Summer 2022 - GA 202 D100

Studies in Asian Cultures (3)

NASouthAsianDiaspora

Class Number: 2280

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 10 – Aug 8, 2022: Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Aug 12, 2022
    Fri, 11:59–11:59 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    15 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the culture of one or more Asian regions. The emphasis will be on the cultural importance of the themes covered and on their relationship to contemporary societies. This course may be repeated for credit only when a different topic is taught. Students with credit for ASC 202 may not take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course centres on representations of South Asian diaspora mainly focusing on North America (Canada and the United States). These stories of settler colonialism, as well as South Asian complicity within settler colonial narratives, will be contrasted with literature about South Asian migration and exclusion in other contexts such as countries within the Middle East and Uganda in the 1970s. We will look at a variety of cultural texts produced about and by South Asian diasporic communities and reflect on how identity, home and belonging were fraught with global power relations such that South Asian migrants were forever migrants. The course will proceed through a close reading of South Asian diasporic film, poetry, art and literature to help us critique and understand South Asian identity and culture in the diaspora in all its multiple, contested and contradictory meanings.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

By the end of the course students will:

  • be able to explain how cultural representations are imbued with power.
  • have developed the skills necessary to critique a wide variety of cultural texts.
  • build an understanding of South Asian diasporic cultures.
  • have built the skills to write a properly referenced academic essay.

Grading

  • Participation 20%
  • Film Review 20%
  • Group presentation and write-up 25%
  • Final exam (take-home) 35%

Materials

RECOMMENDED READING:

All readings will be circulated electronically and hyperlinked in your Canvas course. You will not be required to purchase any textbook for this course.


Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

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

TEACHING AT SFU IN SUMMER 2022

Teaching at SFU in summer 2022 will involve primarily in-person instruction.  Some courses may be offered through alternative methods (remote, online, blended), and if so, this will be clearly identified in the schedule of classes. 

Enrolling in a course acknowledges that you are able to attend in whatever format is required.  You should not enroll in a course that is in-person if you are not able to return to campus, and should be aware that remote, online, or blended courses study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as early as possible in order to prepare for the summer 2022 term.