Presidential Elections and Contemporary American Literature and Culture (Compact Seminar/ Blockseminar)
Every four years, America’s presidential election unfolds as a major political, social, and cultural event. The candidates’ campaigns – their fundraising activities, TV debates, and public appearances – shape America’s cultural landscape for more than twelve months, and the election results have a direct impact on the country’s domestic and foreign politics.
In this course, we will explore the cultural significance of American presidential elections, asking how recent short stories and poems, feature films and biopics, a graphic novel and an autobiography have re-imagined them. Using concepts and methods from literary and cultural studies, we will discuss how such texts link presidential elections to key cultural narratives and issues that have long shaped debates about American culture, including notions of America as Promised Land and a nation of immigrants, the American Dream and American exceptionalism. Throughout, we will use an intersectional approach and ask to which degree the connections between race, class, gender, and related categories of identity and cultural difference lie at the heart of how literary texts as well as films think about presidential candidates and their running mates, voter turnout and the role of the media, primaries and inaugurations.
The actual Presidential Election Night on November 5, 7-9.30 p.m., Audimax, will form a central part of this course. Active participation in this event (including the preparation of questions for the keynote speaker and panelists, and a short report) is mandatory. For further information, see https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/american-studies/guest-lectures/election-night-2024/
Dates:
Fr 11. Okt, 12.15 -13.45 (pre-meeting ONLINE, sign-up for presentations/Referate; participation required)
Fr 25. Okt, 12-16.15 Uhr,
Sa 26. Okt, 10-17.45 Uhr,
Di, 5. Nov, 19-21.30 Uhr (US Election Night, AUDIMAX; active participation required)
Fr 24. Jan, 12-16.15 Uhr,
Sa 25. Jan, 10-17.45 Uhr.
Materials / Readings:
All students please buy or rent the following books and films and read/watch all of them BEFORE THE FIRST CLASS:
1. A Promised Land (2020) autobiography by Barack Obama – PDF of chapters 0-11 is available on the VC!
2. Welcome to the New World: Waking Up in Trump’s America, graphic novel by Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan (2020) – buy used or new (11-21 €)
3. Chisholm '72: The First Black Woman to Run for President (2004) – watch for free on Kanopy: https://www.kanopy.com/en/bamberg/video/5568398
4. Game Change (2012) – watch for 8,99 € on Amazon prime (ordered for UB Bamberg for overnight rental but may arrive too late)
5. Swing Vote (2008) watch for 3,99 € via various streaming services (ordered for UB Bamberg for overnight rental but may arrive too late)
6. Vice (2018) watch for 3,99 € via various streaming services
Every four years, America’s presidential election unfolds as a major political, social, and cultural event. The candidates’ campaigns – their fundraising activities, TV debates, and public appearances – shape America’s cultural landscape for more than twelve months, and the election results have a direct impact on the country’s domestic and foreign politics.
In this course, we will explore the cultural significance of American presidential elections, asking how recent short stories and poems, feature films and biopics, a graphic novel and an autobiography have re-imagined them. Using concepts and methods from literary and cultural studies, we will discuss how such texts link presidential elections to key cultural narratives and issues that have long shaped debates about American culture, including notions of America as Promised Land and a nation of immigrants, the American Dream and American exceptionalism. Throughout, we will use an intersectional approach and ask to which degree the connections between race, class, gender, and related categories of identity and cultural difference lie at the heart of how literary texts as well as films think about presidential candidates and their running mates, voter turnout and the role of the media, primaries and inaugurations.
The actual Presidential Election Night on November 5, 7-9.30 p.m., Audimax, will form a central part of this course. Active participation in this event (including the preparation of questions for the keynote speaker and panelists, and a short report) is mandatory. For further information, see https://www.uni-bamberg.de/en/american-studies/guest-lectures/election-night-2024/
Dates:
Fr 11. Okt, 12.15 -13.45 (pre-meeting ONLINE, sign-up for presentations/Referate; participation required)
Fr 25. Okt, 12-16.15 Uhr,
Sa 26. Okt, 10-17.45 Uhr,
Di, 5. Nov, 19-21.30 Uhr (US Election Night, AUDIMAX; active participation required)
Fr 24. Jan, 12-16.15 Uhr,
Sa 25. Jan, 10-17.45 Uhr.
Materials / Readings:
All students please buy or rent the following books and films and read/watch all of them BEFORE THE FIRST CLASS:
1. A Promised Land (2020) autobiography by Barack Obama – PDF of chapters 0-11 is available on the VC!
2. Welcome to the New World: Waking Up in Trump’s America, graphic novel by Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan (2020) – buy used or new (11-21 €)
3. Chisholm '72: The First Black Woman to Run for President (2004) – watch for free on Kanopy: https://www.kanopy.com/en/bamberg/video/5568398
4. Game Change (2012) – watch for 8,99 € on Amazon prime (ordered for UB Bamberg for overnight rental but may arrive too late)
5. Swing Vote (2008) watch for 3,99 € via various streaming services (ordered for UB Bamberg for overnight rental but may arrive too late)
6. Vice (2018) watch for 3,99 € via various streaming services
- Moderator/in: Christine Gerhardt
- Moderator/in: Nicole Konopka
- Moderator/in: Alina Waitzmann
Semester: 2024/25 Wintersemester