Veranstaltungsdetails - S (Un)Making Humans in Modern Fiction
| Fakultät III - Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaften |
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| Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik |
| Wintersemester 2014/2015 |
| S (Un)Making Humans in Modern Fiction | |
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| Zeit: | Do. 10:00 - 12:00 (wöchentlich) - MM |
| Veranstaltungsnummer: | 3.02.580 |
| Studienbereiche: | Fakultät III - Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaften > Altes Veranstaltungsverzeichnis, gültig bis Wintersemester 2016/2017 > Master of Education (Wirtschaftspädagogik) > Englisch > Mastermodule > ang981 The Canon and the Margins Fakultät III - Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaften > Altes Veranstaltungsverzeichnis, gültig bis Wintersemester 2016/2017 > Master of Education (Gymnasium) > Englisch > Mastermodule > ang982 The Canon and the Margins Fakultät III - Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaften > Altes Veranstaltungsverzeichnis, gültig bis Wintersemester 2016/2017 > Master > English Studies > Mastermodule > ang983 The Canon and the Margins |
| Heimat-Einrichtung: | Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik |
| Typ der Veranstaltung: | Seminar in der Kategorie Lehre |
| Beschreibung: | Will the genetic modification of humans enable society to produce better, healthier and happier humans in the future? Or will it dehumanise both individuals and society? These questions are not new but they remain controversial. Our seminar will be centred around two fictional texts which have addressed this issue: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) and Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake (2003). The first of these novels is arguably the classic dystopia of the state-regulated production of humans, set in the distant future. The second one offers an equally dystopian vision of a near future in which the large-scale genetic manipulation resulting from an all but complete subordination of scientific research to financial interests leads to the collapse of a society and the emergence of a set of genetically modified (post-)human beings. Our course will combine textual analysis of these novels with a critical discussion of relevant theoretical and generic concepts (such as ‘dystopia’ and ‘posthumanism’). Towards the end of the semester, we will widen the scope of analysis by including comparisons to treatments of this topic in film (Gattaca, 1996). Our course work will be arranged in two main sections. We will begin with a practical part that prepares students for the critical discussion of the texts and the issues they raise. In this part, we will recapitulate the relevant analytical tools from the introductory module (please revisit these as part of your preparation) and undertake a structural and thematic analysis of the novels. The second half of the semester will consist of student-led critical discussion that will include important secondary literature and work with the results, insights and questions reached in the first part. The elements of active participation and seminar programme will be proposed for discussion in the first meeting. The form of Prüfungsleistung will be „Referat mit Ausarbeitung“ of about 10-15 pages (plus an additional project for English Studies Master students). [In addition, there are plans to accompany this course with an optional ‘mini-seminar’ on “Teaching Literature and Science” (scheduled for mid-November) intended to offer the opportunity to reflect on the didactical aspects of teaching literary texts with science-related topics. This ‘mini-seminar’ is in no way a requirement for completing this module. However, students who choose to attend and complete this workshop will receive a corresponding reduction in workload for the ‘main course’. No advance registration required.] Please purchase and read our two main texts in advance: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932), Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake (2003), any edition. |
| Ort: | A10 1-121a |
| Lehrende: | Prof. Dr. Anton Kirchhofer Dr. Natalie Roxburgh |
