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76494-01 - Research seminar: My Three Favorite Novels (4 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Philipp Schweighauser (ph.schweighauser@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In this course, we will read and discuss my three favorite novels. We will proceed chronologically, from Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita” (1955) to Don DeLillo’s “White Noise” (1985), to Mark Z. Danielewski’s “House of Leaves” (2000). My completely unstrategic choice—these are simply the three novels I like best—raises obvious questions concerning the canon, periodization, gender, race, genre, taste, and style. Apart from close reading selected passages from these literary gems—a practice that I consider particularly rewarding for particularly good literary works—we will engage with literary criticism about these texts. In addition, we will discuss two to three more general reflections on canon-formation and taste. |
| Learning objectives | Students will engage with three novels their instructor considers particularly good. Apart from close reading these texts and discussing literary-critical approaches to them, we will think about the criteria we use to determine the value of literary texts. |
| Bibliography | For Nabokov’s “Lolita” and Danielewski’s “House of Leaves", it is important that you buy specific editions. You should buy “The Annotated Lolita” edited by Alfred Apple Jr. because it contains a multitude of notes that help you navigate this highly intertextual novel. Consider buying the relatively cheap Penguin annotated edition ISBN-13 978-0141185040. For "House of Leaves", you should buy a full-color edition in which parts of the text are rendered in blue and red: ISBN-13 978-0375703768 is a good choice. For DeLillo’s "White Noise", there are several options and all are fine. Additional texts are made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is open only to MA students and PhD candidates. |
| Course application | Please register on services.unibas.ch. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 17.09.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 24.09.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 01.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 08.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 15.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 22.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 29.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 05.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 12.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 19.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 26.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 03.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 10.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Wednesday 17.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 25 |
| Modules |
Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung (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 |