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| Semester | fall semester 2015 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Franziska Gygax (franziska.gygax@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The genre of autobiography has a long tradition in American literature for various reasons. The so-called rights for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness may be considered to be one of the stimuli for many life stories that depict the search for these goals and their possible realizations, and a great number of American (white male) autobiographies indeed tell stories of exemplary and successful lives. But autobiography also plays a crucial role in black America and has often been chosen as a narrative form by fugitive slaves to show the ordeal and the possible way to freedom. In recent times life writing has become a booming and extremely popular genre, and the modes of auto/biographical narratives vary greatly (written auto/biography in book form, digital auto/biography, graphic novel, illness memoir, biopic, performances, etc.). The reasons for the increasing popularity of this genre are manifold and need to be explored and discussed in the social, cultural, and political context of today's notions of the (cult of the) self. Furthermore, the intersection of race, class, and gender in American autobiographies must be addressed. |
| Learning objectives | Students will be introduced to a range of very different American autobiographies that are representative of a specific way of life writing (e.g. slave narrative, AIDS memoir, graphic memoir) and to theoretical and generic issues in autobiography studies. |
| Bibliography | Harriet Jacobs, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Woman", Philip Roth, "Patrimony", Paul Monette, "Borrowed Time", Joan Didion, "Blue Nights". Theoretical and additional primary texts will be made available on ADAM. |
| Comments | "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Woman", "Patrimony", and "Borrowed Time" must be read before the beginning of the course. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | Old BA curriculum (2005): This course may only be taken after successful completion of the first-year module "Learning about Literature". New BA curriculum (2013): It is strongly recommended that this course is taken only after the successful completion of the "Introduction I + II: Literary Studies" proseminars. |
| Course application | Please register by e-mail to franziska.gygax(at)unibas.ch by September 7 as places are limited. |
| 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 Introduction to Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul Refining Skills in Literature and Culture (Bachelor's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance, active participation, oral presentation |
| 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 |