1 | Formal Information

Corinna Assmann, Dr. phil., English Department, Heidelberg University

2 | Our project aims to reflect on values in school, pastoral care and other care contexts. What academic perspective do I bring to the project with regard to this focus?

I am interested in the multifarious ways that literary texts are imbued with values, and the way different textual levels come together to create a complex tapestry of values. Apart from values represented in and disseminated through novels (e.g. in the form of a conflict and negotiation of values among characters), I am also interested in the values that we attach to reading literature in general. Literary texts have a firm place in school curricula – I find it interesting to look at the grounds on which specific texts are chosen, and how these are related to values, as well as inquire into the larger expectations placed on the reading of literature to promote cognitive and social competencies, and how these are connected to (more hidden) values.

On a more abstract level, I am also interested in the more general question of whether and how narrative as an ordering principle and normative structure (outside the realm of literature or fiction) carries values. This perspective connects with my interest in feminist and queer theory.

3 | What content-related results and personal returns do I expect / hope for from the project?

I hope to get insights into how values are discussed in other disciplinary contexts, and hope to learn from conceptualisations and theoretical frameworks that others work with and that can hopefully be made fruitful in this interdisciplinary setting. Furthermore, I am keen to find out in how far narrative plays a role in the educational and care settings that will be discussed in this group.