This course is part of HF's PhD week.
Course content
Studying texts in context is an essential part of humanistic practice and competence. But what is a text, and what is context? And how do we establish the relations between them? The present course offers insight into the major epistemological problems in the humanities, focusing on central debates surrounding history, texts, and theory the past 50 years. The course provides an overview of various definitions of and theoretical approaches to texts and context. Situating theoretical positions within the broader frame of underlying, often implicit, epistemological problems and debates, the course gives a deeper understanding of how different texts from different historical periods can be studied in relation to their social, institutional, linguistic, and rhetorical situation, their function and intent, their materiality, medium and genre, and their relation to other texts. The course is of special relevance for PhD candidates working on texts from historical perspectives.
The candidates will work on central theories from the linguistic turn, as well as concepts and perspectives such as gender, metaphor, and reception. Through critical engagement with influential theories of texts and context, the objective of the course is to broaden the PhD candidates’ theoretical perspectives, strengthen their theoretical literacy, and deepen their understanding of the relation between epistemological problems in the humanities and contemporary theory.
Curriculum
The curriculum consists of a textbook, Elizabeth A. Clark's History, Theory, Text, chapters 1 and 7-8, which discusses epistemological problems in the humanities with a special focus on historical research and historical textual sources.
In addition to Clark there is a set of articles and book chapters which give different approaches to text in history (semiotics, gender theory, book history, speech act theory, history of emotion, conceptual metaphor theory, discourse analysis and reception theory).
A list of the curriculum can be downloaded here.
This is a 1 ECTS course.
Course preparations
All participants read the select chapters in Clark’s book as well as all the theoretical classics presented at the course. Each participant chooses in addition one of the articles from the list of theoretical classics and prepares to present this and the way it relates to the issues in Clark when the group meets.
The number of texts on the reading list that will be discussed during the seminar meeting will consequently vary according to the number of participants on the course. The five top texts on the list will always be included.
The participants' choice of text must be announced well before the course week. A list where participants can choose between texts will be made available in the course's Teams room.
In class
The seminar begins with a lecture by the course holder(s) on the epistemological problems presented by Clark. The lecture will also discuss the relationship between epistemology and theory.
This introductory session is followed by seminar work. Each participant presents the chosen text and relates it to the more general issues. A general discussion follows, led by the course holder(s).
Registration
Registration opens on September 20 at noon. Priority will be given to PhDs from the Faculty of Humanities. We ask that postdocs and PhDs from other Faculties at UiO, and other applicants, wait until 1 October to register. Registration closes when the course has reached its maximum number of participants.
Course conveners
Contact persons: Line Cecilie Engh (IFIKK) and Anne Birgitte Rønning (ILOS)