Lehrende: Dr. Sabine Bartsch; Dr. phil. Detlev Mares
Veranstaltungsart: Seminar
Orga-Einheit: FB02 / Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft (Institut)
Anzeige im Stundenplan: Register and Genre
Fach:
Anrechenbar für:
Semesterwochenstunden: 2
Unterrichtssprache: Deutsch und Englisch
Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl: - | -
Lehrinhalte: This experimental seminar will combine historical and linguistic methods in the analysis of British political speeches. We will concentrate on a selection of speeches that represent famous prime ministerial speakers and give an impression of fundamental developments in British political rhetoric from the late 19th to the twentieth century. For this purpose, we will briefly deal with William Ewart Gladstone, a four-time prime minister in the late 19th century and arguably one of the most influential political speakers of his day. For the rest of the seminar, we will concentrate on Winston Churchill, whose war time speeches are counted among the most effective pieces of political oratory in the 20th century, and on Margaret Thatcher, who offers the example of a female speaker who managed to dominate British politics for a decade and had a wide impact far beyond the borders of her own country. The introductory sections of the seminar will present an overview of linguistic tools for the analysis of speeches before we move on to the three politicians mentioned above. We will try to establish working groups of students with participants from both a linguistic and historical background to prepare presentations on the Churchill and Thatcher speeches. Ideally, students will combine approaches from both subjects in their essays (Hausarbeiten) but we will deal with this question individually during the seminar and the preparation of the essays. During the seminar, you will learn to uncover rhetorical strategies of political speakers and to relate these to their intentions and the requirements of particular historical contexts. In the course of doing so, we will try to understand in what respect the use of rhetorical tools depends on historical context and how both interact in our understanding of "successful" political oratory. The course will be taught in English (this also applies to your presentations during the course). The concluding essay (Hausarbeit) has to be written in English if you need a certificate (Leistungsnachweis) in linguistics or English literature. Students from history or other subjects may choose between English and German.
Literatur: We recommend prior use of biographical literature on Gladstone, Churchill and Thatcher, with particular emphasis on their times in prime ministerial office and on their role as political speakers. More specialised literature will be made available to you during the course of the seminar.
Zusätzliche Informationen: In history, the seminar can be taken as a "fachdidaktisches Seminar". It will NOT directly address teaching practice at school, though. However, you will learn competences in the analysis of political speeches which are of essential value for teaching at schools where political speeches are one of the most common kinds of source material for the modern era.
Online-Angebote: moodle
