How do stories become national myths, and why do they continue to shape American culture? This project-based seminar examines the cultural narratives that have informed American identity from the colonial period to the present. Using Heike Paul's The Myths That Made America as its primary theoretical framework, we will explore influential myths such as the Promised Land, the Founding Fathers, the American West, the melting pot, and the self-made man, asking how these narratives have contributed to ideas of American exceptionalism while remaining adaptable to changing historical and cultural contexts. Students will then apply these concepts to a twenty-first-century cultural phenomenon of their own choosing—such as a film, television series, social media trend, political campaign, public memorial, sporting event, or other cultural artifact—to examine how contemporary American culture continues to reproduce, revise, or generate national myths. The seminar paper (or essay, depending on students' degree program) will be developed as a work in progress throughout the semester. Class meetings will therefore include opportunities for discussion, peer feedback, and individual guidance, making regular attendance and active participation essential. 

Kurs im HIS-LSF