News
May 2, 2013
Award for Daniel Stein
The German Research Foundation has announced today that Daniel Stein will receive one of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Prizes 2013 for his dissertation and his work in the Research Unit. Read more
May, 2013
Frank Kelleter Relocates to FU Berlin and Receives "Einstein Professorship"
On May 1, 2013, Frank Kelleter officially began his new position at the John F. Kennedy-Institut (Freie Universität Berlin) and received an "Einstein Professorship" from the Einstein Foundation. Read more
June 6-8, 2013
International Conference: Popular Seriality
From June 6 to 8, 2013, towards the end of the first funding period, the Research Unit will hold an International Conference in Göttingen. Read more
June 13, 2013
"Imagining Media Change": Symposium (Hannover)
The Initiative for Interdisciplinary Media Research and the American Studies department at the Leibniz University of Hannover are organizing the symposium "Imagining Media Change" on June 13, 2013. Read more
Coming Soon
New Publication: From Comic Strips to Graphic Novels
The essay collection From Comic Strips to Graphic Novels: Contributions to the Theory and History of Graphic Narrative, co-edited by Daniel Stein, and Jan-Noël Thon, will be published by De Gruyter in April 2013. Read more
News Archive
May 3-5, 2013
Talks at Television Conference (Regensburg)
Christian Hißnauer and Andreas Jahn-Sudmann will be presenting papers at a television conference in Regensburg. Read more
April, 2013
Workshops with William Uricchio
Members and associated members of the Research Unit will meet with William Uricchio. Read more
April, 2013
Out Now: Monograph on German Documentary Television
In their monograph Wegmarken des Fernsehdokumentarismus: Die Hamburger Schulen, which will be published in 2013, Christian Hißnauer and Bernd Schmidt examine 60 years of German television history. Read more
April 2013
Lectures by William Uricchio
The Fellow of the Research Unit, William Uricchio, will be giving several lectures during his stay at the Lichtenberg-Kolleg. Read more
April 19-21, 2013
Illustration, Comics, and Animation Conference
Shane Denson, Daniel Stein, and Lukas Etter will be presenting papers on various aspects of popular seriality at the Illustration, Comics, and Animation Conference, which is organized by Michael A. Chaney and takes place at Dartmouth College (April 19-21, 2013). Read more
March 2013
Out Now: Transnational Perspectives on Graphic Narratives
In March 2013, Bloomsbury has published Transnational Perspectives on Graphic Narratives: Comics at the Crossroads, an essay collection that is co-edited by Daniel Stein, Shane Denson, and Christina Meyer. Read more
March 8, 2013
Society for Cinema & Media Studies Conference 2013
Andreas Jahn-Sudmann will present a paper entitled "Agon and Transseriality: Skyscrapers, TV Series and the Dynamics of Serial Outbidding (Überbietung)" at the Society for Cinema & Media Studies Annual Conference, which will be held in Chicago from March 6 to 10, 2013. Read more
February 14, 2013
Review in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
On February 14, 2013, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of Germany’s leading daily newspapers, has published a review by Frank Kelleter in the Feuilleton section of the newspaper. Read more
January 18, 2013
CfP: "Medial Seriality and Cultural Circulation" Panel
Regina Bendix and Christine Hämmerling are organizing the panel P09 "Medial Seriality and Cultural Circulation" at the 2013 conference of the International Society for Folk Narrative Research (SIEF). Read more
January 2013
Fellow of the Research Unit: William Uricchio Arrives in Göttingen
On January 7, 2013, William Uricchio has arrived in Göttingen to begin his stay as a Fellow of the Research Unit "Popular Seriality" at the Lichtenberg-Kolleg. Read more
January 6, 2013
MLA-Panel "Rewards and Challenges of Serial Scholarship"
Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Frank Kelleter, Jason Mittell, and Mark Sample have organized a panel on "Rewards and Challenges of Serial Scholarship“ that will be held on January 6 at this year’s MLA Convention in Boston (January 3-6, 2013). Read more
November 16-17, 2012
Workshop: Reflections on Technology in TV Series
Stefan Scherer and Andreas Hirsch-Weber are organizing a workshop that investigates reflections on technology in U.S.-American and European television series. The workshop will take place on November 16 and 17, 2012, at the KIT (Karlsruhe Institute for Technology). Read more
October 2012
Roundtable Discussion on the Post-Cinematic
In issue #14 of La Furia Umana, Shane Denson engages in a roundtable discussion with Therese Grisham and Julia Leyda on the topic of “post-cinematic affect”—Steven Shaviro’s term for the contemporary media environment, following cinema’s displacement as the twentieth century’s dominant medium.
Read moreOctober 2012
Out Now: Klassiker der Fernsehserie
The essay collection Klassiker der Fernsehserie (Classic TV Shows) has now beEN published by the German publishing house Reclam. Read more
October 2012
Out Now: Special Issue on American Comic Books and Graphic Novels
The special issue on American Comic Books and Graphic Novels was just published in the journal of the German Association for American Studies, Amerikastudien/American Studies 56.4 (2011). Read more
October 2012
Out Now: Film Remakes, Adaptations and Fan Productions
In October 2012, Palgrave Macmillan has published the essay collection Film Remakes, Adaptations and Fan Productions: Remake | Remodel. The book is co-edited by Kathleen Loock from the Research Unit and Constantine Verevis from Monash University (Australia). Read more
September 2012
Out Now: Pop Magazine
The first issue of the new magazine Pop: Kultur und Kritik is out now. It contains articles that analyze and comment on central themes of contemporary popular culture. Read more
September 2012
Out Now: Essay Collection on The Wire
The Wire: Race, Class, and Genre, a new essay collection edited by Liam Kennedy and Stephen Shapiro, has now been published by the University of Michigan Press. Read more
August 2012
Out Now: Essay Collection on Popular Seriality
The essay collection on popular seriality, Populäre Serialität: Narration-Evolution-Distinktion. Zum seriellen Erzählen seit dem 19. Jahrhundert, has now been published by the German publishing house transcript. Frank Kelleter has edited the volume that contains 18 essays. The book has emerged from the Opening Conference of the Research Unit in April 2011. Read more
August 7, 2012
Henry Jenkins on His Stay in Göttingen
Henry Jenkins, Provost's Professor of Communication, Journalism & Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California (USC), has written about his stay in Göttingen in May 2012 in a blog entry. Read more
July 30, 2012
TV Feature on Tarzan
On Monday, July 30, 2012, the German television station NDR will broadcast a feature on Tarzan ("Kulturjournal," 10:45 p.m.). Read more
July 30, 2012
The New Yorker: Article on TV Series and the Power of the Cliffhanger
The New Yorker has published the article "Tune in Next Week: The Curious Staying Power of the Cliffhanger" by Emily Nussbaum. Read more
July 10-13, 2012
EASA Workshop
Regina Bendix and Christine Hämmerling of the sub-project “Quotidian Integration and Social Positioning of Pulp Novels (Heftromane) and Television Series,“ together with Brigitte Frizzoni (University of Zurich), are co-organizing and will be co-chairing a workshop on “Serial Disquiet: Criminal Entertainment in Times of Global and Private Uncertainties” at the 2012 conference of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA). Read more
July 12, 2012
Kathleen Fitzpatrick on "Blogs as Serialized Scholarship“
Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Director of Scholarly Communication at the MLA, has posted "Blogs as Serialized Scholarship“ on her blog Planned Obsolescence: Falling indelibly into the past. Read more
July 9, 2012
Guest Lecture by Prof. Dr. David Serlin (UCSD)
On Monday, July 9, at 2.15 p.m., Prof. Dr. David Serlin from the University of California, San Diego, will give a guest lecture on “Spectacles of Empire: Popular Entertainment and Visual Culture in Late-Nineteenth-Century America.” Read more
July, 2012
Guest Lectures and Workshop with Professor Mark B. N. Hansen (Duke University)
On the occasion of his visit to the Leibniz University of Hannover, the American Studies department / English Seminar and the Initiative for Interdisciplinary Media Research present a series of lectures and workshops with the renowned U.S. media theorist Mark Hansen. Read more
July 5, 2012
Guest Lecture on Comics, Graphic Novels, and Superheroes
On Thursday, July 5, at 2 p.m., Prof. Dr. Dirk Vanderbeke (Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena) will give a guest lecture on “Comics, Graphic Novels and Superheroes in the 20th and 21st Centuries.” Read more
June 30, 2012
Fellow of the Research Unit: Jason Mittell Returns to Vermont
After almost one year in Göttingen Jason Mittell, Fellow of the Research Unit, will return to Middlebury College, VT (USA), where he is Associate Professor of American Studies and Film & Media Culture. Read more
June 21-23, 2012
NECS Annual Conference
Andreas Jahn-Sudmann will participate in the panel “As Time Goes by on Contemporary Screens: Television, Seriality and Memory” at the 2012 conference of the European Network for Cinema and Media Studies (NECS). Read more
June 17, 2012
Kathleen Fitzpatrick on Lichtenberg Workshop
Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Director of Scholarly Communication at the MLA, has written a blog entry related to the Lichtenberg Workshop on “Popular Seriality” that took place in Göttingen from June 8-9, 2012. Read more
June 12, 2012
Guest Lecture by Kathleen Fitzpatrick (MLA)
On Tuesday, 12 June, at 4 p.m. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Director of Scholarly Communication at the MLA, will give a guest lecture based on her recent monograph Planned Obsolescence: Publishing, Technology, and the Future of the Academy. Read more
June 8-9, 2012
Lichtenberg Workshop on "Popular Seriality"
From June 8-9, 2012, Jason Mittell, the Lichtenberg-Kolleg, and the Research Unit will organize a workshop on "Popular Seriality." Read more
June 6, 2012
Heinrich Detering about Elvis Presley
Heinricht Detering, associated member of the Research Unit, has given an interview about his current project on Elvis Presley. Read more
May 2012
New Publication: Daniel Stein's Book on Louis Armstrong
Daniel Stein's monograph Music Is My Life: Louis Armstrong, Autobiography, and American Jazz has just been published by the University of Michigan Press. Read more
May 28, 2012
Keynote Lecture at Exploring the Digital Medium Symposium
Jason Mittell, Fellow of the Research Unit, will be giving a keynote address entitled “Playful TV: The Ludic Impulse of American Television” at the symposium on “Gaming the Humanities“ of the „Exploring the [Digital] Medium“ working group. Read more
May 2012
Prof. Dr. Frank Kelleter Receives Call to the John F. Kennedy Institute (FU Berlin)
Frank Kelleter has received a call to the chair of American culture and cultural history at the John F. Kennedy Institute, Freie Universität Berlin. Read more
May 20, 2012
Radio Feature on American Television Series
On May 20, 2012, at 8:05 p.m., a radio feature on American television series will be broadcast by the German radio station Deutschlandfunk. Radio and television journalist Susanne Luerweg has interviewed Andreas Jahn-Sudmann of the Research Unit for this feature. Read more
May 17, 2012
Keynote Lecture at “Contemporary Screen Narratives“ Conference
Jason Mittell, Fellow of the Research Unit, will be giving a keynote address entitled “Lengthy Interactions with Hideous Men: The Serial Poetics of Television Antiheroes” at the conference “Contemporary Screen Narratives.“ Read more
May 3, 2012
Workshop with Henry Jenkins
Before his guest lecture at 6 p.m., Henry Jenkins will be offering a workshop for members and associated members of the Research Unit. The workshop takes place at 3:30 p.m. at the Lichtenberg-Kolleg. Read more
May 3, 2012
Guest Lecture by Henry Jenkins
On May 3, 2012, Prof. Henry Jenkins, Provost's Professor of Communication, Journalism & Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California (USC) will be giving a guest lecture on “Comics...and Stuff: Material Culture, Media History, and Graphic Storytelling.” Read more
April 2012
Religion in the German Police Procedural Tatort
In December 2011, Stimmen der Zeit, a monthly German magazine about Christian culture, published Claudia Stockinger's article about the role of religion in the German police procedural Tatort. Her findings have been widely recognized. Read more
16 April, 2012
Protestant Academy Baden Award 2012 for Tatort Sub-Project
Claudia Stockinger will receive the Protestant Academy Baden Award 2012. Stockinger will be awarded the prize for her talk on the role of religion in the German police procedural Tatort she gave at a conference in Bad Herrenalb last fall. Read more
March 27, 2012
Jason Mittell Launches Open "Peer-to-Peer Review" of Complex TV Online
Television scholar Jason Mittell, currently Lichtenberg-Fellow at the Research Unit "Popular Seriality," has started open peer-to-peer review of his forthcoming book on MediaCommons Press. Read more
March 26-30, 2012
Research Unit Retreat
From March 26 to 30, 2012, the members of the Research Unit will leave for a five-day retreat at the Gut Siggen Seminar Centre. Read more
March 20, 2012
Article on American Radio and Mike Daisey's Apple Broadcast
Frank Kelleter published an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) on the American radio program "This American Life" and its dealings with Mike Daisey's theater show about the working conditions in Chinese Foxconn plants, where Apple products are manufactured. Read more
March 19, 2012
Lecture on American Television Series
On March 19, 2012, Jason Mittell, Fellow of the Research Unit, will be giving a Studium Generale lecture at the University of Groeningen (Netherlands). He will be talking about "From The West Wing to Lost: How American Television Storytelling Got Complex." Read more
March 16-17, 2012
Symposium "Networks in American Culture/America as Network"
Ruth Mayer and Shane Denson will participate in the Symposium on “Networks in American Culture/America as Network” at the University of Mannheim. Read more
February 7, 2012
Presentation in the Lichtenberg Colloquium
On February 7, 2012, at 11:00 a.m., Jason Mittell will give a presentation on "Serial Storytelling and the Television Author Function" in the Lichtenberg colloquium. Read more
February 4, 2012
Article about American TV Series in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
On February 4, 2012, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of Germany’s leading daily newspapers, has published an article by Frank Kelleter in the Feuilleton section of the newspaper. Read more
January 31, 2012
Workshop on the Effects of Police Procedurals
On January 31, 2012, the University of Applied Sciences in Altenholz (Schleswig-Holstein) will host a workshop that discusses to what extent the representation of police work in television series affects real-life police work. Read more
January 31, 2012
Lecture on "Forensic Fandom and Participatory Technologies of Complex Television"
On January 31, 2012, Jason Mittell, Fellow of the Research Unit, will be giving a lecture at the "Future of Film Studies“ lecture series at the University of Mainz. He will be talking about "Forensic Fandom and Participatory Technologies of Complex Television." Read more
January 26, 2012
Humanities Laboratories on “Wikis and Participatory Fandom”
On January 26, 2012, at 4 p.m., Jason Mittell, Fellow of the Research Unit, will present a paper on “Wikis and Participatory Fandom” at the Center of Modern Humanities in Göttingen (ZTMK). Read more
December 15-17, 2011
“Cultural Distinctions Remediated”—Conference in Hanover
Like any discursive phenomenon, categories of cultural distinction (such as “high” art, “low” culture, or the less well-researched area of the “middlebrow”) require the substrate of some medium or medial field—be it language, mass media, or new media—in order to articulate the differences upon which they turn. Read more
December 12-16, 2011
In Media Res Theme Week on "Popular Seriality"
Beginning with an introductory post by Frank Kelleter, members of the Research Unit (Shane Denson, Andreas Jahn-Sudmann, Ruth Mayer, Daniel Stein, and Jason Mittell), will organize a theme week on "Popular Seriality" from December 12-16, 2011 at In Media Res. Read more
December 9-11, 2012
Opening Lecture at Austria’s Young Americanists Workshop
On December 10, 2011, Jason Mittell, Fellow of the Research Unit, will be giving an opening lecture at the annual Austria’s Young Americanists Workshop on “American Studies and/as/vs Media Studies." He will be talking about “Media Studies and American Studies as Interdisciplines.” Read more
Winter Term 2011/2012
Talks at Lecture Series “Classics of Children’s Literature”
The Working Group “Children’s Literature,” the Working Group “Historical Children´s Research” and the Göttingen State and University Library are holding a large exhibition of children’s books in order to present the historical Seifert Collection. Read more
November 25-26, 2011
“LOST in Media”: Conference in Weimar
Jason Mittell, Fellow of the Research Unit, will be giving a keynote address entitled “Getting Lost in Transmedia: The Perils and Possibilities of Mapping an Island Across Media” at the conference “Lost in Media.” Read more
22 November, 2012
Guest Lecture on Repetition and Seriality in Television and Psychoanalysis
On November 22, 2011, Michaela Wünsch will be giving a guest lecture on repetition and seriality in television and psychoanalysis. The event is part of the American Studies Research Colloquium "The State of Cultural Theory (Canon and Evaluation / Popular Seriality)" and will take place from 4.15 to 5.45 p.m. in the “Medienraum” of the English Department in Göttingen. Read more
November 10-11, 2011
Jason Mittell Gives Keynote Lecture at “(Dis)Orienting Media and Narrative Mazes” Conference
On November 10, 2011, Jason Mittell, Fellow of the Research Unit, will give a keynote lecture on "Serial Orientations: Mapping the Narrative Worlds of Contemporary Complex Television" at the conference “(Dis)Orienting Media and Narrative Mazes.” Read more
November 8, 2011
Talk by American Cartoonist Keith Knight
On November 8, from 4 to 6pm, the American cartoonist Keith Knight will offer a power point presentation about his serial autobiographical comic strip "The K Chronicles," the syndicated comic strip "The Knight Life," and the political cartoon "(Th)ink." Read more
November 2 and 3, 2011
Talks in Göttingen and Tübingen
Christine Hämmerling will present her dissertation project on the German police procedural Tatort at the Cultural Anthropology/European Ethnology research colloquium, at the University of Göttingen on November 2, 2011, and at the colloquium of the Ludwig-Uhland Institute for Empirical Cultural Studies, University of Tübingen, on November 3, 2011. Read more
November 2-5, 2011
Conference “American Studies Today”
From November 2-5, 2011, the John-F.-Kennedy Institute in Berlin will hold an international conference on the current state of North American Studies. The “American Studies Today” conference will focus on the analysis of recent developments in the field and discuss new directions of research. Read more
Winter Term 2011/2012
Workshop Series with Jason Mittell
Together with the Fellow of the Research Unit during the academic year 2011/2012, Jason Mittell, we have planned a series of three workshops. Read more
October 22, 2011
Jason Mittell Speaks at the FROG Vienna Games Conference
Jason Mittell, Fellow of the Research Unit, will give a talk called "Playing for Plot in the Lost and Portal Franchises" at the FROG Vienna Games Conference (October 21- 23, 2011). Read more
October 18, 2011
Guest Lecture about Krazy Kat in Bern (Switzerland)
On October 18, 2011, at 4 p.m., Daniel Stein will give a guest lecture about "Another Kind of Modernism: George Herriman's Krazy Kat and Early American Newspaper Comics." Read more
October 14-15, 2011
Workshop on the Methodology of Comics Studies in Bern (Switzerland)
Shane Denson and Daniel Stein of the Research Unit will participate in the workshop "Interdisciplinary Methodology: The Case of Comics Studies" in Bern. Read more
October 11, 2011
Lecture on “Televisual Rhetoric and Mapping Fictional Spaces”
On Oktober 11, 2011, Jason Mittell, Fellow of the Research Unit, will be giving a lecture at the IT University in Copenhagen (Denmark). Read more
October 7-9, 2011
Conference on the German Police Procedural Tatort
From October 7 to 9, 2011, a conference on the German police procedural Tatort will take place in Bad Herrenalb. Read more
September 21-24, 2011
Conference of the German Association for Cultural Anthropology
Mirjam Nast will give a talk about Perry Rhodan and popular seriality at the Conference of the German Association for Cultural Anthropology. Read more
June 23-July 25, 2011
Article on the Comic Art Collection at Michigan State University
During his research trip to the United States, Daniel Stein visited the Comic Art Collection at Michigan State University, and the Special Collections Library at Duke University (Edwin and Terry Murray Fanzine Collection). Read more
August 1, 2011
Fellow of the Research Unit: Jason Mittell Arrives in Göttingen
On August 1, 2011, Jason Mittell will arrive in Göttingen to begin his stay as a Fellow of the Research Unit "Popular Seriality" at the Lichtenberg-Kolleg. Read more
June 27, 2011
TV Feature on Research Unit
On Monday, June 27, 2011, the German television station NDR will broadcast a feature on the Research Unit ("Hallo Niedersachsen," 7.30 p.m.). Read more
June 18, 2011
Workshop DGfA Conference
Members of the Research Unit will participate in a workshop on "The Transcultural Work of Comics and Graphic Narratives" at the Annual Conference of the German Association for American Studies (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Amerikastudien/DGfA) in Regensburg. Read more
May 30, 2011
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: Article about the Research Unit Now Available
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of Germany’s leading daily newspapers, has published an article about the Research Unit’s work on seriality (April 13, 2011). Read more
May 18, 2011
Lecture on “Mediatization & Serialization” in Hanover
On May 18, 2011, at 6 p.m., Shane Denson will give a lecture on "Mediatization & Serialization." Read more
April 2011
New Radio Features and Interviews
In April, a number of radio features on seriality and interviews with members of the Research Unit have been broadcasted by German radio stations. Read more
May 17, 2011
Guest Lecture by Jared Gardner (Ohio State University)
On May 17, 2011, at 6 p.m., Jared Gardner from Ohio State University will give a guest lecture on “The Birth of the Open-ended Serial and the Future of Storytelling.” Read more
April 2011
Photos of the Opening Conference
The Opening Conference of the Research Unit "Popular Seriality—Aesthetics and Practice" took place at the Paulinerkirche in Göttingen from April 6 to 8, 2011. Read more
April 7, 2011
Radio Feature on Seriality
On Thursday, April 7, 2011, the German radio station SWR2 will broadcast a radio feature by Thomas Ihm. Read more
April 6-8, 2011
Opening Conference
The Opening Conference of the Research Unit "Popular Seriality—Aesthetics and Practice" will take place at the Paulinerkirche in Göttingen from April 6 to 8, 2011. Read more
March 2011
Article in Psychologie Heute (4/2011)
Frank Kelleter's article “Serienhelden sehen dich an” has been published in the recent issue of the journal Psychologie Heute (4/2011). Read more
March 2011
New Publications of the Research Unit
In recent months, a number of articles and books have been published by members of the Research Unit. Read more
March 22, 2011
Lecture at Middlebury College (USA)
On March 22 at 4.30 p.m. Frank Kelleter will give a lecture on seriality at the Department of Film and Media Studies of Middlebury College (USA). Read more
March 12, 2011
Society for Cinema & Media Studies Conference 2011
Frank Kelleter and Andreas Jahn-Sudmann will present their project "The Dynamics of Serial Outbidding (Überbietung)" at the Society for Cinema & Media Studies Conference, March 10-13, 2011, in New Orleans. Read more
January 13, 2011
Radio Interview on Seriality
On Thursday, January 13, 2011, an interview with Frank Kelleter, Regina Bendix and Christine Hämmerling was broadcasted on the German radio station Deutschlandfunk. Read more
December 16, 2010
Humanities Laboratories on Seriality and Fu Manchu
On December 16 at 4 p.m. Ruth Mayer will present her current work on “Image Power: Seriality, Iconicity, and The Mask of Fu Manchu” at the Center of Modern Humanities in Göttingen (ZTMK). Read more
November 27, 2010
Radio Interview on the German Police Procedural Tatort
The Swiss radio station SR DRS has interviewed Christian Hißnauer on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the ARD police procedural Tatort. Read more
November 19, 2010
ASA Panel
Several members of the Research Unit will present their projects at this year’s American Studies Association Annual Meeting, “Crisis, Chains, and Change: American Studies for the 21st Century,” November 18-21, 2010, San Antonio, Texas (USA). Read more
November 1 and 5, 2010
China: Lectures on Seriality
Nanjing University in China. Read moreNovember 4, 2010
Dissertation Awards for Daniel Stein
Daniel Stein has recently been awarded two distinguished dissertation prizes. Read more
October 19, 2010
Lecture by Jason Mittell (Middlebury College, USA)
On October 19 at 11 a.m. Jason Mittell will give a lecture on “Media Studies as an Interdiscipline.” Read more