851-0365-02L  Introduction to English Literature: Science and Fiction Part II

SemesterSpring Semester 2016
LecturersA. Brand-Kilcher
Periodicityyearly recurring course
Language of instructionEnglish


AbstractWho are we? Why are we here? Both science and literature alike are often motivated by a deep desire to answer life's big questions. We will look at differences and similarities in approach, methods and output in search for answers.
ObjectiveFind out more about shared ground between sciences and humanities and how that relationship changed over the last three centuries.
Develop a critical awareness about concepts such as a neat distinction between dry objectivity and emotional subjectivity which breaks down when the human identity of scientists is considered.
ContentWhat will save us in the end: surgery or poetry? That is one of the questions posed in Ian McEwan's novel "Saturday". Mc Ewan's novel and other texts and essays will be read and discussed.
Today there is not one scientific style anymore but rather a multiplicity of scientific genres. You can bring your own scientific text to class in order to analyze, discuss and possibly improve it.
LiteratureRecommended reading: Ian Mc Ewan: Saturday (2005);
Charlotte Sleigh: Literature and Science (2011).