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77905-01 - Research seminar: The British Mediterranean (4 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Ina Habermann (ina.habermann@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course engages with the powerful presence of Britain in the Mediterranean in the heyday of the British empire. We will address both how the British presence shaped the Mediterranean, and how Britain’s engagement with the Mediterranean shaped the British imagination. In particular, our focus will be on the comparison of British attitudes to Greece and to Palestine. While Greece was held in high regard as the cradle of Western civilization and there was support for the Greek war of independence against the Ottoman empire in the early nineteenth century, Palestinians received no substantial support during the British Mandate and after the foundation of Israel in 1948. As Greece was established as a British holiday paradise, the political situation in the Near East remained highly volatile and violent. We will discuss a variety of literary texts that speak to these discourses, events and experiences over time. |
| Learning objectives | Students will learn about the historical British presence in the Mediterranean and engage critically with British discourses of Southern Europe and the Levant. They will situate literary texts in cultural and historical contexts and improve their skills in literary analysis. |
| Bibliography | Books to purchased "Byron’s Poetry and Prose: Authoritative Texts", Criticism (Norton Critical Editions). Gerald Durrell, "My Family and Other Animals" (1956, part of "The Corfu Trilogy"). Victoria Hislop, "The Island" (2005). Linda Grant, "When I Lived in Modern Times" (2000). Selma Dabbagh, "Out of It" (2011). Isabella Hammad, "The Parisian" (2019). Further materials will be available on ADAM. |
| Comments | As background reading (not mandatory) I recommend Robert Holland, "Blue Water Empire. The British in the Mediterranean since 1800" (Penguin, 2013); Edward Said, "The Question of Palestine" (1979). |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This course is for MA students. |
| Course application | Please register for this course in https://services.unibas.ch. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 17.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 24.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Tuesday 03.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 10.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 17.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 24.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 31.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 07.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 14.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 21.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 28.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 05.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 12.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 19.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Tuesday 26.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| 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 | Attendance, active participation, presentation |
| 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 |