In this seminar we will focus on both theoretical and fictional works important to the field of postcolonial literary studies. Students will study key theoretical concepts in the field of postcolonial studies and use these concepts to analyze a series of literary works with a particular focus on novels and short stories. Students should be mindful that this is not an introduction to postcolonial studies and should have some familiarity with the field and its argumentative scope. Students should also be ready to read on average 50-100 pages a week.
Students will…
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Study how narration engages with conceptions of homeland, citizenship, subjecthood, diaspora, and exile.
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Engage key theories of postcolonial studies.
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Develop a vigilance for how the legacies of colonial violence continue to affect the articulation of the self in postcolonial literary contexts.
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Improve their literary analysis skills, critical reading, thinking, and writing skills, as well as research and oral presentation skills.
3 hours a week. Class meetings will consist of class discussion, mini-lectures, writing workshops, student-led presentations, and impromptu writing exercises and quizzes. Because we meet only once a week, attendance is mandatory. Students should organize their reading schedules carefully as high-quality class discussions depend upon completing the readings assigned each week.
100% by coursework
Participation 20% (includes attendance 10%, participation in in-class assignments which will include mini reading quizzes and group work 10%)
Theoretical Concepts Essay Exam 30%
Final Paper Presentation 20%
Final paper 30%
We will study both theoretical and fictional works. Authors we will focus on could include Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Amitav Ghosh, Edwidge Danticat, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Zadie Smith, Bernadine Evaristo, Edward Said, Robert J. C. Young, Aimé Césaire, Frantz Fanon, Assia Djebar, C. L. R. James, Sylvia Wynter, Stuart Hall, Ania Loomba, and Simon Gikandi.