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77995-01 - Practical course: Contested Silence. Communication, Ethics, and Vigilance in Eastern Europe (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Kateryna Yeremieieva (kateryna.yeremieieva@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This interdisciplinary course explores the concept of silence as a form of communication, vigilance, moral conflict, and cultural memory in Eastern Europe, with a specific focus on Ukraine from the Soviet era to the present. Silence is often viewed as absence or passivity; however, during times of authoritarian rule, war, and social upheaval, it becomes a powerful and morally charged act of communication — a space where censorship, loyalty, grief, and dissent intersect. Through case studies centred on Ukraine — including topics such as Soviet censorship, dissident codes, post-Maidan transformations, and the digital scrutiny surrounding public figures during Russia’s full-scale invasion — students will investigate how silence can symbolise both resistance and complicity, ethical dilemmas and civic gestures. The course emphasises Ukraine’s significance in understanding how silence takes on visibility, emotional weight, and political meaning in moments of crisis. Drawing from media studies, memory politics, linguistic anthropology, and communication ethics, students will analyse various forms of expression, including public speeches, social media discussions, commemorative rituals, satire, and feminist critiques. Methodologically, the course combines discourse analysis, digital ethnography, visual culture analysis, and interpretive approaches informed by performativity and positioning theory. By integrating theoretical readings with practical analysis, participants will develop tools to study silence as a communicative and affective force. They will critically assess silence's role in shaping memory, identity, and civic responsibility in Ukraine and throughout Eastern Europe, uncovering how silence conveys meaning during times of war, transition, and moral uncertainty. |
| Bibliography | 1. Achino-Loeb, M.-L. (Ed.). (2005). Silence: The Currency of Power. New York & Oxford: Berghahn Books. 2. Burlyuk, O., & Musliu, V. (2023). The responsibility to remain silent? On the politics of knowledge production, expertise and (self-)reflection in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Journal of International Relations and Development, 26, 605–618. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41268-023-00318-x 3. Chouliaraki, L. (2021). The Digital Border: Migration, Technology, Power. New York: NYU Press. 4. Dimitrov, R. (2018). Strategic Silence: Public Relations and Indirect Communication. London & New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315657851 5. Ephratt, M. (2008). The functions of silence. Journal of Pragmatics, 40(11), 1909–1938. 6. Figes, O. (2007). The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin’s Russia. New York: Metropolitan Books. 7. Jaworski, A. (1997). Silence: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 8. Kurzon, D. (1995). The right of silence: A socio-pragmatic model of interpretation. Journal of Pragmatics, 23(1), 55–69. 9. Yurchak, A. (2005). Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation. Princeton University Press. |
| Admission requirements | Studierende der Geschichte aller Studienstufen sowie Studierende anderer Studienfächer, in deren Module die Übung verknüpft ist. Bei Überbelegung werden Studierende der Geschichte bevorzugt zugelassen. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 19.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 26.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Fasnachtswoche |
| Thursday 05.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 12.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 19.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 26.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 02.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Osterwoche |
| Thursday 09.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 16.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 23.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 30.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 07.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 14.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Auffahrt |
| Thursday 21.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 28.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Modules |
Electives Bachelor History: Recommendations (Bachelor's degree subject: History) Modul: Areas: Osteuropa (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Basis Osteuropäische Geschichte (Bachelor's degree program: Eastern European Studies) Modul: Forschung und Praxis (Master's degree subject: East European History) Modul: Osteuropäische Geschichte: Räume und Epochen (Master's degree subject: East European History) Modul: Spezialisierung «Geschichte und Polititsche Bildung» (Master's Studies: Subject-Specific Teaching and Learning) Module: Europeanization and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Wahlbereich Master Geschichte: Empfehlungen (Master's degree subject: History) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| 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 | Departement Geschichte |