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| Semester | spring semester 2014 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Philipp Schweighauser (ph.schweighauser@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | : With recent events such as the 'Arab Spring' in the back of our minds, this seminar on American literary and cultural history takes us from the first anti-British grumblings in the American colonies of the 1760s over classic revolutionary documents such as Thomas Paine's "Commmon Sense" (1776) and the Declaration of Independence to post-revolutionary texts that take positions on domestic popular movements such as Shays' Rebellion (1787) and the Whiskey Rebellion (1791-94) as well as the international upheavals of the French Revolution and its descent into la terreur. We will chart the various meanings of 'revolution' in a wide variety of literary and cultural texts to assess the kinds of cultural work these texts perform. Our approach will be both historical and literary-historical. |
| Learning objectives | Students gain in-depth knowledge about revolutionary and anti-revolutionary discourses in a foundational moment in American literary and cultural history. |
| Bibliography | By way of preparing for the course, you need to purchase two books and read one of them (the other will serve for our weekly readings). The two books you need to buy are available at the 'Labyrinth' bookstore: Richard D. Brown's "Major Problems in the Era of the American Revolution, 1760-1791: Documents and Essays" (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000); John Ferling's "A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic" (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003). Before the term begins, you need to have read Ferling's "A Leap in the Dark". Additional texts are made available on ISIS. |
| Comments | Note that this seminar relates to my lecture course "American Literature Survey I/IV: Beginnings to Early Republic" (26014-01). However, attendance of the lecture is not a prerequisite for this seminar. |
| Weblink | ISIS |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is open only to MA students. |
| Course application | Please register on ISIS. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul English & American Literature (Master's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) 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 | Regular attendance and 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 |