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48674-01 - Research seminar: Reading Postcolonial Dictatorships (4 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2017 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Christiane Schlote (christiane.schlote@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The eminent Colombian novelist and Nobel Prize winner of 1982, Gabriel García Márquez, has called the dictator "the only 'mythic' figure created by Latin America" and critics have traced the long Latin American thematic tradition of the dictator novel (novela del dictador). In this course, we will discuss the ambiguity and commodification of the genre of the dictator novel and examine how tyrants, dictators, despotic regimes and caudillos are represented in postcolonial literary and cultural texts worldwide. How are dictatorships narrated by Dominican American, Nigerian or British writers? Do representations of historical figures such as Idi Amin, Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina, Robert Mugabe or Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq differ? How do writers address questions of authoritarianism, cultural relativism and decolonisation within the context of historical fiction and the political novel? What are the ethical, aesthetic and generic challenges of depicting violence and evil and are there ways of destabilising au-thoritative dictator figures? |
| Learning objectives | Students will gain an understanding of theories of dictatorship and the dictator novel and will acquire the critical skills to contextualise and analyse cultural representations of authoritarian-ism. |
| Bibliography | Students should acquire the following texts: Junot Díaz, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao", New York: Riverhead Books (2008) and Helon Habila, "Waiting for an Angel", London: Penguin (2003). Theoretical and additional primary texts will be made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | For MA and PhD students only |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul Culture and Society (Master's degree program: African Studies (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul English & American Literature (Master's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Fields: Media and Imagination (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul Literaturtheorie (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul Research in Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular and active participation, reading assignments, oral presentation |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |