Back
| Semester | fall semester 2020 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Johannes Fehrle (johannes.fehrle@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In this course we will look at the rich history of black women's writing in the U.S. We will discuss both fictional and non-fictional texts that highlight the special situation under which Black women have lived and worked in the U.S. We will start with Sojourner Truth's classic 19th century speech in Akron, Ohio, and follow the development of black feminist thought from slavery to its post-Civil Rights interventions into re-making (white middle class) feminism into an intersection mode of societal critique. To add to the theoretical pieces, we will be discussing texts by important African American writers such as Zora Neal Hurston, Toni Morrison, and Ntozake Shange. Trigger Warning: Be advised that the texts we will discuss include discussions and depictions of racism (in both content and language), violence, trauma, rape, spousal and child abuse, and other sensitive matters. If you do not wish to engage with such topics in class, please take a different course, opting out on a text to text basis is not possible. |
| Learning objectives | In this course you will gain an insight into the development and central positions of Black feminism as a radical school of thought. You will also read and discuss a small number of foundational works by African American women writers. During the course you will practice interpreting fictional texts, as well as understanding, reproducing and engaging with the arguments of non-fictional texts and trying to apply this to individual experiences and U.S. society in history and in the present. |
| Bibliography | Please buy a copy of: - Zora Neale Hurston. "Their Eyes Were Watching God". - Toni Morrison. "The Bluest Eye". - Ntozake Shange. "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf". All other texts will be made available on ADAM. |
| Comments | As noted above, be advised once more that the texts we will discuss include discussions and depictions of racism (in both content and language), violence, trauma, rape, spousal and child abuse, and other sensitive matters. If you do not wish to engage with such topics in class, please take a different course, opting out on a text to text basis is not possible. The course will be taught in a mix of face to face and remote teaching. Please contact me a.s.a.p. if you cannot physically attend the course regularly for logistic or health reasons. ________________________________ Lehrveranstaltung mit Maskentragpflicht ________________________________ |
| 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 sign up via MOnA and by e-mail to johannes.fehrle@unibas.ch. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Introduction to Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Themenfelder der Geschlechterforschung (Bachelor's degree subject: Gender Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Miss and/or be unprepared for no more than two sessions. You will be asked to take over a short presentation on backgrounds of the texts discussed (Who were the authors? Which position did they write out of? What are the events they address in the text?). You can write a Proseminar paper after completing this course, if you want. If you need the grade for the following spring semester, the deadline for submission is January 1, 2021, otherwise the deadline is more flexible. |
| 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 |