Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2023 - ENGL 362 D100

Transnational Literatures in English (4)

Class Number: 7709

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 4 – Apr 11, 2023: Tue, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

    Jan 4 – Apr 11, 2023: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    30 units or two 200-division English courses.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Study of primarily 20th- and 21st-century literatures and cultures in a comparative transnational framework. Focus may be hemispheric American literatures, the literatures of ‘the global south’, historical colonial and/or contemporary postcolonial/decolonial literatures, global environmental literature, and contemporary avant garde poetry and poetics. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught.

COURSE DETAILS:

Tobias Boes writes that the bildungsroman is “connected more than any other to the rise of modern nationalism” (Formative Fictions 3). Perhaps it is unsurprising, then, that post-independence African writers and artists have adopted and adapted the genre as a means of negotiating the pressures and possibilities that define postcolonial life. In this course we’ll turn to a range of texts from the African continent that explore the complexities of growing up in rapidly changing societies. From the darkly comic Zambian film I Am Not a Witch, to J.M. Coetzee’s sly, pseudo-autobiographical Boyhood, we’ll encounter a wide range of stories that challenge the idea of what “growing up” means on the world’s “youngest” continent.

Grading

  • participation 10%
  • reading reflections (3x250 words each) 30%
  • midterm essay (1000 words) 25%
  • final paper (1500-2000 words) 35%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

JM Coetzee - Boyhood

 


Rungano Nyoni - I am Not a Witch


Tsitsi Dangarembga - Nervous Conditions


K Sello Duiker - Thirteen Cents


John Trengrove – Inxeba


NoViolet Bulawayo – We Need New Names


A selection of critical essays, short stories, and poetry to be made available via Canvas.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

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:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website 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