WiSe 17/18: PS-Introduction to Cultural Studies II: Jews in British Literature and Culture
Sabine Schülting
Comments
The course will focus on the ways in which late 20th and early 21st-century literature, film, and popular culture have responded to the long tradition of anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic discourses. We will look at contemporary rewritings and screen adaptations of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, and pay particular attention to the ways in which they re-imagine the character of Shylock, Shakespeare’s Jewish moneylender. In addition, we will discuss texts by British and Anglophone Jewish writers, and fiction on Jews in contemporary multicultural societies.
Texts: Students should purchase Howard Jacobson, Shylock Is My Name (2016; Vintage); and Zadie Smith, White Teeth (2000; Penguin). Shorter texts will be made available on Blackboard. Participants are expected to be familiar with Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.
Assessment will be on the basis of regular attendance, active participation in class activities (response papers, short presentations, group work) and the submission of an essay (c. 2000 words).
Language: The course will be taught in English (level C1).
close16 Class schedule
Regular appointments