumentation and Critical Reading' in Basis1 and the lecture ‘Introduction to Literary Analysis and Interpretation’ in Basis2. Students are expected to have a general understanding of writing in professional contexts and of analysing and interpreting Anglophone literatures.

Bibliography

The set text for the entire semester (incl. the writing assignments) is Sam Selvon's novel The Lonely Londoners (1956). We will approach the novel from a number of different analytical and interpretative angles.
You must own and read a PRINT copy of the novel, which you will be allowed to use in both in-class exams. No ebooks will be allowed in the exam.

Recommendation: Purchase the Penguin Classics edition, with an Introduction by Susheila Nasta (ISBN 978-0-141-18841-6)