New theories in literary studies 15-NTWL-11

The aim of the course is to introduce students to new directions of literary studies. The emphasis is placed upon the interdisciplinary character of literary theory. The problems discussed in the course include the paradigm shift brought about by the rise of cultural studies, the importance of cultural literacy in modern society, the growing interest in the history of mediation as a discipline which helps to account for the transformations of social, cultural and literary life. The core of the course is the History of the Book, an area of studies which combines diverse methodologies, such as media studies, bibliology, textual crtiticism, law, economy, psychology, or sociology, employed to explore the influence of books, in their many shapes and forms, on social, cultural and intellectual life and their embedment in social, economic, political and legal reality. The study of the variegated contexts of book production, circulation and reception in successive periods of human communication: oral, script, print and digital age provides an opportunity to introduce other new disciplines, such as thing theory, posthumanism or digital humanities, which contribute to the understanding of the complex relationships between texts and the modern world. The course includes 30 hours of lectures. Students are required to write an in-class critical essay at the end of the course.