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| Semester | spring semester 2022 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Thomas Manson (thomas.manson@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | LONDON…NEW YORK…PARIS…LAGOS. This course maps the emergence of the modern city, from its presence in Romantic and Victorian texts through to its modernist and postmodernist incarnations. Alongside novels by Joseph Conrad, John Dos Passos, Jean Rhys and Teju Cole, students will draw from stories, sketches and poems by a range of authors in theorizing the city at the intersection of crime, capital, exile, architecture and desire. Commencing our urban journey in the 'monstrous town' of London, we will sail across the Atlantic to New York before returning to Paris and then the wider postcolonial world, considering how our chosen works navigate the ever-shifting terrain of urban experience. On the way, we will encounter urban flâneurs, surrealists, and psychogeographers (and many more) in whose footsteps we will follow down blind alleys and grand boulevards, deconstructing the modern metropolis and its position at the heart of modernity. |
| Learning objectives | Students will gain an understanding of key critical and methodological approaches to urban space (with a particular emphasis on the modernist city), refining their analytical skills as well their ability to apply theory and wider-historical sources to the texts in question. |
| Bibliography | Please purchase the following texts: - Joseph Conrad. “The Secret Agent”. - John Dos Passos. “Manhattan Transfer”. - Jean Rhys. “Good Morning, Midnight”. - Teju Cole. “Every Day is for the Thief”. All other texts will be made available on ADAM. |
| Comments | This course will take an interdisciplinary approach, considering the works of artists and filmmakers alongside our chosen texts. As part of our discussions in class, there will also be the opportunity to reflect on how these texts relate to current issues concerning urban space. |
| 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 sign up via MOnA and by e-mail to thomas.manson@unibas.ch. Places are limited to 25. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 21.02.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 28.02.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 07.03.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Monday 14.03.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 21.03.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 28.03.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 04.04.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 11.04.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 18.04.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Ostern |
| Monday 25.04.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 02.05.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 09.05.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 16.05.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 23.05.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Monday 30.05.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Active participation and 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 |