The Aesthetics and Politics of Psychotherapy:
Literary, Cultural, and Media Perspectives on ‘Healing the Soul’

Editor: Joanna Rostek (University of Giessen, Germany)

This special issue of the ZAA: A Quarterly of Language, Literature and Culture will explore the aesthetics and politics of psychotherapy from the point of view of Anglophone literary, cultural, and media studies. In particular, we seek contributions that fall into at least one of the following three strands:

1. Investigating points of convergence between psychotherapy on the one hand and literary, cultural, and media studies on the other.
2. Analyses of fictional representations of the psychotherapeutic process (in novels, films, series, plays, etc.).
3. Analyses of non- and semi-fictional insights into the psychotherapeutic process created by (former) psychotherapists or patients (memoirs, podcasts etc.).

As Christine Lister-Ford states in her Short Introduction to Psychotherapy, “[s]ince the earliest recording of human culture there has been evidence of human mental and emotional distress and also ways to explain and alleviate it” (11). Literary and cultural texts, due to their capacity to verbalise and label complex interior states, provide a unique psychological archive. But they do not merely record: precisely because they translate emotions into words and images and arrange them into patterns, they arguably perform similar work to that involved in conversation-based psychotherapy. In the words of novelist and psychotherapist Lisa Williamson Rosenberg: “What ties my therapist-self to my writer-self is the ability to translate emotion into words.” One could also claim that literary and cultural scholars decoding meanings and structures and ‘containing’ them through academic language perform a type of work comparable to that of psychotherapists. Contemporary psychologists and psychotherapists are open to the idea that literary and cultural texts can play a role in the process of ‘healing the soul’. Bibliotherapy, as the website Psychology Today explains, “is a therapeutic approach employing books and other forms of literature, typically alongside more traditional therapy modalities, to support a patient’s mental health”. Watching films can apparently have similar effects: “cinema therapy”, as psychotherapist Bruce Kircaldy explains, “refers to using movies to help address issues of psychological and mental well-being” (5).

From Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint (1969) and David Lodge’s Therapy (1995) to The Sopranos (1999-2007) and In Treatment (2008-2021), psychotherapy has been represented in a considerable number of novels, poems, plays, films, and TV series (Anghelescu et al.; Furst; Hotz-Davies & Kirchhofer; Thurston; Wassmann). Some of this work has been produced by therapist-novelists, e.g. Irvin D. Yalom, Salley Vickers, and Bev Thomas. Depictions of psychotherapy have been used for various aesthetic and political purposes. Placing a character in the role of a patient in a psychotherapeutic setting can, for instance, legitimise the inclusion of potentially tabooed topics, harness readers’ voyeurism and attention, create sympathy for a flawed and/or vulnerable protagonist, question normative discourses, or establish narrative unreliability. The power dynamics between psychotherapist and patient are amenable to setting up suspense, while representing the intimacy of the consulting room enables the creation of discrepant awareness, which perhaps explains why psychotherapy seems to feature regularly in thriller and crime genres.

Finally, psychotherapists themselves have been producing popular non-fictional or semi-fictional texts that give insight into their profession and thought. A classic in this regard is Man’s Search for Meaning (1946) by Viktor Franckl. More recent best-sellers include Stephen Grosz’s An Examined Life (2014), Philippa Perry’s The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (2019), and Lori Gottlieb’s Maybe You Should Talk to Someone (2019). Therapeutic podcasts have likewise mushroomed over the past decade: Esther Perel’s Where Should We Begin, Lori Gottlieb and Guy Winch’s Dear Therapists, or Gill Straker, Rachael Burton, and Andrew Geeves’s Three Associating provide glimpses into psychotherapy ‘in action’, while at the same time raising interesting questions regarding privacy, exposure, and audience interaction in the context of digital media.

This special issue therefore puts its focus not on mental ill health per se, but on the aesthetics and politics of the psychotherapeutic process. Historical approaches, comparative UK-US perspectives as well as transdisciplinary collaborations between literary, cultural, and media scholars and psychologists or psychotherapists are welcome.

Papers may address, but are not limited to, the following topics within the three strands named above:

• theoretical approaches to overlaps between psychotherapy and literature, culture, and media
• shared patterns of communication in psychotherapy and literature
• reading and interpreting texts and/as and psychotherapy
• the cultural imaginary of psychotherapy in novels, films, series, plays, etc.
• psychotherapy and genre (e.g. autofiction, memoirs, thrillers, crime series)
• narratological affordances of psychotherapy
• psychotherapy and discourses of healing and/or self-care
• psychotherapy, voyeurism, and secrecy
• psychotherapy and/in digital culture
• psychotherapy and self-help culture

Please send an abstract of c. 300 words and a short bio profile to Joanna Rostek by 15 March 2023. Authors will be informed in the course of March whether their submission has been accepted. Articles (c. 5,000 words) will be due by 15 September 2023, to allow time for the peer-review process. The special issue is scheduled to appear in 2024.

Bibliography

Anghelescu, Ion-George, Franziska Liedtke, and Georgia Wendling-Platz. “Wie wird Psychotherapie in Filmen und Serien dargestellt?”. DNP – Der Neurologe & Psychiater 23 (2022): 36-41. “Bibliotherapy.” Psychology Today. 9 August 2022. Web. [29/11/22]
Furst, Lilian R. Just Talk: Narratives of Psychotherapy, Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 1999.
Hotz-Davies, Ingrid and Anton Kirchhofer, eds. Psychoanalytic-ism: Uses of Psychoanalysis in Novels, Poems, Plays, and Films. Trier: WVT, 2000.
Kircaldy, Bruce, ed. Psychotherapy, Literature and the Visual and Performing Arts. Cham: Springer, 2018.
Lister-Ford, Christine, ed. A Short Introduction to Psychotherapy. London: SAGE, 2007. Print.
McLeod, John. Narrative and Psychotherapy. London: SAGE, 1998.
Thurston, Michael. “Psychotherapy and Confessional Poetry.” The Cambridge Companion to Modern American Poetry, ed. Walter Kalaidjian, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015, 143–154.
Wassmann, Claudia, ed. Therapy and Emotions in Film and Television. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.
Williamson Rosenberg, Lisa. “To Write Fiction with a Psychotherapist’s Mind”. Literary Hub. 1 August 2022. Web. [29/11/22]

From Law and Literature to Legality and Affect argues for the continued vitality of Law and Literature. Traditional methods of Law and Literature are combined with work in critical media studies, affect, and cultural narratology to address topics such as ethnonationalism, anti-immigration sentiment, and systemic racism in Germany and the United States. Taking stock of the diversification of the field at fifty years, this book understands Law and Literature as a political project. It has a precedent in inaugural Law and Literature texts such as Jacob Grimm's "Von der Poesie im Recht" (On the Poetry in Law) from 1815/16, which imagined an alternative legal order that was grounded in the unity of law, poetic language, and feeling. The political thrust of Law and Literature continues up into the present in the arts of BlackLivesMatter, which document and resist police violence. Law and Literature offers keys for understanding how legal texts and identities are constructed, and for comprehending how cultural-legal issues are mediated affectively. Using cultural, medial, affect theoretical, and narrative analyses of law, a revitalized Law and Literature offers a set of methods and theories with which to address the most pressing issues of the present.

Join via the following link: https://uni-giessen.webex.com/uni-giessen-en/j.php?MTID=m20a89c33ef370abcbfae8e0e596e6bf7
or Webinar number 2734 594 3859 & password: ygNsY2uSP67
If you have any issues while logging in, please contact Melanie.Kreitler

The book launch will feature inputs by Jeanne Gaakeer, Professor of Jurisprudence at Erasmus School of Law (Rotterdam) and Senior Justice in the Court of Appeal, The Hague;
Simon Stern, Professor of Law and English, Chair in Innovation Law (Toronto) and Co-Editor of the Oxford University Press Law and Literature series;
Werner Gephart, Professor of Legal Sociology and Founding Director of the Käte Hamburger Center for Advanced Study "Law as Culture" (Bonn); and
Peter Goodrich, Professor of Law and Director of the Program in Law and Humanities, Cardoza Law School (New York) and Visiting Professor in the School of Social Science at New York University Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).
The launch will be moderated by Birte Christ, Substitute Professor for English and American Literature (Giessen) and author of a book on representations of the American death penalty in film and television (under review) and co-editor, with Stefanie Mueller, of a special issue of Amerikatustudien on Poetry and Law.

Dear students,

Do you need help finding the topic of your thesis?
Please join us on Tuesday, September 27th 2PM

What is the thesis support programme?

This meeting is intended to help students formulate a concrete project for their upcoming final thesis. Together with Prof. Olson, we will discuss helpful tips about finding a central topic and a title for your BA/Lehramt/MA thesis. This program is not just for students of anglophone literary and cultural studies, but linguistic and didactics students as well. The deadline for registering your BA/MA thesis (MFKW, NFF, Anglophone Studies, ICB) for WiSe 22/23 is September 30th. Together, we will guide you and your thesis from its inception to its registration and afterwards offer to help you with the writing process.

We strongly recommend international students and those who have yet to write a full academic term paper in English to attend our meeting.

How will it work?

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 27th 2PM in Room B340.

It is scheduled for two hours. Here, you may share your ideas and questions about your upcoming thesis and we will provide you with constructive feedback.

Directly afterwards, you can have a more in-depth discussion with Prof. Olson in her office hours (for which you must register separately via Stud.IP).

What's next?

After our initial group meeting, we will have individual office hours scheduled to offer personal guidance and help you with any questions you might have. After you have finalized the title and outline of your thesis, you should contact us or Prof. Olson again so it can be registered with the Prüfungsamt. Over the course of the following months, there will be additional support meetings (roughly every other week), where you will receive supplementary material with helpful tips as well as personal feedback on the progress you’ve made on your thesis. We are also always available via E-Mail.

Any Questions? Please contact us at: basupport  and masupport

Grußwort: Prof. Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee, Präsident der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
Einführung: Prof. Dr. Bettina Brockmeyer (Historisches Institut), Prof. Dr. Magnus Huber (Institut für Anglistik)

anschließend Umtrunk und Besichtigung der Ausstellung mit den Kuratorinnen und Kuratoren

Zur Ausstellung:

Die Sonderausstellung, die vom 01.09. – 16.10.2022 im Palmenhaus des Botanischen Gartens zu sehen sein wird, beleuchtet Sammlungen an der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, die im Zuge von universitären Aktivitäten in kolonialen Kontexten bzw. durch kolonial inspirierte Sammlungsaktivitäten ihren Weg an die Universität Gießen fanden. Im Fokus stehen dabei vier Themensektionen, die unterschiedliche Sammlungsbestände der Universität im 19. und frühen 20. Jahrhundert beleuchten:

Die Antikensammlung: Im frühen 20. Jahrhundert fanden Objekte von verschiedenen Grabungsexpeditionen ihren Weg in die Antikensammlung, die ihren Bestand vor allem unter Lehrsammlungsaspekten erheblich erweiterte. So gelangten auch Funde aus dem unter britischer Kontrolle stehenden Ägypten und aus dem vom deutschen Kaiserreich wirtschaftlich abhängigen osmanischen Reich nach Gießen, darunter auch die kaiserliche Schenkung von Funden aus Heinrich Schliemanns Troja-Grabungen.

Der Botanische Garten: Der Direktor des Botanischen Gartens, Adolf Hansen, und sein Gartenbauinspektor Friedrich Rehnelt reisten zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts nach Sri Lanka, in die damalige britische Kolonie Ceylon, um Pflanzen und Samen in großen Mengen nach Gießen zu transferieren. Die „Ausbeute" lässt sich heute noch im Hansen-Rehnelt-Herbarium und in Bildaufnahmen rekonstruieren.

Die Sondersammlungen der Universitätsbibliothek: Die Provenienz der singhalesischen Palmblatthandschriften der Universitätsbibliothek aus Sri Lanka ist bis zu den Schenkern nachvollziehbar. Die Objekte verdeutlichen, wie diese kulturellen Zeugnisse von Privatpersonen im späten 19. Jahrhundert teils als Souvenirs erworben wurden, ohne sie inhaltlich einordnen zu können.

Sektion Linguistik: Im Rahmen der Kolonisierung trafen mit den Kulturen auch Sprachen aufeinander. Die Sektion beschäftigt sich mit dem Pidgin-English als Verkehrssprache in deutschen Kolonien und seinem Verhältnis zum Deutschen. Daneben wird auch die Instrumentalisierung von Sprache zur Konstruktion einer weißen Überlegenheit als Legitimation der Kolonisierung untersucht.

Die Ausstellung bildet zugleich den Auftakt zu einer Auseinandersetzung mit der kolonialen Vergangenheit an der Justus-Liebig-Universität, und knüpft an die derzeitige Debatte über den Umgang mit dem europäischen Kolonialismus an, die momentan in Deutschland und in den Nachbarländern in vollem Gange ist. Die Museen und auch die universitären Sammlungen enthalten Objekte, die aus der Zeit des Hochimperialismus und den zu der Zeit bestehenden Kolonien stammen. Zunehmend wird deshalb gefragt, woher die Sammlungsgegenstände kommen, und die Provenienz der Dinge erforscht, so derzeit auch im Oberhessischen Museum (aktuelle Ausstellung: „Zwischen Sammelwut und Forschungsdrang. Koloniale Kontexte in Gießen" vom 06.05.2022–15.01.2023 im Alten Schloss).

Die Ausstellungsidee entstand unter den Mitgliedern der Justus-Liebig-Universität in der vom Hessischen Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst angestoßenen und geförderten und durch die Konferenz Hessischer Universitätspräsidien gebildeten Kommission „Koloniales Erbe in Hessen", welche die wissenschaftliche Expertise der hessischen Universitäten zur Thematik bündelt.

Das Ausstellungsteam besteht aus Prof. Dr. Bettina Brockmeyer (Historisches Institut), Dr. Joachim Hendel (Universitätsarchiv Gießen), Prof. Dr. Magnus Huber (Institut für Anglistik), Prof. Dr. Katharina Lorenz (Professur für Klassische Archäologie), Dr. Olaf Schneider (Sondersammlungen der Universitätsbibliothek Gießen), Dr. Michaela Stark (Kustodin der Antikensammlung der JLU), Dr. Alissa Theiß (JLU-Sammlungskoordination), Lutz Trautmann M. A. (Universitätsarchiv Gießen) und Prof. Dr. Volker Wissemann (Professur für Spezielle Botanik).

Liebe ICB-Studierende,

hiermit möchte ich Sie darüber in Kenntnis setzen, dass Sie sich für die in Ihrem Studiengang vorgesehene Praktikumsübung über Stud.IP anmelden können. Sie finden die Veranstaltung unter dem Namen "Praktikumsvorbereitung BA ICB". Die Veranstaltung wird von Mathilde Berhault geleitet. Bitte beachten Sie, dass eine Anmeldung über FlexNow derzeit nicht möglich ist und die Anmeldung über Stud.IP vorerst ausreichend ist.

Ich werde versuchen mich im Verlauf der kommenden Woche mit weiteren Informationen bzgl. der noch offenen Fragen an Sie zu wenden.

Viele Grüße,
Damaris Schäfer

The two positions are part of the externally funded project “Dehumanizing, Victimizing, or Universalizing? How Images of Migration Interact with Human Rights Discourse.” They will be filled on a fixed-term basis in accordance with § 2 WissZeitVG and § 72 HessHG with the opportunity for an academic qualification at the Chair of Prof. Dr. Greta Olson, Department of English. The salary is in accordance with the collective labour agreement of the State of Hesse (E 13 TV-H).

As long as the maximum permissible duration of a fixed-term contract is not exceeded, you will be employed for a period of 4 years.

Application deadline is 15 July 2022.

Click here for the complete job advertisement.

Die ausführliche Stellenanzeige auf Deutsch finden Sie hier.

On Friday, 29 April 2022 from 4-6 PM, the ZMI Section "Media and Gender", the Giessen Graduate Center for Social Science, Business, Economics and Law (GGS) and the Chair of Gender Studies at the Institute of Political Science at JLU invite you to the digital panel discussion "En-Gendering Borders: Media and Migration Reframed". Guest Speakers will be Krista Lynes (Canada Research Chair in Feminist Media Studies and Associate Professor in Communication Studies at Concordia University, Montréal), Greta Olson (JLU Giessen) and Jennifer Kanau International Women* Space (Berlin). The discussion will be moderated by Verena Zablotsky (JLU Giessen).

The discussion will take place as part of the virtual event series on the realignment of the GGS section "Transnationale und Intersektionale Herrschaftskritik" (TIHK), previously called "Soziale Ungleichheit und Geschlecht".

The link will be sent after registration under: carina.mueller

Am Freitag, den 29. April 2022 (16-18 Uhr s.t.), laden die ZMI-Sektion „Medien und Gender", das Gießener Graduiertenzentrum für Sozial-, Wirtschafts- und Rechtswissenschaften (GGS) und Dr. Veronika Zablotsky (ehem. Vertreterin der Gender Studies Professur am Institut für Politikwissenschaft der JLU) zu der Online-Diskussionsveranstaltung „En-Gendering Borders: Media and Migration Reframed" (in English), welche einen feministischen Blick auf die mediale Reproduktion von Grenzregimen wirft und den unabhängigen Medienaktivismus von geflüchteten und migrantisierten Frauen* ins Zentrum rückt. Zu Gast sind hierbei Prof. Krista Lynes (Canada Research Chair in Feminist Media Studies und Associate Professor in Communication Studies an der Concordia University, Montréal), Prof. Greta Olson (JLU Gießen) und Jennifer Kamau von International Women* Space (Berlin), während Dr. Veronika Zablotsky (Freie Universität Berlin, Transforming Solidarities moderiert.
Die Diskussion findet im Rahmen der virtuellen Veranstaltungsreihe zur Neuausrichtung der GGS-Sektion „Transnationale und intersektionale Herrschaftskritik" (TIHK) statt, die bisher unter dem Namen „Soziale Ungleichheit und Geschlecht" geführt wurde.
Informationen zu International Women* Space finden Sie in den Dokumentationen "In Our Own Words" (2015) und "We Are Here, We Exist", sowie in einem Video von Denise Garcia Bergt zum Besuch von Angela Y. Davis am "Refugee Strike House" in Berlin in 2015.
Der Link wird nach Anmeldung unter carina.mueller verschickt. Bitte versenden Sie die Einladung und den Flyer gerne auch innerhalb Ihrer Netzwerke.

Dear students,

Do you need help finding the topic of your thesis?
Please join us on Tuesday, March 22nd 2PM via Cisco Webex.

What is the thesis support programme?

This meeting is intended to help students formulate a concrete project for their upcoming final thesis. Together with Prof. Olson, we will discuss helpful tips about finding a central topic and a title for your BA/Lehramt/MA thesis. This program is not just for students of anglophone literary and cultural studies, but linguistic and didactics students, as well. The deadline for registering your BA/MA thesis (MFKW, NFF, Anglophone Studies) for SoSe 2022 is March 25th. Together, we will guide you and your thesis from its inception to its registration and afterwards offer to help you with the writing process.

We strongly recommend international students and those who have yet to write a full academic term paper in English to attend our meeting.

How will it work?

We will be using a digital conference room (Cisco Webex) for our meeting. This way, we can see and talk to each other, meaning webcams and/or microphones are highly encouraged, but using your phone will work as well.

You can join us on Tuesday, March 22nd 2PM through the following link:

Meeting link: https://uni-giessen.webex.com/uni-giessen-en/j.php?MTID=m383655ea78ab0cc5f1308d3c4aecdc02

Meeting number: 2731 366 3524

Password: WrW8trKhi22

• The meeting will be scheduled for two hours. Here, you may share your ideas and questions about your upcoming thesis and we will provide you with constructive feedback.
• Directly afterwards, you can have a more in-depth discussion with Prof. Olson in her office hours (for which you must register separately via Stud.IP).

What's next?

After our initial group meeting, we will have individual office hours scheduled to offer personal guidance and help you with any questions you might have. After you have finalized the title and outline of your thesis, you should contact us or Prof. Olson again so it can be registered with the Prüfungsamt. Over the course of the following months, we will also send you supplementary material with helpful tips and are always available via E-Mail.

Any Questions? Please contact us at: Basupport and Masupport

Here you can find the complete workshop programme for the summer semester 2022:
www.uni-giessen.de/cs-sose22

For students of the faculty 05, we especially recommend the following workshops:

• Career paths in Anglophone Studies www.uni-giessen.de/cs22-11
• Be an early bird and plan your career! www.uni-giessen.de/cs22-07
• How to find an internship www.uni-giessen.de/cs22-10
• How to apply - prepare your Application for the German Job market www.uni-giessen.de/cs22-14 OR www.uni-giessen.de/cs22-26

Also interesting are the following:

• Coping with stress and difficult emotions for job starters and job seekers www.uni-giessen.de/cs22-01
• Presentation Techniques www.uni-giessen.de/cs22-32
• Negotiating your salary in Germany www.uni-giessen.de/cs22-15
• Next Level LinkedIn www.uni-giessen.de/cs22-12

All workshops will be held online. You can register for the workshops via Stud.IP.
Please only register for workshops that you can definitely participate in! If you cannot participate after all, you have to unregister at least one week before the workshop takes place.

Should you have any questions, please contact Julia Kislat or her team at career-services

"Vor Ort: Fotogeschichten zur Migration, presented at Museum Ludwig, Cologne (June 19 – October 3, 2021) has offered a new focus on the private photographs and their stories narrated by their makers and protagonists. Depending on the choice of setting and framing in public places of Cologne and other cities in the Rhineland, a series of visual narratives emerged from 1955 to 1989 among labor migrants who passionately photographed themselves, their families, and their living environments. Yet those narratives rather remained unknown and underrepresented in the postwar history of cities, even though the chosen sites were essential for the personal as well as collective memories, as such amateur photography also documented the urban and social transformations in cities."

Dr. Ela Kaçel is an architectural historian and co-curator of the exhibition "In Situ: Photo Stories on Migration," which features photos of so-called 'guest' workers of Cologne and other cities in the Rhineland. "In Situ" covers the period between 1955 and 1989 after the labor recruitment agreements between West Germany and mainly Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey. More information about Dr. Kaçel's work can be found here:

https://www.museum-ludwig.de/en/exhibitions/in-situ-photo-stories-on-migration.html

The lecture is part of the weekly seminar "Images of Migration", which covers the topics of flight, migration, human rights and critical media studies.

Join us here:

https://uni-giessen.webex.com/uni-giessen-en/j.php?MTID=m6e69bb409286ee6ac6ed7b271afcd2a8

Meeting number: 2733 672 1271
Password: qQ2HWqJN3m3

Vom 13.01. bis 22.03.2022 können sich Interessierte in einer Ausstellung über das außergewöhnliche Leben von Marie von Hessen-Kassel informieren. Die Ausstellung ist während der Öffnungszeiten der Universitätsbibliothek im Ausstellungsraum zu sehen.

Weitere Informationen und die Einwahldaten zur Ausstellungseröffnung finden Sie hier:

https://www.uni-giessen.de/ub/aktuelles/marie250

This talk is part of the weekly lecture series "Introduction to Gender, Sexuality, and Diversity Studies", which covers topics of feminism(s), gender, queer and trans theory and rights, race, religion, migration, and ableism as well as historical and current forms of discrimination. The lecture series presents a kick-off to the Justus-Liebig-University’s new certificate in gender, sexuality, and diversity. For more information about obtaining the certificate, please visit https://www.uni-giessen.de/faculties/f05/certificates/certificate-in-gender-sexuality-and-diversity?set_language=en.


Link: https://uni-giessen.webex.com/uni-giessen-en/j.php?MTID=m5451ca96b6f2c2d011eba7f559b026f7
Meeting-ID:  2734 803 3262
Password: 4pApg2JNNc4

Dear students,

Do you need help finding the topic of your thesis?

Please join us on Wednesday, September 22nd via Cisco Webex.

What is the thesis support programme?

This meeting is intended to help students formulate a concrete project for their upcoming final thesis. Together with Prof. Olson, we will discuss helpful tips about finding a central topic and a title for your BA/Lehramt/MA thesis. This program is not just for students of anglophone literary and cultural studies, but linguistic and didactics students, as well. The deadline for registering your BA/MA thesis (MFKW, NFF, Anglophone Studies) for WS 2021/2022 is September 30th.  

Together, we will guide you and your thesis from its inception to its registration in the latter half of September and afterwards offer to help you with the writing process.

We strongly recommend international students and those who have yet to write a full academic term paper in English to attend our meeting.

How will it work?

We will be using a digital conference room (Cisco Webex) for our meeting. This way, we can see and talk to each other, meaning webcams and/or microphones are highly encouraged, but using your phone will work as well.

• The link for our online room will be provided to you a few days before the actual meeting.
• PLEASE contact us if you want to join us, so we can send you the link and further informations!
• The meeting will be scheduled for two hours. Here, you may share your ideas and questions about your upcoming thesis and we will provide you with constructive feedback.
• Directly afterwards, you can have a more in-depth discussion with Prof. Olson in her office hours (for which you must register separately via Stud.IP).

What’s next?

After our initial group meeting, we will have individual office hours scheduled to offer personal guidance and help you with any questions you might have. After you have finalized the title and outline of your thesis, you should contact us or Prof. Olson again so it can be registered with the Prüfungsamt. Over the course of the following months, we will also send you supplementary material with helpful tips and are always available via E-Mail.

Please register to the meeting by sending us a short email that you are interested to join us.

Any Questions? Please contact us at:  

Basupport and 

Masupport

Moderation:  Julia Volz, Director International Office, Justus Liebig University Giessen

15:30 Opening and welcome by Prof. Dr. Verena Dolle, first Vice President of JLU

• Words of welcome by Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus, Hessen Ministry for Digital Strategy  and Development, and Chairwoman of the Friendship Association Hessen Wisconsin e.V.
• A word of greeting by Mrs. Dietlind Grabe-Bolz, Mayor of the City of Giessen
• Greetings by Office of the State Secretary, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation or Governor Evers (pre-recorded)
• Greetings by Mr. Tommy G. Thompson, Interim President of the University of Wisconsin System (pre-recorded)
• Greetings by Mrs. Rebecca Blank, PhD, Chancellor University of Wisconsin – Madison (pre-recorded)
• Musical interlude
• Speech contribution by Dr. Nick Schweitzer, Law School, University of Wisconsin – Madison (live)
• Speech contribution by Prof. Dr. Greta Olson, Executive Director of the English Department, JLU (live)
• Musical interlude

from 17:00       Champagne reception and get-together with catered appetizers on site

Contact:

Laura Lizarazo - Executive Director Hessen Wisconsin Academic State Program, International Office, JLU, by phone +49(0)641 99 12170

English below

Vortrag: „Potenziale in der Krise“, 14.07.2021, 18 Uhr

Am 14.07.2021 hält Diplom-Psychologin Stephanie Cuff-Schöttle einen Vortrag zum Thema „Potenziale in der Krise“ im Rahmen der interdisziplinären Vorlesungsreihe „Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures“.  Frau Cuff-Schöttle ist aktuell mit rassismuskritischer- und sensibler Beratung und Paartherapie freiberuflich tätig. Insbesondere beschäftigt sie sich mit den Auswirkungen von rassistischer Diskriminierung in Bezug auf die Themen Selbstliebe, Erziehung und Eltern-Kind-Beziehung.

In der Veranstaltungsreihe „Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures” soll queeren und weiblichen Stimmen mit Blick auf mögliche Zukünfte, einem globalen Zusammenleben und im Diskurs rundum die Corona-Pandemie als Krise und Chance Gehör verschafft werden.

Die Vorträge finden jeweils mittwochs von 18.00 bis 19.30 Uhr online statt und sind öffentlich via Zoom zugänglich. Um den Link zur Veranstaltung zu erhalten, bitten wir um Anmeldung über das Anmeldeformular auf unserer Website:

https://www.uni- giessen.de/fbz/fb05/interdisziplin/ringvorlesung/vortraege/anmeldeformular

Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Teilnahme! Anna Tabouratzidis & Jana Christoffel

Online Lecture: “Potencials in Crisis”, Wednesday 14^th July, 6.7.30 pm

On July, 14^th, 2021, psychologist Stephanie Cuff-Schöttle will hold a lecture named “Potentials of Crises” as part of the interdisciplinary lecture series “Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures". Ms. Cuff-Schöttle is a freelancer specialized in coaching around the experience of racism and couple therapy. Particularly, she focuses on the impact of racial discrimination with regard to self-love, education and the relationship between parents and their children.

The event series "Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures" aims to make queer and female voices heard with a view to possible futures, global coexistence, and in the discourse surrounding the Corona pandemic as crisis and chance.

The lectures will take place online on Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. and are open to the public via Zoom. To receive the link to the event, please register using the registration form on our website:

https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/fb05/interdisziplin/ringvorlesung/vortraege/anmeldeformular

We look forward to your participation! Anna Tabouratzidis & Jana Christoffel

The certificate course in Gender, Sexuality, and Diversity (GSD) provides students with knowledge and skills needed to recognize diversity and promote inclusion in the university context and beyond. The certificate’s coursework illustrates how gender and sexuality have to be considered from an intersectional perspective if persistent forms of social injustice and inequality are to be overcome, and it equips students with the practical tools to do so.

Are you interested? You can find more information about the content and registering here.

English below

Vortrag: „Krise und Gewalt. Zur 'Schattenpandemie' der Gewalt gegen Frauen“, 23.06.2021, 18 Uhr

Am 23.06.2021 hält Dr. Tina Jung ihren Vortrag zu dem Thema „Krise und Gewalt. Zur 'Schattenpandemie' der Gewalt gegen Frauen“ im Rahmen der interdisziplinären Vorlesungsreihe „Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures“. Dr. Tina Jung ist wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Institut für Politikwissenschaften an der Justus-Liebig-Universität in Gießen. Ihr letztes Forschungsprojekt bezog sich auf Gewalt gegen Frauen während der Geburt in geburtshilflichen Einrichtungen. Der Vortrag wird sich dem Spannungsfeld zwischen Krise und Gewalt widmen und Gewalt gegenüber Frauen innerhalb sowie außerhalb der Kreissäle thematisieren.

In der Veranstaltungsreihe „Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures” soll queeren und weiblichen Stimmen mit Blick auf mögliche Zukünfte, einem globalen Zusammenleben und im Diskurs rundum die Corona-Pandemie als Krise und Chance Gehör verschafft werden.  

Die Vorträge finden jeweils mittwochs von 18.00 bis 19.30 Uhr online statt und sind öffentlich via Zoom zugänglich. Über den Link auf unserer Website können Sie der Veranstaltung beitreten:

https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/fb05/interdisziplin/ringvorlesung/vortraege/anmeldeformular

Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Teilnahme!

Anna Tabouratzidis & Jana Christoffel

Online lecture: “Crisis and Violence. On the 'shadow pandemic' of violence against women”, Wednesday 23^rd, 6-7:30 pm

On June 23, 2021, Dr. Tina Jung will give her lecture on the topic “Crisis and Violence. On the 'shadow pandemic' of violence against women” as part of the interdisciplinary lecture series "Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures". Dr. Tina Jung is a research associate at the Institute of Political Sciences at Justus Liebig University in Giessen. Her last research project focused violence against women during childbirth in obstetric facilities. The lecture will discuss the tension between crisis and violence and will address violence against women inside as well as outside of the circle rooms.

The event series "Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures" aims to make queer and female voices heard with a view to possible futures, global coexistence, and in the discourse surrounding the Corona pandemic as crisis and chance.  

The lectures will take place online on Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. and are open to the public via Zoom. To receive the link to the event, please register using the registration form on our website or follow the link under “lectures”:

https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/fb05/interdisziplin/ringvorlesung/vortraege/anmeldeformular

We look forward to your participation!

Anna Tabouratzidis & Jana Christoffel

English below

Vortrag: „Corona und Politik“, 09.06.2021, 18 Uhr

Am 09.06.2021 hält die Politikwissenschaftler*in Prof. Dr. de Nève ihren Vortrag „Corona und Politik“ im Rahmen der interdisziplinären Vorlesungsreihe „Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures“. Prof. Dr. de Nève ist geschäftsführende Direktorin des Instituts für Politikwissenschaften an der Justus-Liebig-Universität und beschäftigt sich schwerpunktmäßig mit dem politischen und sozialen System Deutschlands sowie mit dem Vergleich diverser politischer Systeme.

In der Veranstaltungsreihe „Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures” soll queeren und weiblichen Stimmen mit Blick auf mögliche Zukünfte, einem globalen Zusammenleben und im Diskurs rundum die Corona-Pandemie als Krise und Chance Gehör verschafft werden.  

Die Vorträge finden jeweils mittwochs von 18.00 bis 19.30 Uhr online statt und sind öffentlich via Webex Events zugänglich. Um den Link zur Veranstaltung zu erhalten, bitten wir um Anmeldung über das Anmeldeformular auf unserer Website: https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/fb05/interdisziplin/ringvorlesung/vortraege/anmeldeformular

Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Teilnahme!

Anna Tabouratzidis & Jana Christoffel

Online lecture: “Corona and Politics,” Wednesday 9th June, 6-7.30 pm

On June 9, 2021, political scientist Prof. Dr. de Nève will give her lecture "Corona and Politics" as part of the interdisciplinary lecture series "Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures". Prof. Dr. de Nève is the managing director of the Institute of Political Sciences at Justus Liebig University and focuses on the political and social system of Germany as well as on the comparison of diverse political systems.

The event series "Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures" aims to make queer and female voices heard with a view to possible futures, global coexistence, and in the discourse surrounding the Corona pandemic as crisis and chance.  

The lectures will take place online on Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. and are open to the public via Webex Events. To receive the link to the event, please register using the registration form on our website:

https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/fb05/interdisziplin/ringvorlesung/vortraege/anmeldeformular

We look forward to your participation!

Anna Tabouratzidis & Jana Christoffel

Guest Lecture by Prof. Ralph Grunewald on “‘First, do no harm?’ Legal and Other Healing Narratives in the Wake of the George Floyd and Derek Chauvin case” in Professor Greta Olson’s seminar “Healing: Art and Theory,” Monday 7 June  2:15 – 3:45 PM, MS Teams

You can access the guest lecture via this link:
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3a72a78b4fdc1c4cf0be84e9128c27516a@thread.tacv2/1622454781028?context=%7b"Tid"%3a"f75fc27d-a1ce-482f-827e-90e026e66691"%2c"Oid"%3a"1be2d274-b973-461b-8344-1e27c506e43a"%7d

This lecture is part of the Hessen-Wisconsin Landesprogramm and will be introduced by Laura Lizarazo (JLU-Wisconsin - Geschäftsführung Hessen-Wisconsin Landesprogramm).

English below

Wie hat und wird die COVID-19-Krise unser Denken über die Zukunft verändern und warum tuen wir uns so schwer, Veränderung realistisch zu denken? Welche Rolle spielen Frauen beim Erzählen von Zukunftsvisionen? Unter dem Titel „Zukunft in der Krise – oder was kommt nach der Dystopie?“ wagt die Germanistin Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Herrmann, University of Warwick, einen Ausblick. Die Veranstaltung findet am 26. Mai 2021 von 18 bis 20 Uhr online via Webex Events statt. Im Anschluss bietet eine Frage- und Diskussionsrunde Raum für Austausch und Ideen.

Der Beitrag ist der erste von insgesamt sieben Vorträgen der interdisziplinären Veranstaltungsreihe "Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures", die im Rahmen des Ideenwettbewerbs zur Frauenförderung der JLU gefördert wird. Die Initiatorinnen und Organisatorinnen Anna Tabouratzidis M.A. und Jana Christoffel M.A., beide vom Institut für Anglistik der JLU und Mitglieder des IPP sowie GCSC, wollen mit dem neuen Veranstaltungsformat queeren und weiblichen Stimmen Gehör verschaffen, um gemeinsam einen Blick auf Zukunftsszenarien bzw. ein globales Zusammenleben nach der Coronakrise zu lenken. Die Vorträge aus den Politikwissenschaften, der Genderforschung, den Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaften sowie aus der angewandten Pädagogik und Psychologie sollen Denkanstöße bieten und dazu einladen, gemeinsam über neue Konzepte des künftigen Zusammenlebens zu diskutieren.

Die Vorträge finden jeweils mittwochs von 18.00 bis 19.30 Uhr online statt und sind öffentlich via Webex Events zugänglich. Um den Link zur Veranstaltung zu erhalten, bitten wir um Anmeldung über das Anmeldeformular auf unserer Website:

https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/fb05/interdisziplin/ringvorlesung/vortraege/anmeldeformular

Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Teilnahme!

Anna Tabouratzidis & Jana Christoffel

"Futures in Crisis - or What Comes After Dystopia?"

Kick-off event of the digital interdisciplinary lecture series "Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures" on May 26, 2021, 6-7.30 p.m.

How has and will the COVID-19 crisis change the way we think about the future, and why do we struggle to think realistically about change? What role do women play in telling visions of the future? Under the title "Future in Crisis - or What Comes After Dystopia?" Germanist Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Herrmann, University of Warwick, ventures an outlook. The event will take place online via Webex Events from 6 to 8 p.m. on May 26, 2021. Afterwards, a question and discussion session will provide space for exchange and ideas.

The talk is the first of a total of seven presentations in the interdisciplinary event series "Shaping the Future: Female and Queer Perspectives on Possible Futures," which is funded as part of JLU's Ideas Competition for the Advancement of Women. The initiators and organizers, Anna Tabouratzidis M.A. and Jana Christoffel M.A., both from the Institute of English Studies at JLU and members of IPP as well as GCSC, want to make queer and female voices heard with the new event format in order to jointly take a look at future scenarios or global coexistence after the Corona crisis. The lectures from political and social sciences, gender studies, literary and cultural studies, as well as applied pedagogy and psychology are intended to provide food for thought and invite people to discuss new concepts of future coexistence together.

The lectures will take place online on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and are open to the public via Webex Events. To receive the link to the event, please register via the registration form on the website:

https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/fb05/interdisziplin/ringvorlesung/vortraege/anmeldeformular  

We are looking forward to your participation!

Anna Tabouratzidis & Jana Christoffel

There is a new style sheet for term papers and theses as of February 2021. Please refer to these new guidelines of the Department of English to help you format your work.

The Department would like to congratulate PD Dr. Birte Christ on the successful completion of her Habilitation on 2 December 2020 and the awarding of her venia legendi in US American Literary, Cultural, and Media Studies from the Justus Liebig University of Giessen. She obtained the venia based on her study “Imagining the American Death Penalty: Representational and Racial Politics from the Antebellum Era to the Twenty-First Century.” 

The English Department would like to congratulate Professor Joybrato Mukherjee on his having been elected for a third term as President of the Justus Liebig University of Giessen. Thank you for all of your dedication, engagement, and fine work for our university.

The Department would like to congratulate PD Dr. Joanna Rostek on the successful completion of her Habilitation on 3 November 2020 and the awarding of her venia legendi in English Literary and Cultural Studies from the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf. She obtained the venia based on her study titled Women’s Economic Thought in the Romantic Age: Towards a Transdisciplinary Herstory of Economic Thought (forthcoming with Routledge).

The Bachelor Degree program Intercultural Business and Communication (ICB) begins during the Winter Semester 2020/2021. Here, you can combine a focus on Anglophone business communication with courses in a second business language while also studying business administration and commercial law. Our very popular Business English courses will help to improve your language proficiency in business contexts. Courses on controversial advertisements and media add to your understanding business from a cultural point of view. An internship or work on an independent business-related project is built into the study program.

Your focus in the program will be on English and Anglophone business communication. Additionally, you can choose a minor in one of the following business languages: French, Croatian/Serbian/Bosnian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Czech, or Ukrainian. The Economics part of the degree consists of classes in business administration, macroeconomics, statistics, and business law. The course of studies runs for six semesters and consists of 180 credit points. It begins during the Winter Semester in October of each year. The program qualifies you for work in international businesses and/or international cultural institutions.

The Master Degree program Intercultural Business and Communication (ICB) begins during the Winter Semester 2020/2021. Here, you can intensify your focus on Anglophone business communication and take courses in a second business language while also studying business administration and commercial law. The MA Degree program offers an introductory module in Intercultural Communication. Business English courses will help to improve your language proficiency while also acquiring a better understanding of Anglophone business cultures. Courses on media and culture further your understanding of Anglophone cultures and forms of communication.

You can choose to have a focus in either Anglophone Literary, Cultural and Media Studies or in English Linguistics. You can combine this focus with a minor in another business language including French, Croatian/Serbian/Bosnian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, or Czech. Alternatively, you can do an internship or a praxis-oriented project instead rather than focusing on a second language. The Economics part of the degree consists of classes in business administration, economics, statistics, and business law. The course of studies runs for four semesters and consists of 120 Credit Points. The program begins during the Winter Semester in October of each year. The program further qualifies you for work in international businesses and/or cross-cultural cultural institutions.

 
If you are interested in the new degree course, feel free to register for updates through the Info-Service.

Bitte beachten Sie, dass die Ringvorlesung bereits regulär am Mittwoch den 19. April beginnt. Die erste Sitzung dient als Einführung und wird von Frau Prof. Dr. Rostek geleitet. Außerdem findet am 12. Juli eine Abschlusssitzung statt.