230506 Rethinking America The American Essay (S) (WiSe 2025/2026)

The objective of the class is to explore the genre of the essay as self-reflexive, creative and critical expression. Essays in U.S. American culture represent an important medium to express critical reflections on cultural, literary, social and political developments in U.S. society and culture in the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st century. This class will take a historical approach covering a time span from colonial to contemporary times. Students will read and interpret selected essays by authors and thinkers like Douglas, Emerson, Hughes, Hurston, Walker, Sui Lin Far among others. Most texts will be taken From Lopate’s The Glorioust American Essay collection. The essays will provide food for thought and reflection, as we discuss crisis, change, contact zones and identity politics in (an extended) U.S. cultural context. Students will be required to engage with the selected essays in written and oral form.