Summer Term 2007

Prof. Martina Ghosh-Schellhorn:
VL: Transcultural Worlds: Britain and India
Wed 11–13
Room: Build. C 5.3, U 13

Tutorial: Nadine Lauer
Wed 13-14
Room: Build. C 3.1, 1.02

"Of all achievements of the British genius the creation of the British Empire of India is the most spectacular … " it was claimed by one of its senior officials shortly before the Empire in question was handed over to a newly-divided India in 1947.
This lecture series will trace the vicissitude of this Empire over two centuries. It will concurrently examine the dealings between the colonisers and their subjects – as documented in the cultural products of both the Indians and the British during this outstanding period in the history of both countries.
In our chronological look at these transcultural worlds, our main focus will be on questions of representation, of self and other stereotyping, and of cultural translation as found in a selection of illustrative cases in point.
The mandatory tutorial is designed to augment comprehension of the topics and texts presented in the lecture. For further information and text details please consult the Course Folder in the Dept. Library well in advance of the first session.

Participation: Regular attendance of both lecture series and tutorial; active participation in the tutorial; end of term written test.

Tutorial: check the notice-board and Current Courses

Prof. Martina Ghosh-Schellhorn:
HS: Historical Imaginings: The 1857 Sepoy Rebellion and its Representation(s)
Thu 10–12
Room: Build.. C 5.3, 120

Tutorial: Sabine Jung
Thu 12-13
Room: Build. C 5.3, 120

In 1857 a series of events were to change the nature of British Rule in India. Known as the Sepoy Mutiny to the British, the rising of the Indian sepoys against their British officers, notably in May 1857 led to a wide-spread rebellion which was quelled only a year later. While the rebels were drastically punished, the uprising nonetheless lead to the dissolution of the East India Company and the transference of power over India to the British Crown.
How has this momentous period of history been presented in the British media of the time, in visual art and literature produced in Britain? From an Indian perspective, by contrast, what has 1857 come to mean? What kind of counter-narratives have been produced in India?
For text details please consult the Course Folder in the Dept. Library well in advance of the first session.

Participation: Regular attendance of both the seminar sessions and the tutorial; oral presentation, term paper (15-20 pages in MLA format).
Tutorial: check the notice-board and Current Courses for details.

Prof. Martina Ghosh-Schellhorn:
HS: Travelling to Shangri-La
Thu 14–16
Room: Build. C 5.3, 120

Tibet, until very recently, was possibly one of the last places in the world which lay outside the globetrotter's orbit. This remote kingdom has throughout exerted a strange fascination on travellers, and it is with the intrepid Alexandra David Neel's account of her becoming the first European woman to enter the forbidden city of Lhasa in 1923 (My Journey to Lhasa, Virago reprint, 1986) that this seminar will commence.
58 years later, another unlikely and equally enterprising traveller, in the person of the writer Vikram Seth, journeyed through Sinkiang and Tibet, and left us an account of his adventure entitled From Heaven Lake (Chatto and Windus, 1983). Just a few years later, Inside the Treasure House (Abacus, 1990) was published, in which Catriona Bass recorded her eighteen month long experiences as a traveller in Tibet. In reading these three texts we shall be exploring the ways in which writers from different cultures have chosen to present themselves in relation to a little-known culture such as the Tibetan in their accounts.

Participation: Regular attendance of both the seminar sessions and the tutorial; oral presentation, term paper (15-20 pages in MLA format).
Tutorial: check the notice-board and Current Courses for details.

Prof. Martina Ghosh-Schellhorn:
Kolloquium: Studying TAS
Wed 15:45-17:15
Room: Build. C 5.3, Room 119

All students intending to take any part of their final examinations in TAS are strongly advised to attend this colloquium. It provides a forum for the treatment of issues relevant to

a) preparation for the oral and written examinations
b) to academic work in progress (e.g. the writing of M.A. theses/ Staatsarbeiten)
c) application of TAS theories to selected texts
d) ongoing analysis of contemporary critical issues in this field of study.

Please sign up for the colloquium by sending an e-mail no later than 10 April 2007 to m.ghosh(at)mx.uni-saarland.de

Dr. Katrin Berndt:
PS: Nigerian Writing - Poetry and Prose

Dieser Kurs kann leider nicht stattfinden.

Dr. Soenke Zehle:
The 'Real' South Africa
Tue 11-13
Room 1.01 (CIP-Pool)

Hailed as the long-awaited conclusion of the twentieth-century process of decolonization, the 'miracle' of a peaceful defeat of the Apartheid regime raised hopes of an African Renaissance lead by the newly-liberated 'rainbow nation' (Desmond Tutu). More than a sobering decade later, South Africa continues to struggle with the legacy of Apartheid in almost all areas of its cultural, economic, and political life. Drawing on a wide range of authors and materials, the course explores some of the controversies that have characterized the ongoing process of national self-examination. A sequel to 'The Art of Reportage', this introductory seminar will focus on questions of documentarism/realism in relation to the representation and re-examination of (political) violence. Novels to be purchased will be available in the campus bookstore at the beginning of the term.
More info on readings & requirements at the Transcultural Media Studies website.