851-0082-00L  Literature and the Knowledge of the Social

SemesterAutumn Semester 2021
LecturersA. Alon
Periodicitynon-recurring course
Language of instructionGerman



Courses

NumberTitleHoursLecturers
851-0082-00 GLiteratur und das Wissen vom Sozialen
Online-Veranstaltung: Diese Lehrveranstaltung findet grundsätzlich online statt. Die reservierten Räume bleiben für die Studierenden auf dem Campus bestehen, um die Lehrveranstaltung dort zu hören.
2 hrs
Thu18:15-20:00IFW A 32.1 »
A. Alon

Catalogue data

AbstractThe course shows to what extent "literature" from the 19th to the 21st century and the - often empirical - sciences of the social are mutually dependent. It is based on theoretical social science texts as well as literary genres that are used to model knowledge, primarily crime novels and spy novels, but also travelogues and city novels or genres such as the social science survey.
Learning objectiveOverview of of social science in its connection to literature from the 1830s to the present day
Overview of popular literary genres that are relevant for social science
Reflecting and historicising the question of the epistemic status of literature and the aestheticization of knowledge.
Reflecting and historicising the question of the relevance of literature for the humanities and natural sciences
Reflection of knowledge production and methods
ContentAt the beginning of the 19th century, the social sciences established themselves and oriented themselves towards the natural sciences and mathematics, their knowledge models and research methods in order to produce empirically proven knowledge of the social. Terms such as 'social physics' (Auguste Comte) or 'mass psychology' bear witness to this. Conspicuously, in the course of this "scientization of the social" (Lutz Raphael), reference is often made to literature, which is recognized as an essential instrument of social science practice. E.g., in the debate on the so-called social question at the beginning of the 19th century, literature is employed to make the discourse on poverty more scientific by making individual fates which are unrepresentable by statistics the object of theory formation. Thus Karl Marx refers to Eugène Sue's 'The Secrets of Paris' in his interpretation of the social.
The relevance of literature for the production of knowledge of the social has recently been demonstrated by the sociologist Luc Boltanski in his monograph "Mysteries & Conspiracies. Detective Stories, Spy Novels and the Making of Modern Societies" (2012) which showed how the way in which crime and spy novels problematize reality has shaped the historical development of the humanities and social sciences.
The course is based on the assumption that this combination of literature and the social sciences has always made statements about the premises of the differentiation of literature and science, of the humanities and the natural sciences and their different practices and research goals (keyword: "Science in Perspective"). The integration of literature in the production of knowledge of the social is relevant to the question of the conditions of possibility of a scientifically secured knowledge of the social for several reasons: It permits, firstly, the question of the extent to which the humanities have shaped the supposedly scientific-mathematically oriented social sciences in questions of methodology, epistemic interest and theory formation of knowledge of the social. This question has remained recognizable until presently, in projects such as SHAPE-ID, which is domiciled at the ETH and other European Universities and is dedicated to the integration of the arts as well as the historical and social sciences in trans- and interdisciplinary research, with the purpose tackling societal challenges. It has, secondly, become aesthetically productive and has led to the genesis of new poetic means that, on the one hand, reflect the specifics of social science knowledge production by literary means, but, on the other, claim to produce evaluable data on the social. Examples of this are primarily crime and spy novels, but also travelogues and urban novels or genres such as the social science survey, which share with the natural sciences methods of sampling, observation, documentation and experimentation.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesfostered
Techniques and Technologiesfostered
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesfostered
Media and Digital Technologiesfostered
Social CompetenciesCommunicationfostered
Sensitivity to Diversityfostered
Negotiationfostered
Personal CompetenciesAdaptability and Flexibilityfostered
Creative Thinkingfostered
Critical Thinkingfostered

Performance assessment

Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again)
Performance assessment as a semester course
ECTS credits3 credits
ExaminersA. Alon
Typegraded semester performance
Language of examinationGerman
RepetitionRepetition possible without re-enrolling for the course unit.

Learning materials

No public learning materials available.
Only public learning materials are listed.

Groups

No information on groups available.

Restrictions

Places70 at the most
Waiting listuntil 03.10.2021

Offered in

ProgrammeSectionType
History and Philosophy of Knowledge MasterLectures and ExercisesWInformation
GESS Science in PerspectiveLiteratureWInformation