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| Semester | fall semester 2015 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Ridvan Askin (ridvan.askin@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The Western is without doubt 'the' quintessential American film genre of the 20th century, even considered iconic of American culture at large as it vividly captures and perpetuates - at least up to roughly the 1960s - the "frontier myth", the belief that American culture was uniquely shaped by its frontier experience: westward expansion characterized by what eminent scholar and historian Richard Slotkin has called "regeneration through violence". In this course, we will watch and discuss a number of Westerns produced since the 1960s scrutinizing how they critically renegotiate the frontier myth and its characteristic oppositional relations as they play out in the Western genre: the West vs. the East, nature vs. culture, wilderness vs. civilization, individual vs. community. While such renegotiation is indeed revisionist, it is not necessarily postmodernist, however. Accordingly, we will also discuss in how far the films in question can actually be said to be postmodern, (re)reading a number of important theoretical texts and scrutinizing the films' formal and aesthetic features in addition to and in conjunction with their political agenda. In this context, we will also consider the genre's transnational appeal (one of the films we will watch is a recent Australian Outback-Western) as the Western, despite its quintessential Americanness, has proven extremely amenable to other cultural contexts. |
| Learning objectives | Students will be introduced to the genre of the Western film, particularly its revisionist and postmodern manifestations. Accordingly, they will revisit and engage with questions of genre and theories of postmodernism. Students taking this course will also expand on and refine their skills in film analysis. |
| Bibliography | - "The Wild Bunch", dir. Sam Peckinpah, 1969. - "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", dir. Sam Peckinpah, 1973. - "Unforgiven", dir. Clint Eastwood, 1992. - "Dead Man", dir. Jim Jarmusch, 1995. - "The Proposition", dir. John Hillcoat, 2005. - John Cawelti, 'From Medicine Bow to Dallas: The Western’s Historic Journey' (chapter 3). "The Six Gun Mystique Sequel", Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1999. 57-98. The chapter from Cawelti's book has to be read before the first session - the book will be available from the reserved shelf. Further required reading will be made available on ADAM. Students wishing to purchase the films should make sure they get hold of unabridged/director's cut versions. Since all films will be screened during term-time (directly after class), buying the films is not necessary, although highly recommended. Also, if possible students should watch some classic Westerns during the summer break: basically anything by John Ford, Anthony Mann, and Howard Hawkes is fine, but particularly recommended are "High Noon" (dir. Fred Zinnemann, 1952), "The Searchers" (dir. John Ford, 1956), and "Stagecoach" (dir. John Ford, 1939). |
| Comments | Students taking this seminar should also be interested in Prof. Schweighauser's two lectures "American Literature Survey IV/IV: Postmodernism and Contemporary" (30496-01) and "Theory Survey II/II: Media Theory" (21765-01). |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is for BA students on the advanced level: for BA05 students those who have completed their proseminar paper in Literary & Cultural Studies; for BA13 students those who have completed ALL three introductory modules (including the proseminar papers). |
| Course application | Please register for the course with the instructor by email. The number of participants is limited to 25. |
| 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 Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul Extending the View (Literary and Cultural Studies) (Bachelor's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Focusing on the Discipline (Literary and Cultural Studies) (Bachelor's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Literatur im Zusammenspiel der Künste und Medien (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance, active participation, brief writing assignment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| 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 |