Aviation disasters as shown in contemporary literature and film 3302-KLLiF-OG

Drawing on Susan Sontag’s renowned essay “Regarding the Pain of Others”, this course will explore why catastrophes exert such a fascination over contemporary audiences of cultural products and mass media. We will examine a selection of texts and films that feature the motif of an airplane crash, with a particular focus on literature from German-speaking countries.

Course coordinators

Ewa Wojno-Owczarska

Type of course

general courses

Mode

Remote learning

Prerequisites (description)

As François Walter argues, when confronted with a catastrophe, people always reveal their true selves. The aim of the course is to analyze selected literary works and films that depict the causes or consequences of aviation disasters against the backdrop of selected philosophical writings.

Learning outcomes

- Students are able to analyse and to compare literary texts and films.
- They know examples of texts and films which focus on catastrophic discourses.
- They are able to use the methods of comparative studies.
- They know the main theoretical works in such fields as aesthetics, intermediality and the history of literature.

Assessment criteria

1) regular participation every second week (google classroom)
2) online exercises - every second week (google classroom)
2) submitting am essay or review (evaluated, google classroom).

Bibliography

Bielecka, Marta Anna: Katastrofy transportowe. Bielsko-Biała 2014.
Crichton, Michael: Norton N22. Warszawa 1997.
DeLillo, Don: Spadając. Warszawa 2009.
Lehr, Thomas: September. Fata Morgana. München 2010.
Frisch, Max: Homo Faber. Warszawa 1993.
Golding, William: Władca much. Poznań 2023.
Martin, Charles: Pomiędzy nami góry. Warszawa 2017.
Peltzer, Ulrich: Bryant Park. Zürich 2002.
Röggla, Kathrin: fake reports. In: Uwe B. Carstensen (ed.): Theater, Theater (3). Frankfurt am Main 2003, 387-434.
Röggla, Kathrin: really ground zero. Frankfurt am Main 2001.
Schirach, Ferdinand von: Terror. Warszawa 2016.
Sontag, Susan: Widok cudzego cierpienia. Kraków 2023.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes: