JProf.' Dr.' Judith Rauscher
American Literature and Culture
"In the humanities, [...] we are always engaged in illuminating the present by drawing on the past; it is the only way to make a future worth hoping for." (Kwame Anthony Appiah)
Welcome to the website of JProf. Dr. Judith Rauscher and her team!
Judith Rauscher is assistant professor (Juniorprofessorin) of American Literature and Culture at the University of Cologne.
You can find more information on upcoming and past events, current research projects, teaching activities, module and final exams as well as general study information below.
Main Research Areas
- Literature, Culture, and the Environment
- Speculative Fiction, Film, and TV
- American Poetry
- Mobility Studies, Ecocriticism
- Technoscience Studies, Violence Studies
- Gender & Queer Studies
Annual GfF Conference, September 17-19, 2026
"Violence and the Fantastic" / "Gewalt und Fantastik"
Summer School, July 2 - September 14, 2026
Futures of Well-Being – Speculative Visions and Critical Perspectives (BIP)
Summer School week on campus: July 27 – 31, 2026
You can also find more information on the EUniWell website.
Guest Lecture by Dr. Anthony Obst, June 11, 2026, 2 p.m.
To Live and Die in Fortress L.A.: Gangsta Rap as Vernacular Theory of Carceral City Space
To register for the event, please contact american-studies[at]uni-koeln.de.
June 24, 2026, 6 p.m.
250 Years After Independence: Sounding the Black Event
Public Lecture by Prof. Michael Sawyer (U of Pittsburgh) on the 250th Anniversary of the U.S.-American Declaration of Independence
This lecture is organized by PD Dr. Johanna Pitetti-Heil (U of Cologne), the AmerikaHaus NRW e.V., col.lit.ive, and the Theodor Wonja Michael Bibliothek.
If you want to attend the event, please register here. Registration is free.
Submit your book manuscript now!
New Book Series: Pop Culture in Context
This new De Gruyter book series, which is co-edited by JProf. Dr. Judith Rauscher publishes monographs and edited volumes in the field of cultural studies that push the boundaries of traditional academic research, with emphasis on writing that is accessible across disciplines. Find more information here.
Current Issue of gender forum
Vol. 23 No. 1 (2024): Queering Postcolonial Worlds
Co-edited by Rita Maricocchi, Dorit Neumann, Oluwadunni O. Talabi and Corina Wieser-Cox with Judith Rauscher (University of Cologne) as the general editor, the most recent issue of gender forum: An Internet Journal for Gender Studies features seven essays that deal with the intersections of queerness and colonization. Find the full issue and more information about gender forum here.
Contact
Address: Office: Philosophikum | Room 1.113 General Contact: american-studies[at]uni-koeln.de |
Important Links
Department of English I Department of English II Institute for North American History Master of Arts North American Studies North American Studies Bonn Gestik: Gender Studies in Cologne Comparative Literature in Cologne Instagram of the Department of English I |