1340.17 - Ecocriticism (BA)

1340.17

Ecocriticism (BA)

10

First 90 ECTS of BA in Faroese. Students with similar prerequisites can apply for individual course participation.

The aim of the course is: • To provide the students with knowledge of influential theories within the field of ecocriticism and give them the ability to use them in analytical examinations of literary texts. • Furthermore to make the students capable of assessing ecocriticism as a theory of literature and discussing it within the field of literary research.

Ecocriticism is a relatively new theoretical concept in literary studies. In short ecocriticism means to examine how the relations between human beings and their surroundings/nature are depicted in texts. It is possible to see ecocriticism as a result of two contemporary challenges: 1) an environmental crisis and climate change, 2) a technological development that has made the concepts “nature” and “natural” difficult to work with. In the course the students will read theories representing different approaches to ecocriticism, both from the co-called “First Wave” and the “Second Wave”, and they will learn how to apply them to literary texts.

Lectures, student presentations and class discussions. The course is class-based and offered as three hour weekly sessions.

At the end of the course the students are able to • Read theoretical texts critically • Asses and use theoretical concepts in their work with literary texts • Work with definitions and concepts within literary studies • Explain ecocritical theories and concepts • Describe the development of ecocritical theories within literary studies • Discuss different approaches to ecocriticism • Apply ecocritical theories and concepts to literary texts • Analyze literary texts ecocritically • See ecocriticism in a literary context

Oral examination, 30 min. The students will have two days preparing the answer to an assigned topic.

External

Minor changes may occur Theoretical texts Heise, Ursula K.: “Comparative Literature and the Environmental Humanities” (2015) https://stateofthediscipline.acla.org/entry/comparative-literature-and-environmental-humanities Heise, Ursula K.: Sense of Place and Sense of Planet. The Environmental Imagination of the Global (2008), pp. 3-13, 17-55 Hiltner, Ken (ed.): Ecocriticism. The Essential Reader (2015), pp. 1-2, 39-46, 120-130, 131-133, 267-277 Serres, Michel: Naturpagten (1992/1990), pp. 9-48 Klein, Naomi: This Changes Everything. Capitalism vs. The Clima (2014), pp. 1-28 Timothy Morton: Ecology without Nature. Rethinking Environmental Aesthetics (2007), pp. 1-28, 140-205 Skriveren T. og Gregersen M.: “Den materielle drejning. En (ny) optik på aktuel dansk digtning” (2015) Raffnsøe, Sverre: “Mennesket i sit naturlige landskab”. Kritik nr. 211 (2014) Literary texts Patursson, Sverre: “Lomvigin” (1921). Fuglar og fólk (1968) Ryggi, Mikkjal á: “Grind” (1949). Mikkjalsbók (1994) Brú, Heðin: “Purkhús”. Purkhús (1966) Dahl, Regin: “Dálkað rennur tú”. Eftirtorv (1981). “Havið doyr. Rekagrót (1985). Nielsen, Jóanes: “Brent myrkur”. Tey eru, sum taka mánalýsi í álvara (2007). Frostenson, Katarina: excerpt from Flodtid (2011) og Sånger och formler (2015) Börjel, Ida: excerpt from Ma (2014) Nielsen, Peter: excerpt from Livet foreslår (2003) og Feltstudier (2013) Ørntoft, Theis: excerpt from Digte 2014 (2014) Lindholm, Victor Boy: excerpt from Guld (2014) Brú, Heðin: Feðgar á ferð (1940) – literary work Christensen, Inger: Det (1969) – literary work Faldbakken, Knut: Uår (1976) - literary work Weitze, Charlotte: Den afskyelige (2016) - literary work

Bergur Djurhuus Hansen