Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2019 - HUM 321W J100

The Humanities and Critical Thinking (4)

Class Number: 9154

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2019: Wed, 5:30–9:20 p.m.
    Surrey

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 8, 2019
    Sun, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
    Surrey

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A study of the counter-traditions within western civilization. Compares and contrasts diverse traditions within western culture that critique its central value systems. It will focus on the attempts of great artists and thinkers to break with tradition, and the subsequent creation of new ideas and forms of experience and expression. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:


POSTCOLONIALISM AND ITS DISCONTENTS This course examines the emergence, institutionalization, and challenges presented by postcolonial studies through the reading and analysis of texts of theory, philosophy, literature, and film. The course will address the relation of postcolonial theory to areas such as critical race theory, colonial discourse analysis, Marxism, continental philosophy, historiography, globalization studies, transnational literature and cultural studies to examine the contribution of Postcolonial Thought to contemporary critique in the age of economic and cultural globalization, environmental crises, and new structures of imperialism.
 
Situated at the crossroad of different disciplines (history, literature, cultural studies, psychoanalysis, phenomenology, discourse analysis, and political thought), Postcolonialism is a theoretical field of inquiry that emerged in the late 1970s in the wake of the anti-colonial movements that led to the rise of “postcolonial” nation-states. The tension between the “humanist” root of postcolonial theory and the need for an effective critique of political economy has been highlighted by many of its critics. Yet it is precisely this tension and the debates it generated that made possible the emergence of much needed tools of enquiry for a critique of late capitalism and the relation between the so-called Industrial North and the Global South.
 

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:


1)    Demonstrate an understanding of the historical and theoretical development of the interdisciplinary field of Postcolonial Studies.
2)    Develop their own perspective regarding central questions and debates addressed by Postcolonial Studies.
3)    Develop an understanding of the relation of Postcolonial Studies to contemporary social and cultural critique.
4)    Integrate historical, literary, philosophical, aesthetic, and political analysis.
5)    Communicate their ideas and the result of their research effectively both among their peers and in a conference setting.
6)    Generate persuasive argumentation and support it through analysis of specific evidence.  

Grading

  • Attendance and class participation 10%
  • First paper (4-5 pages) 20%
  • Presentation at mini-conference 20%
  • Final research essay (8-10 pages) 25%
  • Final exam 25%

NOTES:

We will discuss theoretical articles, literature, and films in order to examine:

 
1)    the work of early anti-colonial writers such as Cabral, Fanon, Gramsci, Rosa Luxembourg, Senghor, and Biko on questions of class, work, nation, capital, and race and the intersection of theory and praxis in anti-colonial struggles;
2)    Italian Marxist Gramsci’s concept of subalternity and its usage at the hands of the South Asian Subaltern Studies Group (Guha and Chakrabarty);
3)    the work of central figures of postcolonial studies (such as Said, Shohat, Spivak, and Bhabha) and the essential contributions of critics of this field (especially Prakash, Ahmad, Dirlik, and Chatterjee) in order to examine questions about power/knowledge, representation, memory, class, sexuality, subjectivity, and social practice at the centre of their debates;
4)    the connection between postcolonial studies and indigenous studies;
5)    the work of contemporary postcolonial/global studies intellectuals addressing questions about postcolonial space, diaspora, war and environmental violence, education, and youth culture.
The course is writing intensive. At the end of the course students will present their research to a “mini-conference” to be held in conjunction with other speakers.

REQUIREMENTS:

Readings and class participation: Students are expected to attend regularly, read the assigned material before class, participate in class discussions, and post on Canvas their response to at least one of the readings in the form of questions, criticism, and arguments developed from the critical readings.

Presentation: Students will present at a “mini-conference” at the end of classes on one topic developed from the class discussions and including further research on their part. The choice of the presentation topics will be discussed with the instructor first. 

Papers: Students will write two papers discussing one of the issues discussed in class with reference to the texts read together. The final paper will be research-based.

Final exam: The final exam comprises short questions and one essay.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Franz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth. Grove Press, 2005.
ISBN: 978-0802141323

Khushwant Singh, Train to Pakistan. Grove Press, 1994.
ISBN: 978-0802132215

Gebreyesus Hailu, The Conscript: A Novel of Libya’s Anticolonial War (Modern African Writing Series). Translator Ghirmai Negash. Ohio UP, 2012.
ISBN: 978-0821420232

Yvonne Vera, Butterfly Burning. Farrar, 2000.
ISBN: 978-0374291860

Nuruddin Farah, Crossbones. Penguin, 2012.
ISBN: B00A9Z8FMQ

Additional readings by Kant, Hegel, Conrad, Gramsci, Luxembourg, Fanon, Cabral, JanMohamed, Senghor, Césaire, Said, Spivak, Stoler, Bhabha, Dirlik, Mitchell, Ahmad, Prakash, Guha, Chakrabarty, Chatterjee, Balibar, Shohat, Woodhull, Achebe, wa Thiong’o, King, Armstrong, Chambers, and Ponzanesi will be available on Canvas.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/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