Department of English
Syntax
Course Description
Syntax is the part of grammar which deals with the ways words are combined into sentences. We will first look at some key concepts in syntax from a structuralist perspective, starting with smaller syntactic units such as the word and the notion of different word classes. Phrases are another key concept syntactically superordinate to words, which function as constituents in clauses. In this context, it will be of pivotal importance to keep the dichotomy of form and function in mind. Apart from analysing different types of clauses (and sentences) and different ways of ordering elements in a clause (and a sentence), we will also examine the semantic roles of clause elements to discover the close connection between syntax and meaning. We will then briefly look into other approaches to syntax (valency grammar, functional sentence perspective, generative grammar), before we explore syntactic variation in selected varieties of English and the differences between spoken and written grammars.
Faculty
Faculty of Languages, Literature, Culture
Institute
Department of English
Lecturer
Dr. Tobias Bernaisch
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
15/04/2024 - 19/07/2024
Mode and Time
Asynchronous (recorded)
Class Format
Seminar
Online Tool for Teaching
Stud.IP
Language of Instruction
English
Target Group
Bachelor, Master
Prerequisites
Englisch B2
Examination Format
Take-Home-Exam
ECTS
5
ECTS without Examination
2
The United States in the 21st Century with a Focus on the 2024 Presidential Elections
Course Description
This series of interactive lectures covers major events in U.S. American cultural politics since the beginning of the new millennium. These include the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the ensuing Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Abu Ghraib prisoner scandal, the financial crisis of 2007-2008, the Black Lives Matter movement, #MeToo, the COVID-19 pandemic, political polarization, and the ongoing legacy of Trumpism. We will review these events and go over how the primary and general elections function in the United States so as to better understand what is at stake in the sixtieth presidential elections on November 5, 2024. Paying attention to the history of the presidency in the post-WW II period allows us to contextualize some of the central issues influencing the 2024 presidential and down-ballot races. Recognizing that the presidency has always been mediated, our primary texts will include presidential autobiographies, attack ads, and social media posts, as well as the Constitution. The lecture series places particular focus on diversity issues in the campaigns and how they are represented in media. This includes topics such as abortion, immigration, education, parents’ rights, and LGBTQIA-related issues. A series of live events with outside speakers will add additional perspectives to our discussions.
Faculty
Faculty of Languages, Literature, Culture
Institute
English Department
Lecturer
Prof. Dr. Greta Olson
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
15/04/2024 - 19/07/2024
Mode and Time
Synchronous: Wednesdays, 4-6 pm
Hybrid via zoom (tbc)
Online Tool for Teaching
Zoom
Language of Instruction
English
Target Group
Bachelor, Master. Open for students of the following fields: Anglophone Studies/English, Gender in Teaching, Media-Related Courses, American Studies)
Prerequisites
English B2
Ability to follow and write in academic English
Examination Format
Essay exam about lecture topic/s OR
5-page paper (going into depth about a topic discussed during class)
ECTS
3
History of the English Language (Group A)
Course Description
The study of the history of the English language offers highly relevant insights into how we ended up with the English language as it is structured and as it functions all around the world today. In this lecture, we will pay particular attention to the different periods in the history of the English language, i.e. Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, Late Modern English and Present-day English, in order to follow the structural changes on the levels of phonology, lexis, syntax and semantics that have led to the English language as we use it today. We will also consider various areas of linguistic study that include a historical component, e.g. historical text linguistics, historical sociolinguistics, historical corpus linguistics, etc.
Faculty
Faculty of Languages, Literature, Culture
Institute
Department of English
Lecturer
Dr. Barbara Ann Güldenring
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
15/04/2024 - 19/07/2024
Mode and Time
Synchronous: weekly, Tuesdays, 3 – 4 p.m.
start date: April 16th, 2024
Class Format
Seminar
Online Tool for Teaching
Stud.IP, ILIAS, BigBlueButton
Language of Instruction
English
Target Group
Bachelor, Master
Prerequisites
English B2
Examination Format
Exam
ECTS
3
ECTS without examination
None