Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2020 - WL 304 D100

Exile and Migration (4)

Class Number: 8812

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2020: Tue, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Azadeh Yamini-Hamedani
    aya23@sfu.ca
    1 778 782-8761

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Explores the culture of peoples and individuals displaced by force or migrating by choice. May focus on the literary cultures of exiles and emigres or on the depiction of refugees, immigrants or exiles. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:


“For a man who no longer has a homeland, writing becomes a place to live” - Adorno.

With the passage of every minute twenty more people are forced to leave their home as a result of imminent conflict or persecution, according to the latest figures of the UN Refugee Agency. These figures are in addition to the already 65 million people forcibly displaced in the world today. With political conflicts, environmental disasters, and limited natural and economic resources brewing around the globe, exile and migration continue to be part of our foreseeable future.  

Considering that some of the most significant figures in world literature experienced exile (i.e. Aristotle, Ovid, Dante, Voltaire, Nabokov, Darwish etc.), and that some of the most fascinating works of world literature were composed in exile, what is it that we can learn from writers who ponder its plight and possibilities? In exploring this question, we will consider exile not only as a physical uprooting, but also in the intellectual sense as a state characterized by movement, anxiety, being unsettled and unsettling.

Grading

  • Midterm Paper 30%
  • Final Paper 40%
  • Participation 10%
  • Art Project 10%
  • Community Project 10%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Antigone; Oedipus the King; Electra (Oxford University Press)
ISBN: 9780199537174

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