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30496-01 - Lecture: American Literature Survey IV/IV: Postmodernism and Contemporary (2 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2020 |
| Course frequency | Every 2nd fall sem. |
| Lecturers | Philipp Schweighauser (ph.schweighauser@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | "Postmodernism" names one of the defining moments of U.S. literary history since 1945: from the early postmodernism of the Beats, Thomas Pynchon, and Donald Barthelme to Don DeLillo's postmodernism of the 1970s and 1980s and the historiographic metafictions of E. L. Doctorow. We will explore the different varieties of postmodern literature at some length without, however, ignoring that the label by no means covers all literature produced since the end of the Second World War. Thus, other sessions focus on the wide variety of new ethnic literatures that have slowly risen to the center of attention since the 1970s, from the Native American Renaissance of writers like N. Scott Momaday, James Welch, and Leslie Marmon Silko to Toni Morrison's neo-slave narrative "Beloved" and Gloria Anzaldùa reflections on the Chicana experience in "Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza." This lecture course will end with a brief survey of contemporary developments in texts such as Mark Z. Danielewski's "House of Leaves" and Diane Williams's microstories. |
| Learning objectives | You are introduced to American literary history since 1945. |
| Bibliography | The seventh, eighth or ninth edition of Volume E (Literature since 1945) of Baym, Nina, gen. ed., "The Norton Anthology of American Literature" (New York: W. W. Norton) needs to be ordered and purchased well before the beginning of the term. If you plan to attend more than one part of this four-part lecture course, it makes sense to buy all volumes (A-B + C-E) of "The Norton Anthology of American Literature". You also need to bring along the handouts for each session, INCLUDING THE FIRST. They are available on ADAM. Copies of the Norton Anthology have been ordered at Labyrinth bookstore. |
| Comments | This lecture is taught weekly via Zoom in the Wednesday 10:15-12:00 slot. Please note that any recording of the lecture is prohibited for copyright reasons. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | None |
| Course application | Register on MOnA |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Introduction to Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | One essay of 1,000-1,500 words that discusses one of the texts in the "Norton Anthology of American Literature" in the light of input given by Prof. Schweighauser in the lecture for which that text was read. The deadline for submission of the essay is January 15, 2021. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| 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 |