Summer 2017 - ENGL 226 E100
STT-Indigenous Writing: Neglected Now Celebrated (Inactive) (3)
Class Number: 6097
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
May 8 – Jun 19, 2017: Mon, 5:30–8:20 p.m.
VancouverMay 8 – Jun 19, 2017: Wed, 5:30–7:20 p.m.
Vancouver
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Instructor:
Deanna Reder
dhr@sfu.ca
1 778 782-8192
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Instructor:
Sophie McCall
smccall@sfu.ca
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Explore how the nationalist canon of English Canadian settler literature obscured Indigenous people as “real inhabitants of the land” as Margaret Atwood noted in Survival, her influential book. This course celebrates National Aboriginal Day on June 21, 2017 by collecting and studying one of the most neglected—and significant-- literary archives in English Canada. Learn why indigenous literature matters and its promise for Canada’s future from path-breaking indigenous writers directly. Students with credit for FNST 226 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.
COURSE DETAILS:
Indigenous Writing since 1867: Once Neglected Now Celebrated will collect and study one of the most neglected literary archives in English Canada. Part of the reason why this archive has been ignored is because settlers used literature to consolidate a narrative of Canada that prioritized British-descended writers, resulting in university curricula that featured British and American canonical works. The 1960s produced a Canadian nationalist canon that Margaret Atwood noted, in her influential book, Survival, obscured Indigenous people as "real inhabitants of a land" (105). Although Atwood correctly identifies a persistent bias against Indigenous peoples as the first peoples of this land, it was not for another thirty years that Indigenous writers could readily find publishing opportunities. This course demonstrates that in spite of significant barriers, Indigenous people continued writing and circulating their literary works throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Particularly since the 1990s, as a result of Indigenous people’s loud and persistent collective action against the prejudices in the publishing world, their work has become increasingly visible, recognized and valued in the university and beyond. It is only recently that scholars and writers, such as The People and The Text Project, are systematically gathering the extraordinary archive of Indigenous writing of the past 150 years.
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
- To learn why Indigenous literature matters and its promise for Canada’s future from path-breaking Indigenous writers directly.
- To explore one of the most overlooked literary archives in English Canada.
- To challenge the students to re-imagine the history of this land from a diverse range of Indigenous perspectives.
Grading
- Participation 10%
- Critical Analysis Exercise 1 25%
- Critical Analysis Exercise 2 25%
- Report on Community Event 10%
- Take Home Exam 30%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Anahareo, Devil in Deerskins
ISBN: 978-0887557651
Maria Campbell, Halfbreed
ISBN: 978-0887801167
Eden Robinson, Son of a Trickster
ISBN: 978-0345810786
Sean A. Tinsley & Rachel A. Qitsualik, Ajjiit: Dark Dreams of the Ancient Arctic (Inhabit media)
ISBN: 978-1926569307
Department Undergraduate Notes:
IMPORTANT NOTE Re 300 and 400 level courses: 75% of spaces in 300 level English courses, and 100% of spaces in 400 level English courses, are reserved for declared English Major, Minor, Extended Minor, Joint Major, and Honours students only, until open enrollment begins.
For all On-Campus Courses, please note the following:
- To receive credit for the course, students must complete all requirements.
- Tutorials/Seminars WILL be held the first week of classes.
- When choosing your schedule, remember to check "Show lab/tutorial sections" to see all Lecture/Seminar/Tutorial times required.
Registrar Notes:
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS