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| Semester | spring semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Ridvan Askin (ridvan.askin@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Claudia Rankine is one of the most important voices of twenty-first-century US poetry. Her multiple awards-winning work explores the complex interrelations of race, gender, class, individual and collective identity, memory, language, corporeality, and the social repercussions of in/visibility as they permeate contemporary American everyday life. Genre-bending and intermedial—oscillating between the lyric and the essayistic, the poetic text is interwoven with photographs, reproductions of artworks, and other visuals—her work is nevertheless highly accessible. We will read three of her volumes in their entirety: "Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric" (2004), "Citizen: An American Lyric" (2014), and "Just Us: An American Conversation" (2020). To do so, the course adopts a two-part scheme: The first part will be devoted to close reading the three volumes. The second part will consist of the discussion of critical material on or related to Rankine’s poetry. While the first part will be teacher led, the second part will be run by students. Collaborating in small groups, students will be responsible for selecting appropriate critical material according to their own interests. They will then lead the respective session based on the material they have selected. |
| Learning objectives | Students taking this course will become intimately acquainted with the poetry of one of the foremost poetic voices of the twenty-first-century US; they will refine their skills in the analysis of poetry; they will hone their research skills; and they will practice how to design, prepare, and lead a teaching session. |
| Bibliography | Please purchase the following volumes of poetry: • Claudia Rankine, "Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric" (2004) • Claudia Rankine, "Citizen: An American Lyric" (2014) • Caludia Rankine, "Just Us: An American Conversation" (2020) Both the original US editions by Graywolf Press and the slightly cheaper Penguin editions are fine. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This course is open to MA students and BA students on the seminar level. BA students of English must have passed all three introductory modules. |
| Course application | To register for this course, please email Ridvan Askin at ridvan.askin@unibas.ch. Note that the course can accommodate a maximum of 20 students. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Comments | Please note that this course ends already in mid-May, with two double sessions on May 2 and May 16, respectively. |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 29.02.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Thursday 07.03.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Thursday 14.03.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Thursday 21.03.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Thursday 28.03.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Ostern |
| Thursday 04.04.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Thursday 11.04.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Thursday 18.04.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Thursday 25.04.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Thursday 02.05.2024 | 14.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Thursday 09.05.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Auffahrt |
| Thursday 16.05.2024 | 14.15-18.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology (Start of studies before 01.08.2022)) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology (Start of studies before 01.08.2022)) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Literatur im Zusammenspiel der Künste und Medien (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance; active participation (doing ALL the readings and contributing to in-class discussions); preparing and leading one session (group work) |
| 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 | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |