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74309-01 - Research seminar: Current Research: The Second Wave of the Native American Renaissance (Erdrich, Alexie, Hogan) (4 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Philipp Schweighauser (ph.schweighauser@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Following on the heels of the original wave of the Native American Renaissance (N. Scott Momaday, James Welch, Leslie Marmon Silko, and others), a younger generation of writers found new ways of exploring American Indian pasts and presents. We will read and discuss Louise Erdrich’s debut novel and family saga “Love Medicine” (1984, rev. ed. 1993, 2009—see below for the right edition), Linda Hogan’s exploration of the infamous Osage murders in the 1920s in her debut novel “Mean Spirit” (1990), and Sherman Alexie’s semi-autobiographical young adult novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” (2007). In discussing “Mean Spirit,” we will also watch and talk about Martin Scorsese’s film about the Osage murders, “Killers of the Flower Moon” (2023). Along the way, we will consider issues such as the relationship between tradition and modernity, anti-Indigenous violence, humor, and substance abuse. Knowledge of the first-wave of the Native American Renaissance is not required; this is a stand-alone course. |
| Learning objectives | Students engage with both the thematic and the formal features of texts by writers of the second wave of the Native American Renaissance of the 1980s and 1990s to learn about a significant body of writing in (Native) American literary history. |
| Bibliography | The following three texts are available in the Labyrinth bookstore and need to be purchased and read before the beginning of the term: Louise Erdrich’s “Love Medicine” (ISBN-13 978-0061787423), Linda Hogan’s “Mean Spirit” (ISBN-13 978-1501112454), and Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” (ISBN-13 978-1783442010). Please buy the editions indicated above via the ISBN-13 numbers. This is especially important for Erdrich’s “Love Medicine,” which she revised twice. Please buy the Harper Perennial 2009 edition. We will start with “Love Medicine.” Further materials will be made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is open only to MA students and PhD candidates. |
| Course application | Please register on Online Services. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 10.15-12.00 | Rosshofgasse (Schnitz), Sitzungsraum S 181 |
Dates
| Modules |
Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Literaturgeschichte (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 attendance, active participation |
| 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 |