Literaturwissenschaft in Theorie und Praxis. Eine anglistisch-amerikanistische Einführung. Ed. Ralf Schneider unter Mitwirkung von Christina Spittel / Hans-Werner Ludwig und Thomas Rommel: Studium Literaturwissenschaft. Arbeitstechniken und Neue Medien.

There has been a tendency in German English departments to streamline degree courses which is due partly to the process of European educational integration and partly to the crisis of the humanities combined with the challenges of the job market. This streamlining process coincides with the massive expansion of the fields of literary and cultural studies which includes a process of decanonization and a proliferation of theoretical approaches. Thus, an increasing number of students, pressed for time and seeking training rather than education, face a complex and changing field, which appears to create an ever greater need for overviews and introductions. The academic book market has responded to this need and at the same time increased demand with marketing strategies which suggest that such overviews are possible. There are now numerous introductions and handbooks for literary criticism, history and theory, many of which present themselves as short cuts on the winding road to learning but ultimately fix students in the role of passive recipients rather than enabling them to actively engage in critical discourse. Having said this, there are exceptions.

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