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| Semester | spring semester 2012 |
| Course frequency | Every 3rd spring sem |
| Lecturers | Philipp Schweighauser (ph.schweighauser@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | "Postmodernism" names one of the defining moments of U.S. literary history since 1945: from the early postmodernism of the Beats, Thomas Pynchon, and Donald Barthelme to Don DeLillo's postmodernism of the 1970s and 1980s and the historiographic metafictions of E. L. Doctorow. We will explore the different varieties of postmodern literature at some length without, however, ignoring that the label by no means covers all literature produced since the end of the Second World War. Thus, other sessions focus on the wide variety of new ethnic literatures that have slowly risen to the center of attention since the 1970s, from the Native American Renaissance of writers like N. Scott Momaday, James Welch, and Leslie Marmon Silko to Toni Morrison's neo-slave narrative "Beloved" and Gloria Anzaldùa reflections on the Chicana experience in "Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza." This lecture course will end with a brief survey of contemporary developments in texts such as Mark Z. Danielewski's "House of Leaves" and Diane Williams's microstories. |
| Learning objectives | You are introduced to American literary history since 1945. |
| Bibliography | The seventh edition of Volume E (Literature since 1945) of Baym, Nina, gen. ed., "The Norton Anthology of American Literature" (New York: W. W. Norton, 2007) need to be ordered and purchased well before the beginning of the term (ISBN 13: 978-0-393-92743-6). If you plan to attend more than one part of this four-part lecture course, it makes sense to buy all volumes (A-B + C-E) of "The Norton Anthology of American Literature" (ISBN 13: 978-0-393-92993-5 + ISBN 13: 978-0-393-92994-2). You also need to bring along the handouts for each session, INCLUDING THE FIRST. They are available on ISIS. |
| Comments | The syllabus and lecture slides are made available on ISIS. Note that I am also offering an MA seminar ("The Spatial Imagination of the Native American Renaissance") whose topic is related to this course. |
| Weblink | ISIS |
| Admission requirements | None |
| Course application | Not required |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Interphilologische Lehrveranstaltungen für die Nordistik (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordische Philologie) Interphilologische Lehrveranstaltungen für die Nordistik (MA) (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Interphilologische Lehrveranstaltungen für die Slavistik (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Interphilologisches Angebot: Allgemeine Literaturwissenschaft (Bachelor's degree subject: Deutsche Philologie) Modul Allgemeine Literaturwissenschaft (Master's degree subject: Modern German Literature (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Allgemeine Literaturwissenschaft (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul Aufbaustudium Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul English & American Literature (Master's degree subject: English) Modul Extending the View (Literary and Cultural Studies) (Bachelor's degree subject: Englisch) Modul Focusing on the Discipline (Literary and Cultural Studies) (Bachelor's degree subject: Englisch) Modul Learning about Literature and Culture (Bachelor's degree subject: Englisch) Modul Learning about Literature and Culture (Ausbildung zur Lehrperson für die Sekundarstufe I) Modul Learning about Literature and Culture (Sek-I-Fach: Englisch) Modul Neuere Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft I (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul Refining Skills in Literature and Culture (Bachelor's degree subject: Englisch) Modul Research Skills in English Linguistics or Literature (Master's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Written test (90 mins) toward the end of term |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| 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 |