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| Semester | spring semester 2008 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Franziska Gygax (franziska.gygax@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The new field of literature and medicine that has been developing rapidly in the past few years explores interfaces between literary and cultural studies and the field of medicine. It has been acknowledged that illness narratives often provide a more encompassing rendering of a patients/writers experiences than a biological, fragmentary approach to the sick body. Personal narratives about illness not only raise questions about notions of selfhood, they equally provide insight into the cultural and social constructions of illness. In this course we will read a selection of different literary narratives of illness ranging from Audre Lordes "Cancer Journals", Paul Monettes AIDS memoir "Borrowed Time" to Philip Roths "Patrimony". Interdisciplinary approach: Three meetings (on Thursday afternoon) will be taught together with Prof. Alexander Kiss, professor of psychosomatic medicine. Together with students of medicine we will watch three films on illness and discuss how the cinematic arts can become a tool to understand the cultural and social dimensions of illness. For one of the sessions we have invited the director of the recent Swiss film "Chrigu", Jan Gassmann, who created a powerful film together with his friend Christian (Chrigu) Ziörjen. They document Chrigus life until his early death after he has been diagnosed with a terminal tumor. |
| Learning objectives | To introduce students to the genre of illness narratives and to the debate on narrative medicine. |
| Bibliography | Audre Lorde. "The Cancer Journals". Paul Monette. "Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir". Susan Sontag. "Illness as Metaphor" and "Aids and Its Metaphors" (Picador or Penguin). Philip Roth. "Patrimony". Ordered at Labyrinth. Critical texts will be available on EVA. |
| Comments | Read "Borrowed Time" and "Patrimony" before the semester starts. |
| Admission requirements | For students who have successfully completed their second-year courses in "Literature and Culture Studies". |
| Course application | Please send an e-mail to franziska.gygax@unibas.ch to register for the course. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Interphilologisches Angebot: Allgemeine Literaturwissenschaft (Bachelor's degree subject: Deutsche Philologie) Modul Allgemeine Literaturwissenschaft (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul Allgemeine Literaturwissenschaft (Master's degree subject: Modern German Literature) Modul English & American Literature (Master's degree subject: English) Modul Extending the View (Literary and Cultural Studies) (Bachelor's degree subject: Englisch) Modul Focusing on the Discipline (Literary and Cultural Studies) (Bachelor's degree subject: Englisch) Modul Kultur und Symbolische Ordnung (Master's degree subject: Gender Studies) Modul Neuere Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft I (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul Themenfelder der Geschlechterforschung (Bachelor's degree subject: Geschlechterforschung) Modul Vertiefung, Wissen, Praxis (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Vertiefungsmodul (Transfakultäre Querschnittsprogramme im freien Kreditpunkte-Bereich) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance, presentation |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Englisches Seminar |