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60738-01 - Course: Transgressive texts (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Peter Burleigh (p.burleigh@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course is intended as a reading and discussion cycle based on the political stakes of transgressive and critical writing, and hopes to provide some answers to questions such as: can we find an antidote to an increasing rhetoric of anti-intellectualism in society today? Where is there space for grounding progressive, thought-provoking, radical ideas and ways of life? What kinds of ways to engage will come next? The course will be structured around a series of texts which will be given structured and in-depth reading with a view to establishing ways to respond in discussion and writing to such input. The texts we visit will give a historical background, as well as a space for contemporary thought, and point to potential future worlds. |
| Learning objectives | Students will be exposed to a wide range of critical texts, from which they will glean key ideas, principles and movements from a brief history of critical writing. Students will practice responding to these canonical texts in speech and writing. In particular, their own positioning through writing critical essays will be rehearsed with a cycle of: Short response -- Framed response -- Analytical response -- Longer writing |
| Bibliography | Essays by the following writers will be included and made available: Mary Wollstonecraft, Gertrude Stein, Virginia Woolf, Simone de Beauvoir, Audre Lorde, Hélène Cixous, Maria Lugones, Donna Haraway, Linda Stupart, Andreas Malm, Kathleen Stewart, Lauren Berlant. |
| Admission requirements | None |
| Course application | Please register on services.unibas.ch by February 6th. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 18.02.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 25.02.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Wednesday 04.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 11.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 18.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 25.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 01.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 08.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 15.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 22.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 29.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 06.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 13.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 20.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Wednesday 27.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 211 |
| Modules |
Modul: Introduction to Academic Communication in English (Bachelor's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Weekly writing assignments of circa 200 words |
| 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 |