universit ä tbochum seminarinternes vorlesungsverzeichnis ba-st

etween the sexes, and on the political clash between Tories and Whigs. We will
discuss how comedy developed after the Renaissance, and why these new plays
were deemed obscene by contemporaries and critics alike. The course is also aimed
at familiarising students with the terminology and methodology of drama analysis.
Required edition: Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Comedy. Ed. Scott McMillin.
Norton Critical Editions. Norton: New York, 1996.
Credit requirements:
Seminar (4 CP): active participation and a 10-page paper;
Übung (3 CP): active participation and a 5-page paper.
050 629 Houwen
Late Medieval and Renaissance Ballads, 4 CP
2 st. di 14-16 GB 6/137 Nord
Description: Songs that tell a story that more often than not starts in the “fifth act”
(<strong>ba</strong>llads) are not just a late medieval and Renaissance phenomenon. They are still
popular to this day and many a popular musician has one or more <strong>ba</strong>llads to his or
her name (cf. Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads). In this course we shall concentrate on the
earlier <strong>ba</strong>llads but will also compare these wherever possible to modern renderings
where they exist. Some of the main topics that will be addressed concern the <strong>ba</strong>llad
genre itself, the dissemination of <strong>ba</strong>llads (many survived longer in the Appalachian
mountains than in Scotland and the borders), their use (and abuse) throughout the
centuries, the role of the supernatural and the like.
Assessment: The course will be rounded off with an essay. BA/MA Übung: 6-8 pages
(excl. title page and bibliography; no table of contents please); BA Seminar: 8-10
pages; MA/MARS Seminar 10-12 pages. All references should conform to MLA
stylesheet! Obviously the criteria for an academic essay at MA level are higher than
those for the BA.
Set text: Primary and secondary material will be made available via Blackboard.