For information on exams in the M.A. North American Studies, please see here!

If you decide to take an oral exam with an instructor associated with the professorship for American Literature and Culture, make sure to read the general information on oral exams on the department website. Currently, there are three types of oral exams administered by JProf. Rauscher and her team:

• Regular Oral Exam B.A. level, basic module (20 min questions on PSMP course and introductory seminar [EFS]) 

  ► For more information, please refer to the fact sheet for the BM 4b module exam (B.A. English Studies/B.Ed. Unterrichtsfach Englisch) provided by the department of English I. For this type of oral exam, you are not required to select topics or materials.

   

• Regular Oral Exam B.A. level, advanced module (10 min questions on MS or HS course + 20 min questions on one focus topic) 

  ► For more information, please refer to the fact sheet for the AM 3b module exam (B.A. English Studies/B.Ed. Unterrichtsfach Englisch) provided by the department of English I.

   

• Regular Oral Exam M.A. level (15 + 15 min questions on two focus topics in relation to HS and/or OS course) 

  ► For more information, please refer to the fact sheets for the SM 3b module exam (1-Fach-M.A. English Studies) and the SM 2b module exam (M.Ed. Unterrichtsfach Englisch) provided by the department of English I.

   

Make sure to discuss your choice of topic/s with your chosen instructor via email or in their office hours as early as possible in the semester in which you plan on taking the exam. Contact your instructor before you officially register for the exam, so that you have enough time to select materials and prepare your chosen topic/s. If you inquire about an oral exam via email, please always make sure to mention the type of exam you want to take, whether you intend to take the exam during the first or the second exam period of the semester, and which course of study you are in (B.A. Engl., M.A Engl., M.Ed. etc.).

Choosing Topics, Choosing Materials

Please note that your topic/s must focus on North American literature and culture. 

The topic/s you choose for your regular oral exams should be adequately focused. Topics such as "Nature in American Literature," "Refugeeness in American Culture" or "Science Fiction Film" are too broad. Topics such as "Human-Nature Relations in Modernist Fiction," "The Representation of Refugee Children in American Culture," or "State Violence in 21st Century Science Fiction Film" are better suited and more manageable. 

The focus topic you choose for the regular oral exam at B.A. level (advanced module) has to derive from the course you base the exam on. If the course you have taken was entitled "The Politics of American poetry," you must focus on American poetry. In this case, your focus topic may be "African American Poetry and Politics," "U.S.-American Feminist Poetry," or “North American Poetry and War,” for example.

The two focus topics you choose for the regular oral exam at M.A. level should be sufficiently different from each other. There should be no overlap between the chosen primary materials. The topics "20th-Century Literary Utopias" and "21st-Century Literary Dystopias" are too similar, as are "Masculinity in American Science Fiction" and "Masculinity in American Science Fiction Film." When choosing your topics, aim for different time periods, a mix of genres (and media, if your course included different media) as well as for topics that require you to think about/think with different critical concepts/theories.

Both B.A. and M.A. students have to prepare lists of primary (and secondary) materials for their regular oral exams. These lists of materials can draw on course syllabi, but should also expand on the materials discussed in class. Commonly, at least 50% of the materials on your reading lists should be ones that were not discussed in any detail in class. To suggest a focus for the conversation on your topic/s, you may submit three keywords for each topic that indicate what you are most interested in about your chosen topic/s and materials. Please get approval from your examiner for your chosen topic/s and materials as early as possible in the semester in which you plan on taking the exam. It is recommended that you discuss your choice of topic and preliminary ideas for primary materials with your chosen examiner at least once after class or during office hours. Your complete list of chosen materials for each topic should be submitted for approval via email no later than 6 weeks before your chosen exam period. Once approved, please submit your finalized list/s of materials to your examiner and the department secretary Bärbel Eltschig (beltschi[at]uni-koeln.de) by the deadline communicated by your examiner.

Note that you must provide your transcript of records for some types of exams, so your examiner can verify your eligibility to take the exam, based on your completion of previous modules and courses. 

The following handout summarizes the most important facts about regular oral exams:

• Fact Sheet Oral Exam (PDF)

Exam Dates

The first round of oral exams usually takes place during the week after courses end (i.e. in mid-February and at the end of July). The second round of oral exams commonly takes place shortly before the beginning of classes (i.e. at the end of March/in early April and in late September/early October). Please note, though, that the oral exam dates can vary depending on the semester and examiner. Always make sure that you are aware of the oral exam dates set by your chosen examiner for the current semester. 

If you have registered for an exam with JProf. Rauscher, you will receive an email once the official de-registration period has ended, either assigning an exam slot to you or asking you to sign up for an exam slot via the scheduler. If you are asked to choose an exam slot yourself, make sure to pick the right category via the scheduler (exam slot, not office hours). If there are no slots available anymore during the exam period you have registered for, or if the assigned slot clashes with another exam or care taking responsibilities, please contact JProf. Rauscher so she can try to assign you a different exam slot. Please note that we cannot accomodate work schedules when planning for exams.

If you are studying in the M.A. English Studies, you have to complete combinatory exams (kombinatorische Prüfungen) as the module exams for the SM 2a-f. You are required to complete three combinatory exams in the 1-Fach-M.A. and two combinatory exams in the 2-Fach-M.A., with each exam corresponding to a different thematic focus (Spezialisierungsbereich). A combinatory exam consists of a written component and a 20 minute conversation with your examiner, which includes a 3 minute pitch of your chosen topic (Impulsvortrag). 

If you decide to take a combinatory exam with an instructor associated with the professorship for American Literature and Culture, make sure to read the general information on oral/combinatory exams on the department website and to discuss your choice of topic with your chosen instructor via email or in their office hours as early as possible in the semester in which you plan on taking the exam. Contact your instructor before you officially register for the exam, so that you have enough time to select materials and prepare your chosen topic. If you inquire about a combinatory exam via email, please always make sure to mention the type of exam you want to take, whether you intend to take the exam during the first or the second exam period of the semester, and which course of study you are in.

► For more information, please refer to the fact sheet for the SM 2a-f module exam (M.A. English Studies) provided by the department of English I.

Exam Dates

The first round of oral/combinatory exams usually takes place during the week after courses end (i.e. in mid-February and at the end of July). The second round of oral/combinatory exams commonly takes place shortly before the beginning of classes (i.e. at the end of March/in early April and in late September/early October). Please note, though, that the oral/combinatory exam dates can vary depending on the semester and examiner. Always make sure that you are aware of the oral/combinatory exam dates set by your chosen examiner for the current semester. 

If you have registered for an exam with JProf. Rauscher, you will receive an email once the official de-registration period has ended, either assigning an exam slot to you or asking you to sign up for an exam slot via the scheduler. If you are asked to choose an exam slot yourself, make sure to pick the right category via the scheduler (exam slot, not office hours). If there are no slots available anymore during the exam period you have registered for, or if the assigned slot clashes with another exam or care taking responsibilities, please contact JProf. Rauscher so she can try to assign you a different exam slot. Please note that we cannot accomodate work schedules when planning for exams.

Finding a Topic, Developing a Thesis

If you decide to write a term paper with JProf. Dr. Judith Rauscher or another instructor associated witht the professorship for American Literature and Culture, make sure to discuss your ideas for the paper in one of the office hours. You can book an appointment via the scheduler. In preparation for your appointment, please think about one or two potential topics for your paper and, if possible, the primary material(s) you would like to work on (f. ex. a novel, a set of poems, a play, a set of short stories, a film, two or three TV episodes, a comic, a set of photographs, a set of artworks, etc.). If you are confident about the topic and primary material you have chosen, start thinking about a working thesis. The following handouts will help you formulate a thesis statement/working thesis and give some advice on how to structure your paper:

• From Topic to Thesis (PDF)
• Developing your Thesis (PDF)
• Five Part Essay (PDF)

Formatting

Check your module handbook for information on the required length of the paper you are expected to submit. Your paper needs to be written in English. Please use the MLA Style Guide as a basis for formatting your sources and text with two exceptions: use 1,5 spacing instead of double spacing and grouped style (Blocksatz) instead of left-justified style (linksbündigen Text).

Please visit the official ES I website for information on the data required on your cover sheet and on the statement on plagiarism and the use of AI (Eigenständigkeitserklärung und Nutzung von 'Künstlicher Intelligenz') that need to be part of your term paper. Please clarify with your chosen instructor which kinds of AI uses are not allowed and which ones are allowed when made transparent in the statement on the use of AI. 

► For more information on your specific module exam, please refer to the fact sheets for the BM 3b module exam (B.A. English Studies/B.Ed. Unterrichtsfach Englisch), the AM 2b module exam (B.A. English Studies/B.Ed. Unterrichtsfach Englisch), the SM 1b module exam (M.Ed. Unterrichtsfach Englisch), the SM 4b module exam (1-Fach-M.A. English Studies), and the SM 3b module exam (2-Fach-M.A. Englisch Studies) provided by the department of English I.

Submission

The usual submission dates for term papers are March 15 for the winter semester and September 15 for the summer semester. Submission dates may vary in special cases (f. ex. if your instructor is only temporarily employed). If you ask for an early correction of your paper, your examiner may request an early submission. Please hand in your paper via email. If your instructor additionally requires a paper copy, they will let you know.

If you have to complete a portfolio (4 pages/12.000 characters), you have the choice between four different tasks. You can…

• write an analysis of a primary material of your choice (f. ex. a novel, a set of poems, a play, a set of short stories, a film, two or three TV episodes, a comic, a set of photographs, a set of artworks, etc.); as you would do in a term paper, make an argument about this material and analyze it based on a specific thematic angle or theoretical approach
• write a conference/workshop report about two panels/keynotes at a conference or about a workshop on the topic of American literature/culture/history; if the conference/workshop of your choice is not held at the U of Cologne, please get it approved by your instructor (if in doubt about your choice of conference/workshop, send an email to your instructor for feedback)
• write two reports on two different guest lectures on the topic of American literature/culture/history (2 pages each) organized at the U of Cologne or at other universities (if in doubt about your choice of guest lectures, send an email to your instructor for feedback)
• submit an annotated bibliography (6-9 scholarly sources, including at least one scholarly monograph, with commentary on each source) on a topic of your choice; the topic can be your prospective thesis topic or any other research interest of yours
• write a scholarly review of an academic monograph or collection of essays; if you submit a very good review focused on a monograph published in the past 2-3 years in the field of gender and queer studies, you will have the option to publish the review in gender forum: An Internet Journal for Gender Studies

► For more information, please refer to the fact sheets for the EM 1 module exam (B.A. English Studies/B.Ed. Unterrichtsfach Englisch) and the EM 2 module exam (M.A. English Studies) provided by the department of English I.

Students in the B.A. English Studies that opt for ’Selbstständige Studien’ instead of an internship for their EM 2 module exam are encouraged to complete a scholarly project of their own. If the resulting product is a written text, it should amount to 3 pages / 9.000 characters. You can write:

• an annotated bibliography on a topic of your choice (9-12 scholarly sources, among which at least one scholarly monograph, with critical commentary on each source highlighting what about this source is of particular interest)
• a review of a scholarly monograph or essay collection; if you submit a very good review focused on a monograph or essay collection published in the past 2-3 years in the field of gender and queer studies, you will have the option to publish the review in gender forum: An Internet Journal for Gender Studies.
• a report on an academic conference or workshop on the topic of American studies

► For more information, please refer to the fact sheet for the EM 2 module exam (B.A. English Studies) provided by the department of English I.

In the B.A. English Studies, the module AM 4 concludes with a report (6 pages / 18.000 characters). The precise form of the report can vary and depends on the specific focus of the ‘Mittelseminar’ in the module. Instructors inform students during the seminar about the precise requirements in their course. Your choice of report type must be discussed with your examiner.

Examples of reports include:

1. Research report: Students research (academic) texts, summarize, describe, and analyze them in detail, reflect on their choices, and reflect on and frame future research projects

• Research 8-10 publications on a particular topic (up to five of these can be introductions) in American studies or on American studies as a scholarly discipline
• Write a research report that clusters and evaluates the material
• This option is particularly well suited to:
  • deepen your understanding of the discipline of literary studies, cultural studies, or American studies
  • become aware of the topics and the lingo of literary studies, cultural studies, or American studies
  • practice participating in the discourse
  • practice academic writing
  • practice summary and paraphrase

2. Event report: Students report on an academic event, for example a guest lecture or seminar. Styles can vary from objective and distanced to subjective and reflective.

3. Descriptive/Public Humanities report: Students describe their scientific research in a way that adequately addresses non-academic audiences, e.g. via journalistic or interview formats.

• Research 8-10 scholarly publications on a particular topic (up to five of these can be introductions) in American studies
• Compose a text on literary studies, cultural studies, or American studies that may serve students of other fields and/or people interested in cultural production as an introduction to the field
• This option differs from the research report in the style of writing: as a target audience, think of people who watch TED Talks, who read The New Yorker Magazine or the Feuilleton section in Die Zeit
• This option is particularly well suited for students who:
  • wish to deepen their understanding of the discipline of literary studies, cultural studies, or American studies
  • become aware of the topics and the lingo of literary studies, cultural studies, or American studies
  • wish to work in public institutions that work in cultural contexts
  • wish to practice how academic knowledge can be transferred to the public

4. Free report: Students create a (journalistic) essay, podcast, or blog entry.

5. Erasmus report: Erasmus students report on the differences between their studies in Cologne and their home university, and may point out specific links to the seminar content.

► For more information, please refer to the fact sheet for the AM 4 module exam (B.A. English Studies) provided by the department of English I.

If you are studying in the M.A. English Studies, you have to complete a written exam (Klausur) as the module exam for the SM 1. Because this type of exam only features in the M.A. English Studies, all students take it together at a fixed date at the end of the term. Each student receives questions from the instructor of the course they have registered for. During the exam, you will have two topics/questions to choose from. Your task will be to write an essay on one of the topics/questions presented to you. Under normal circumstances, the exam takes 120 minutes. Please note that it is necessary to hand in an internal registration form for this exam! 

► For more information, please refer to the fact sheet for the SM 1 module exam (M.A. English Studies) provided by the department of English I.