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72933-01 - Seminar: Satires of Science (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Justin Begley (justin.begley@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Since the early modern period, literary writers have played a pivotal role in facilitating the acceptance and denial of specific scientific ideas and burgeoning scientific consensuses. Beginning in the early seventeenth century and moving through to the late twentieth, this course will grapple with a range of fictional critiques of scientific ambitions and outcomes. It will ask whether scientific satires tended to further or stymie scientific development; whether they have more often been produced by (institutional) outsiders including women; what depth of knowledge literary writers have typically required to critique scientific discourses; and whether literary writers have more often aimed their criticisms at individual scientists (and their particular theories), scientific methodologies, or the scientific mindset. The course will focus on eight significant texts that grapple with the promises and darker implications of scientific knowledge-making and innovation: Ben Jonson’s "The Alchemist" (1610), Margaret Cavendish’s "The Blazing World" (1666), Jonathan Swift’s "Gulliver’s Travels" (1726), John Hill’s "Lucina sine concubitu: A Letter Addressed to the Royal Society" (1750), Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein" (1818), Samuel Butler’s "Erewhon: or, Over the Range" (1872), Edith Wharton’s 'The Descent of Man' (1919), and Kurt Vonnegut’s "Cat’s Cradle" (1963). It will cover topics including the ethics of vivisection, the viability of artificial reproduction and life extension, controversies surrounding evolution by natural selection, and the potential and threats of robots and AI, while asking what has made particular environments ripe for the production of scientific satires. |
| Learning objectives | Students will learn about the genre of satire and its subgenres, along with their shifting uses in forms such as plays, novels, and short stories. They will gain an understanding of the historical interplay between literary and scientific discourses. Students will also learn to situate literary works in their cultural and social contexts, while acquiring the ability to link the ideas in texts from different periods. |
| Bibliography | Ben Jonson, "The Alchemist" (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016). Jonathan Swift, "Gulliver’s Travels" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020) Mary Shelley, "Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus: The 1818 Text" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020) Samuel Butler, "Erewhon" (Penguin Classics, 2006) Kurt Vonnegut’s "Cat’s Cradle" (Penguin Classics, 2020) |
| Comments | Maximum of 25 students. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | This seminar is for BA students on the advanced level who have completed ALL three introductory modules (including the proseminar papers). |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 16.09.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 23.09.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 30.09.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 07.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 14.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 21.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 28.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 04.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 11.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 18.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 25.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 02.12.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 09.12.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Monday 16.12.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Students will be assessed on the basis of active participation and one written assignment near the end of the term. |
| 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 |