Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2018 - FNST 462 E100

Indigenous Oral Testimony: Theory, Practice, Purpose, Community (4)

Class Number: 6466

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2018: Mon, 5:30–9:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    60 units including FNST 101 or FNST 201W and permission of the instructor.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines protocol, theory, responsibility, issues of domain (including inherent rights) involving traditional oral testimony, storytelling, oral narrative in an Aboriginal/Nation-centric canon. Compares Aboriginal canon 'oral record' to Aboriginal individual first-person accounts.

COURSE DETAILS:

   Indigenous oral narratives are among the most compelling sources of information about Indigenous peoples’ lives and outlooks, and yet even today there is a common misconception about their significance. A major lie of settler colonialism is that since Indigenous peoples didn’t write things down, their histories aren’t valid – this course will disprove and dispel this pernicious notion. As the class readings and discussions will show, Indigenous oral narratives are equally legitimate, and often more relevant, sources of knowledge when compared to textual accounts.  
   The course takes up this theme of the relationship between orality and literacy – the spoken and the written – and puts it under the microscope. What counts as a “text” and what is “speech”? How are the two connected? In what ways do oral narratives change when they are written down, or do they become fixed at that point? What is the relationship between the transcript and the interview?  
   While focusing on these central questions, the course will introduce students to ongoing scholarly conversations about Indigenous oral narratives. We will begin by discussing theory and method before proceeding to consider specific themes within the literature on Indigenous oral histories. Readings focus on Indigenous oral histories in what is now called Canada.  
   Course assignments will also relate to the themes of orality and literacy. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to The People and the Text (TPatT), an ambitious online, open-source project aiming to promote understanding of Indigenous literatures in Canada. Assignments center on transcribing and analyzing existing interviews with Indigenous authors, and final versions may be published on TPatT’s website.

Grading

  • Prep and Participation 20%
  • Seminar Facilitation 10%
  • Interview Transcript and Reflection 15%
  • Draft Essay 15%
  • Peer Review 5%
  • Final Essay 35%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache, by Keith Basso

Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples, by Gregory Younging

All other readings will be available on Canvas

Department Undergraduate Notes:

  1. Deferred grades will be given only on the basis of authenticated medical disability. 
  2. Students requiring accommodations as a result of a disability must contact the Centre for Students with Disabilities at 778-782-3112 or csdo@sfu.ca.
  3. Remember to check the Student Information System (SIS) at the start of the term to reconfirm your classroom location(s).
  4. All students are expected to read and understand SFU policies with regard to academic honesty and student conduct (S10).
    These policies are available at: http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student.html
  5. On occasion, announcements will be sent from first_nations@sfu.ca to your SFU email.


Department of First Nations Studies- Contact Info:
Webpage: www.sfu.ca/fns.
Phone: 778-782-4774
General Office: Saywell Hall (SWH) Room 9091. Burnaby Campus. (M-F, 09:00-16:30 Hrs.)
Academic Advisor's Office: SWH 9089.


For general information, program information, academic advising (appointment or program check-up; enrollment assistance*): Please email fnstmgr@sfu.ca.

* Students: When submitting a request or an inquiry, please email from your SFU Mail (@sfu.ca) email and remember to include your SFU Student ID number in your email. Thank you.


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