LFU:online

- knowing different dimensions of the trauma-concept (medical, psychological, literary, memorial)
- being able to describe the impact of trauma on subjectivity
- being able to describe the recent development of Trauma Studies (especially in postcolonial contexts)
- being able to apply appropriate analytical tools on fictional accounts dealing with the topic

"The past is not dead, it's not even past." Especially individual and collective trauma - a recurring component of recent medical, cultural and literary discourses, illustrates this quote of William Faulkner.

In a first, theorectical part, different dimensions of the trauma concept (symptoms & cure; the impact on indivual and collective memory, the role of fiction, etc.) will be discussed.

In a second step, novels dealing with this topic will be analyized.

Student’s presentation; text analysis and discussion; group work, entries in the 'journal de lecture', written term paper

Criteria of evaluation: (1) Readings (theoretical and literary texts). (2) Regular and active participation. (3) Presentation. (4) entries in the 'journal de lecture' (5) Written term paper.

Liste de lecture (sous réserve)

- Voltaire, Poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne 
- Nancy Huston, L'empreinte de l'ange
- Marie-Célie Agnant, Le livre d'Emma
- Laurent Mauvignier, Autour du monde
- Jean Echenoz, 14
- Sabine Huynh, La mer et l'enfant

Due to substantial differences in the allocation of ECTS-Credits in various curricula (teacher training programs/specialized degree programs), the requirements for this course vary. Information will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course.