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| Semester | spring semester 2012 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Therese Steffen (therese.steffen@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The story of Africa is in some ways a history of crime: from the Atlantic slave trade to the Nigerian “419” email scam, violence and illegality have often been the means by which the continent is inscribed in the Western imagination. On a more local level, crime has also served as the medium through which Africa and its peoples have negotiated engagement with globalization. Besides the obvious movement of illicit goods onto the global market, this is evident in the intricate international networks for smuggling people across the Sahara; in the prostitution rings that link parts of Africa to parts of Europe; and in the poaching syndicates driven by Asian demand for exotica such as rhino horn or abalone offshore. Fiction writers and literary scholars have also got in on the act. In South Africa, authors such as Deon Meyer, Margie Orford, Antony Altbeker, Zakes Mda or Sifiso Mzobe have topped the best-seller lists with their crime fiction. What explains this development? What, if any, is the connection between the boom in writing about crime, and the problem of crime as it is experienced day to day? |
| Learning objectives | This lecture course seeks to trace crime fiction from its beginnings in US-literature (E.A. Poe) to a general analysis of the genre and its most recent flourishing in South(ern) Africa. |
| Bibliography | A READER will be available in due time at "dings" copy shop (Granary Lane 2). |
| Comments | The lecture course prepares for the SEMINAR 30519-01 on South African CRIME FICTION. |
| Admission requirements | None |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, optional |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
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) 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 Culture and Society (Master's degree program: African Studies) 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 Literatur- und Kulturtheorie (Bachelor's degree subject: Hispanistik) 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 | Final assessment: short essay questions, one longer essay. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |