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| Semester | fall semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Christiane Schlote (christiane.schlote@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In his well-known essay 'Writing American Fiction' (1961), Philip Roth expresses his envy of the power of American reality which outdoes any writer's "meagre imagination" almost daily. More than fifty years later and in view of a globalised and increasingly complex information society public desire for 'authenticity' and factuality has grown evermore and cultural representations are successfully marked (and marketed) by their documentary aesthetics, as can be witnessed in a variety of documentary films, factual TV and docu-fiction. In this lecture, we will approach the frequently invoked 'documentary turn' and the increasingly blurred boundaries between fact and fiction on two levels: on the one hand, we will problematise traditional notions of the fiction/nonfiction divide, authorial intention and conventional concepts of 'authenticity', 'reality' and the politics of representation. On the other hand, we will discuss the role of the documentary in representations (literature, theatre/drama, visual arts, etc.) in postcolonial, transnational and diasporic contexts. This includes phenomena such as literary hoaxes, mockumentaries and parody journalism and hybrid genres in postcolonial creative non-fiction (e.g., life writing, testimonio, travel writing, memoirs, etc.). Texts will include works by Truman Capote, Nelson Mandela, Rigoberta Menchú, Barack Obama and Anna Deavere Smith. |
| Learning objectives | This lecture introduces students to documentary genres and media and reexamines discourses of subjectivity, fictionality and authenticity in postcolonial, transnational and diasporic texts and contexts. |
| Bibliography | Theoretical and primary texts will be made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | None |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 18.09.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 25.09.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 02.10.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 09.10.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 16.10.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 23.10.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 30.10.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 06.11.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 13.11.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 20.11.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 27.11.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 04.12.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 11.12.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| Wednesday 18.12.2024 | 14.15-16.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 118 |
| 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: Gesellschaft in Osteuropa (Bachelor's degree program: Eastern European Studies) Modul: Gesellschaft in Osteuropa (Bachelor's degree subject: Eastern European Cultures) 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: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) 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 MA (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) 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: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul: Introduction to Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Literatur im Zusammenspiel der Künste und Medien (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Module: Fields: Knowledge Production and Transfer (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Fields: Media and Imagination (Master's degree program: African Studies) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Regular and active participation, reading assignments, one written assignment (1,000-1,500 words) |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| 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 |