The Extra Slot provides an informal and friendly space for discussing texts and images (and occasionally also music) as well as questions and issues you find particularly interesting / fascinating / baffling. It is also a forum for discussing projects – yours as well as mine (ranging from seminar papers to BA/MA theses, or perhaps your first conference paper or plans for a Ph.D. thesis, to all sorts of publications etc.). This informal colloquium is for all those whose interests, enthusiasms and ambitions go well beyond what they are told they have to do. It also goes beyond the acquisition of Leistungsnachweise and credit points (of which there will be none whatsoever). This is the only one of my courses where no preparation is required.

In pre-Corona times, the Extra Slot description used to say: If any interesting opportunities come up, we may go and watch an English play, see an exhibition or attend other events connected with British literature and culture in and around Essen. Now that things are a bit different for reasons beyond our control, we will have to look for enjoyable digital alternatives.

The Extra Slot will probably be conducted entirely online and entirely in real time. We will meet online via Zoom every other week of the semester. You will receive further details (Moodle room, password and Zoom link). Please make sure to use and check your official university e-mail addresses at all times. Do not use any other addresses, and do not have e-mails sent to your university address forwarded to other addresses. Our experience in the last semester has shown that using non-university addresses / forwarding mails will lead to our messages bouncing back in very many cases.

The Extra Slot is primarily aimed at students who have taken (or who are taking) one or several of my seminars/lectures. However, it is very much an open forum. Newcomers are most welcome. If you would like to join the Extra Slot, please send an e-mail to christian.feser@uni-due.de who will put you on our mailing list.