Narrating Space

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Discussions of space and spatiality are no longer confined to cultural geography and urban studies but have entered a range of other disciplines, including cultural and literary studies. This seminar asks what is behind this fascination with space, how scholars conceptualize the relationship of space to time/history/memory, and how recent discourses on space pertain to the analysis of literature and film. Students will be introduced to two distinct areas of research: first to discourses on space and spatiality (often termed “Spatial Turn”) and second to narrative theories that examine the representation of space in (literary) texts. The seminar also considers the potential of literature (and film) to contribute to -- rather than just benefit from -- these ongoing debates on space. To this end, selected literary texts and films will be discussed in class. Throughout the course, students will be introduced to pertinent academic discourse and academic genres, all of which are building blocks for the concluding project. The course will enable students to make connections between a range of (trans-) disciplinary discourses on space and spatiality while keeping their main object of study (literary and cultural texts) in mind. Students will work on an independent research project and will present preliminary results to the class.