This course hopes to show that, for various reasons, the scenarios George Orwell designed in his classic dystopias Animal Farm and 1984
may be considered as relevant for our time, as well. Formerly canonical
elements of German curricula, but nowadays often only known for phrases
like "Big Brother is Watching You", "Thought Police", "Newspeak", or
"All Animals are Equal, but Some Animals are More Equal than Others",
these sharp and often scathing critiques of social, political,
scientific and cultural issues carry warnings and messages which are
still worth considering today. In this seminar, we shall explore those
texts in depth, not merely as radical left-wing responses to their time
but as texts that can help us sharpen our critical view of the present.
Besides, we shall have a look at critical essays on Orwell's works.
Since substantial critical thinking
needs a sound basis to start from, students will be expected to purchase
their own copies of and read both texts by Orwell. The critical essays
on Orwell are going to be provided via moodle and/or a reserved
bookshelf in our library. Of course, students are also expected to read
the critical texts discussed in class.
- Dozent/in: Anja Müller