Fall 2018 - ENGL 394 D100

Studies in Asian Diasporic Literatures (4)

Class Number: 7559

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2018: Tue, 8:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 10, 2018
    Mon, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    Two 100 division English courses, and two 200 division English courses. Students in the Global Asia Program Minor may enroll with permission of the instructor.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Studies a selection of literary works in English from the Asian Diaspora. May be organized by cultural movements, critical issues, or theoretical approaches. The historical and regional focus of the course will vary.

COURSE DETAILS:

Rethinking Orientalism

Diaspora refers to groups dispersed from their original countries that continue to hold onto the collective memories of these previous homelands. This course will engage with contemporary Asian diasporic literature and film from around the world, from both East Asian (i.e. Chinese, Japanese, Korean) and South Asian (i.e. Indian, Pakistani) diasporas, and consider how various writers respond to dominant representations of Asia and Asians or what Edward Said has famously theorized as Orientalism. Over the past century, some of the literary and cultural images of Asians that have circulated throughout the global imagination have included the enemy alien, model minority, exotic ‘Lotus Blossom,’ the Yellow Peril, the degenerate bachelor, Asians as culturally conservative and traditional, and the Asian as a source of cheap, expendable, and above all else, inhuman labour. We will discuss how Asian diasporic texts respond to these stereotypes and cultural logics, but also consider how they manage to do much more than simply react against these discourses. Our conversations will examine how these texts write the histories of local, national, and global communities, as well as the stories of individuals. We will also consider how issues such as language and translation, social and geographic location, culture and identity, and gender and sexuality shape how various reading publics consume diasporic texts. The sheer diversity represented by these texts and writers (i.e. first time novelists and Booker Prize winners, writers that reside in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, and novels, a play, short stories, and a film) indicate the aesthetic and social complexity of Asian diasporic cultural production.

*     Please note that this course may be used to fulfill the Canadian Literature requirement.

Grading

  • Reading quizzes 5%
  • In-class midterm exam 20%
  • Seminar Presentation (in groups) 10%
  • Essay #1 (4-5 pages) 20%
  • Essay #2 (7-8 pages) 35%
  • Attendance and active participation 10%

NOTES:

* Please note that this course meets once a week for 4 hours.
* This course can be used to fulfill the Canadian Literature requirement.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Required Readings (tentative and subject to change):
Hamid, Mohsin. The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go.
Lee, Chang-rae. A Gesture Life.
Lee, SKY. Disappearing Moon Cafe.
Thien, Madeleine. Simple Recipes.
Wah, Fred. Diamond Grill.

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