Fall 2020 - ENGL 844 G100

Studies in Aboriginal Literature (4)

Class Number: 4902

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 8, 2020: Mon, 5:30–8:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines selected Aboriginal writings in a variety of forms and contexts, organized by cultural movements, critical issues, or theoretical approaches. May include works in various media, and explore relations between Aboriginal and relevant national literatures. The historical and regional focus of the course will vary.

COURSE DETAILS:

This Place We Now Call Vancouver: Indigenous Reclamations of Land and Story  

When Leanne Betasamosake Simpson asked her Elder, Doug Williams, about what words or concepts in Anishinaabemowin best capture the idea of “nation,” “sovereignty,” or “self-determination,” he stated, “the place where we all live and work together.” This description highlights the importance of place, while at its core, the statement is “about relationships—relationships with each other and with plant and animal nations, with our lands and waters and with the spiritual world” (18). Simpson is talking about Anishinaabe-centred relationships primarily. But how might such a focus on place and relationships help us imagine relations of affiliation between and among different communities, all the while putting Indigenous sovereignty at the centre?  The challenge to build viable comparative frameworks that reflect shared histories of resistance, and that capture the complexities of urban, unceded, Coast Salish ancestral territories like those in Vancouver, remains an urgently needed and relatively underthematized thread in critical discussions. This course will examine several stories, both written and oral, contemporary and historical, represented through a variety of genres and artistic disciplines, set at the complex meeting-points of river, sea, and land at this delta we now call Vancouver. What does it mean to live and work on unceded, ancestral Coast Salish Territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), Kwikwitlem (Coquitlam), and Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) peoples, and how can we meaningfully acknowledge these responsibilities through our practices of research, writing, and reading? Acknowledging the land we stand on as the basis of how we build understanding, as well as an acknowledgement of one’s positionality, are key tenements of Indigenous studies.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

·       to read, interpret, and creatively engage with texts by Indigenous authors
·       to understand significant developments and movements in Indigenous literary studies
·       to analyze texts and films across a range of genres and media
·       to synthesize and evaluate a range of critical approaches to literature, particularly Indigenous literary nationalism, decolonization, self-positioning, and resurgence.
·       to recognize complex relationships between texts and contexts (historical, social, cultural, literary)
·       to acknowledge the diversity and complexity of Indigenous literary and cultural production in a variety of forms and formats.

Grading

  • Short paper 20%
  • Seminar Presentation 20%
  • Final Paper (4000 words) 40%
  • Participation 20%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Marie Clements, The Unnatural and Accidental Women 
ISBN: 978-0889225213

Eden Robinson, Monkey Beach
ISBN: 978-0676973228

Billy-Ray Belcourt, NDN Coping Mechanisms
ISBN: 978-1487005771

Katherena Vermette, The Break
ISBN: 978-1487001117

Leanne Simpson, Islands of Decolonial Love
ISBN: 978-1894037884

Deanna Reder and Linda Morra (eds), Learn, Teach, Challenge: Approaching Indigenous Literatures
ISBN: 978-1771121859

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

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 FALL 2020

Teaching at SFU in fall 2020 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote 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. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).