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| Semester | spring semester 2021 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Michaela Frey (michaela.frey@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Not least because of the environmental crisis, water has become a pressing issue of our time: droughts and floods are increasing, and drinking water will become more scarce. The rising field of 'Blue Humanities' engages with the ubiquitous and essential element, exploring water's different forms of coastal, maritime or river worlds. Thus, the 'blue element' currently receives increasing attention in literary studies. In poetry, water has been a recurrent topic, as it is often seen to mirror the subject’s inner feelings or to supply a source of poetic inspiration. Beyond this, poets have focused on water to reflect on environmental, economic, and colonial. Environmental encounters in and around water in the 'Anthropocene' epitomize the inevitable, sometimes toxic interconnections between the human and the material world. Moreover, bodies of water suggest more 'dynamic' notions of place, and water's continual flow offers poetic metaphors to address the unceasing movements of people, goods or information. This seminar wants to plunge into the reading of modern and contemporary poetry by poets such as Derek Mahon, Derek Walcott, Alice Oswald, Gillian Clarke, Jen Hadfield and Jorie Graham, asking for its representation of watery spaces and its engagement with environmental concerns in a globalized world. Beyond close readings and discussions of the poetic texts, the seminar aims to provide an overview of the current theoretical debates in the field of 'Blue Humanities'. |
| Learning objectives | Students will acquire knowledge about a current poetic movement and get an overview of nature writing in 20th and 21st century Anglophone poetry; they will gain tools to analyse poetry and practice their close reading skills; students will learn to contextualize the poetic texts. |
| Bibliography | Alice Oswald's "Dart" (2002) and Jen Hadfield's "Nigh-No-Place" (2008) should be purchased. The books will be available at the Labyrinth bookstore (Nadelberg 17). Additional texts will be made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is for BA students on the advanced level who have completed ALL three introductory modules (including the proseminar papers). |
| Course application | Please register by sending an email to michaela.frey(at)unibas.ch and via doodle: https://doodle.com/poll/vyk2tnaxw6scsxtq?utm_source=poll&utm_medium=link. Don’t forget to sign up via MOnA. Places are limited to 25. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz - |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 01.03.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Monday 08.03.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Monday 15.03.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Monday 22.03.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Monday 29.03.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Monday 05.04.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | Ostern |
| Monday 12.04.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Monday 19.04.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Monday 26.04.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Monday 03.05.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Monday 10.05.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Monday 17.05.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Monday 24.05.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | Pfingstmontag |
| Monday 31.05.2021 | 10.15-12.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | - active participation - oral presentation - one short written 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 |