Embodied Life- and Memory-Writing: 21st-Century Argentine Auto(bio)graphical Literature 3305-UZZP-01
Research questions:
a) What representation of social reality emerges from recent Argentine auto-narratives?
b) In what ways does the turn towards the body and corporeality modify autobiographical narratives, and what new elements does it introduce?
c) How do new embodied auto-narratives address issues of history and memory?
d) What social dynamics are evident within 21st-century Argentine autobiographical literature?
Research hypotheses:
a) The 21st century has seen a shift towards new, politically engaged autobiographical narratives.
b) With this political shift in autobiographical narratives, the body becomes central, giving rise to a new type of subject—one who experiences reality bodily, relationally, and through active social engagement.
c) We are witnessing a renewal of the autobiographical genre, characterised by competing trends and a gradual rejection of earlier autobiographical tendencies towards egoism, individualism, and postmodern ideas such as the end of history and ideology.
Course objectives:
a) To reconceptualise key issues in research on life-writing and memory-writing in Argentina.
b) To provide an initial overview of Argentine autobiographical literature from the past twenty years.
c) To identify its position and specific characteristics within the broader context of Argentine literature.
d) To highlight the most distinctive trends of embodied autobiography.
e) To analyse the representation of social realities and the theme of social engagement in this literature.
Some of the auto(bio)graphical texts discussed during the course may contain content that could be distressing for particularly sensitive persons (e.g. depictions of violence, coarse language, or erotic content). Prospective participants are kindly asked to take this into consideration when deciding whether to enrol in the course.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
Upon completion of the course, students will have acquired:
- a foundational understanding of contemporary Argentine culture and literature;
-knowledge of autobiographical approaches within literary studies;
-the habit of engaging with and observing current cultural processes;
-familiarity with the conventions and practices of academic discourse, particularly in the context of academic writing.
Skills:
Students will be able to:
-undertake critical analyses of cultural artefacts;
-compose abstracts and academic papers in accordance with the norms of academic writing;
-apply theoretical concepts pertinent to the study of autobiographical and autofictional discourses.
Competences:
Students will possess:
-basic competence in the construction of academic discourse (academic writing);
-basic skills in literary and critical analysis;
-basic social and cultural competences;
-basic analytical abilities.
Assessment criteria
1. An oral presentation (accompanied by a PowerPoint) prepared in accordance with the principles of constructing academic discourse as discussed in class.
2. The written completion of two reading questionnaires.
3. Active and consistent participation in classes.
Students are permitted a maximum of two unexcused absences. Should this threshold be exceeded, the student is required to contact the university teacher to determine an appropriate method for addressing the missed content. This may involve delivering an additional presentation or submitting a supplementary analysis of a set text in the form of a reading questionnaire.
Students who are absent for more than 50% of the scheduled sessions will not be eligible for classification and will receive a non-classified (NC) outcome.
Bibliography
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Additional information
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