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| Semester | fall semester 2016 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Philipp Schweighauser (ph.schweighauser@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | For generations of Americanists, 'real' American literature began only with Emerson, Whitman, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Melville. More recently, critics have begun to point out the gender, ethnic, and regional biases of that selection and added Margaret Fuller, Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allan Poe, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Frances E. W. Harper, sentimental women poets, and the fireside poets to the list. This semester will take us from these writers--the representatives of a newly configured 'American Renaissance'--to Stephen Crane's naturalist dissection of urban and martial plight. Along the way, we will encounter some of the classics of American literary history (most prominently "Moby Dick" and "The Scarlet Letter"); the 'Dean' of American realism (William Dean Howells); Henry James; the rise to stardom and fall of Theodor Dreiser's Sister Carrie; and the shocking but intelligible brutality of the eponymous protagonist of Frank Norris's "Mc Teague." |
| Learning objectives | You are introduced to a formative period of American literary and cultural history. |
| Bibliography | The seventh or eighth edition of Volumes B and C (1820-1865; 1865-1914) of Baym, Nina, gen. ed., "The Norton Anthology of American Literature" (New York: W. W. Norton) need to be ordered and purchased well before the beginning of the term. 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". Both volumes will be on sale at the 'Labyrinth' bookstore. You might want to consider supporting your local bookstore. You also need to bring along the handouts for each session, INCLUDING THE FIRST. They are available on the ADAM server a week before the beginning of the term. |
| Comments | The lecture slides are made available on ADAM. Note that I am offering the BA seminar "The Poetry of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman" (44984-01) whose topic is closely related to this course. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | None |
| Course application | Not required |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Interphilologische Lehrveranstaltungen für die Nordistik (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Interphilologische Lehrveranstaltungen für die Nordistik (MA) (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Interphilologische Lehrveranstaltungen für die Slavistik (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Interphilologisches Angebot: Allgemeine Literaturwissenschaft (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) 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 (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) 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 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 Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: English) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Modul Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul Introduction to Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul Learning about Literature and Culture (Bachelor's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul Neuere Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft I (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Refining Skills in Literature and Culture (Bachelor's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Research Skills in English Linguistics or Literature (Master's degree subject: English (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) |
| 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 |