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| Semester | fall semester 2023 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Tamara Dima Imboden (tamaradima.imboden@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Cities are spaces of constant tension, constituted not solely by their architectural blueprints and physical sites, but also by the lives within them and individual inhabitants’ histories. This tension has long compelled literary scholars, as fictional cities are depicted in terms of technological advancement, wealth and opportunity, while simultaneously signifying danger, extreme poverty, and a lack of agency in the face of industrial development. How is this image complicated further by our everchanging urban landscape? Colonization, decolonization, globalization and migration have had a tremendous impact on both the shape of our cities and how we read them. This proseminar explores the concept of the ‘postcolonial city’ across a range of novels, short stories and other media. The course questions whether it is possible to maintain a monolithic image of a ‘postcolonial city,’ or whether we need to expand our definitions to encompass the vast variety of today’s urban spaces. Moreover, it explores the lingering effects of colonialism both in the so-called ‘postcolonial world’ and in the ‘West.’ In this way, we will question not only what might ‘conventionally’ be considered a postcolonial city, but also the ways in which we need to interrogate cities like New York or London as postcolonial. By the end of the course, students will have gained insight into theoretical approaches to studying the city in literature, postcolonial theory more generally, and a nuanced understanding of postcolonial cities’ fluctuating, complex and diverse representations. |
| Learning objectives | - By the end of the course, students will have a broad understanding of how literary texts conceptualize and complicate the notion of the ‘postcolonial city.’ - Students will have attained insight into Postcolonial Studies and will have acquired a toolbox of theoretical and methodological approaches to studying cities in literature. |
| Bibliography | Students should acquire and read the following novels before the start of term (more precise details on when the novels will be discussed will be uploaded later in the summer): Lagoon - Nnedi Okorafor (2014) How to Loiter in a Turf War - Coco Solid (2022) Coco Solid's novel may be difficult to acquire: please contact the instructor if you wish to attain a digital copy. All other reading material will be made available on ADAM. |
| Comments | Please acquire and read the following novels: Lagoon - Nnedi Okorafor (2014) How to Loiter in a Turf War - Coco Solid (2022) Coco Solid's novel may be difficult to acquire: please contact the instructor if you wish to attain a digital copy. More details regarding primary texts will be uploaded in August. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | It is strongly recommended that this course is taken only after the successful completion of the "Introduction I + II: Literary Studies" proseminars. |
| Course application | Please register by sending an email to tamaradima.imboden@unibas.ch by 10 September. Places are limited to 25 and will be distributed on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 18.09.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 25.09.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 02.10.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 09.10.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 16.10.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Tuesday 17.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 212 |
| Monday 23.10.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 30.10.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 06.11.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 13.11.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 20.11.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 27.11.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 04.12.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 11.12.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Monday 18.12.2023 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 104 |
| Modules |
Modul: Introduction to Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance, active participation and one written assignment (a detailed outline of an argument). |
| 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 |