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52097-01 - Seminar: Espionage in British Fiction (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2018 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Daniela Keller (daniela.keller@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Many public figures recently envisioned the next 007 agent in film as no longer 'white' or 'male', which sparked much controversy. In reaction to the stubborn stereotype, this seminar will look 'beyond Bond' (Britton 2005) to explore other British spies and how espionage developed in 20th- and 21st-century literature. We will not only engage with spies and their entanglements with gender, ethnicity, or national identity, but also analyse the practices of espionage and how they relate to, for example, narratological features, the poetics of light, or the depictions of clandestine spaces. |
| Learning objectives | As readers of spy fiction, the participants will be required to practise their close reading skills. Students will refine their analyses with relevant concepts and theories, and acquire a comprehensive overview of British spy fiction and its cultural contexts. |
| Bibliography | Please purchase and read: - Kipling, Rudyard. "Kim". 1901. Oxford et al.: Oxford University Press, 2008. - Le Carré, John. "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold". 1963. London: Penguin, 2010. - Maugham, W. Somerset. "Ashenden". 1928. London: Vintage, 2000. - O'Donnell, Peter. "Modesty Blaise". 1965. London: Souvenir Press, 2018. (50th anniversary ed.) - Walter, Natasha. "A Quiet Life". London: Borough Press, 2016. |
| Comments | We will read the novels chronologically and you will be expected to have read Rudyard Kipling's "Kim" (1901) in the second session. Further reading will be made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is for BA students on the advanced level who have completed ALL three introductory modules (including the proseminar papers). |
| Course application | Please register for this course via the following link: https://doodle.com/poll/gcpr99q8gzxg5ay3 and do not forget to sign up via MOnA. Registration is limited to 20 students. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance, active participation, short presentations and written assignments |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |