231172 Democracy: Social Justice and Literature -US-American Movements (S) (WiSe 2024/2025)

In line with the theme of the winter term -democracy - this class honors the long-standing connection between US-American literatures, politics, and social justice movements. A nation founded on the principles of democracy, the US has also always been plagued by major social divisions and injustices and the fights against those have inspired literary texts and vice versa.
In this class we will try and understand how history, politics, and art are often intertwined and we will seek to appreciate the role literature plays in social justice and activism. From the Revolutionary War to the abolition of slavery; from women's rights to queer activism, from #metoo to #blacklivesmatter - poems, songs, plays and novels have contributed to and represented the cause.
The block seminar format will give us plenty of time and space to explore texts, contexts, and political stances.