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| Semester | fall semester 2023 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Ina Habermann (ina.habermann@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | - Suppose as a last ditch, we gathered empty-handed at the town’s edge and called each bird by name, might we yet prevail upon wren, water rail, tiny anointed goldcrest to remain within our sentience in this, the only world? (Kathleen Jamie, “Flight of Birds”) Climate change and the destruction of the environment is one of the greatest challenges of our time, now often called the ‘Anthropocene’. While ecocriticism debates the cultural and political implications of this challenge, various forms of literature, such as nature writing and ecopoetry, explore the ethical and aesthetic dimensions of human beings’ place in the world, our impact on the natural environment, and our relationship with other forms of life. This course focusses on ecopoetry and nature writing supplemented by ecotheory and is designed to facilitate research in a vibrant and fascinating field that is also of special interest to many people beyond the academy. Ecological writing is a buoyant phenomenon that looks back to Romanticism as a response to the industrial revolution, even as it tries to come to terms with the present and help shape and imagine the future. While we will include some American contemporary poetry, the emphasis will be on British literature. |
| Learning objectives | Students will engage with nature writing and ecopoetry as a vibrant field that responds imaginatively to environmental challenges of our time. They will learn about the state of the art in ecocriticism and develop their skills in the close reading of poetry. |
| Bibliography | Texts to be purchased: Alice Oswald, "Dart" (2002) Kathleen Jamie, "The Tree House" (2004) Kathleen Jamie, "Findings" (2005) Ranapiri, Essa et al., "No Other Place to Stand: An Anthology of Climate Change Poetry from Aotearoa New Zealand" (2022) Matthew Kelly, "The Women Who Saved the English Countryside" (2022) A wide selection of further reading materials will be available on the ADAM server. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is for MA students. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 19.09.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 26.09.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 03.10.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 10.10.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 17.10.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 24.10.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 31.10.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 07.11.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 14.11.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 21.11.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 28.11.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 05.12.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 12.12.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Tuesday 19.12.2023 | 10.15-12.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Modules |
Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Research in Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance, active participation, 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 |