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30496-01 - Lecture: American Literature Survey IV/IV: Postmodernism and Contemporary (2 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2025 |
| 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 | Recommendations for moderate weekly readings are taken from the seventh, eighth, ninth or tenth edition of Volume E (Literature since 1945) of Nina Baym (gen. ed.), "The Norton Anthology of American Literature" (New York: W. W. Norton). Copies are available at the Labyrinth bookstore. If you plan to attend more than one part of this four-part lecture course and intend to do the recommended reading, it makes sense to buy all volumes (A-B + C-E) of "The Norton Anthology of American Literature" because this is the cheaper option. Make sure you bring along the handouts for each session, including the first. They are available on ADAM, contain the lecture slides, and will facilitate your note-taking. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | None |
| Course application | Register on https://services.unibas.ch. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 19.02.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 26.02.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 05.03.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 12.03.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Fasnachstferien |
| Wednesday 19.03.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 26.03.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 02.04.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 09.04.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 16.04.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 23.04.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 30.04.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 07.05.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 14.05.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 21.05.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| Wednesday 28.05.2025 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 116 |
| 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 (Start of studies before 01.08.2022)) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) 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: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's Studies - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) Modul: Introduction to Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Koordinaten der Kreativität (Master's degree program: Cultural Techniques) Modul: Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Written test (90 mins) toward the end of term. The test is based on the lectures; the recommended weekly readings are not part of it. |
| 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 |