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77904-01 - Research seminar: Current Research: Anglo Genres for Atlantic Futures (Eco-Fictions, Campus Novels, Science Fictions) (4 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Philipp Schweighauser (ph.schweighauser@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This research seminar is connected to the four-year research project “Anglo Genres for Atlantic Futures: Contemporary Eco-Fictions, Campus Novels, and Science Fictions” funded by the Claudine und Hans-Heiner Zaeslin-Bustany Foundation. The project explores twenty-first century fictions from three popular genres that have emerged in the Anglophone world and deal with central social issues of today's knowledge societies on both sides of the Atlantic. Their themes include climate change, species extinction, and environmental pollution (eco-fictions); anti-intellectualism and the role of universities in knowledge societies (campus novels); and artificial intelligence, genetic engineering and (digital) surveillance (science fictions). We will read one novel from each genre and discuss their popularity, their forms, and their (social and cognitive) functions. Along the way, we will perform close readings, engage with literary criticism on these texts, and grapple with theorizations of the nature and purposes of these three genres. |
| Learning objectives | Students will engage with one novel each from three important popular genres (eco-fictions, campus novels, and science fictions) and explore how they are made and how they comment on and intervene in pressing social issues of our time. |
| Bibliography | We will be reading Richard Powers’s eco-fiction "The Overstory" (2018), R. F. Kuang's speculative campus novel "Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution" (2022), and N. K. Jemisin's science fiction "The Fifth Season" (2015). 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 https://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 11 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 18.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 25.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Wednesday 04.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 11.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 18.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 25.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 01.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 08.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 15.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 22.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 29.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 06.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 13.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 20.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Wednesday 27.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Modules |
Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Koordinaten der Kreativität (Master's degree program: Cultural Techniques) Modul: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Literaturtheorie (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 |