Spring 2024 - ENGL 385 E100
Across Time, Across Space (4)
Class Number: 5041
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 8 – Apr 12, 2024: Wed, 4:30–8:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Stephen Collis
scollis@sfu.ca
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Prerequisites:
30 units or two 200-division English courses.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Explores influential works of literature with a particular emphasis on how they exist across temporal and/or spatial divides, how they alternately bridge and reinforce differences of time, culture, and place. May be repeated for credit once if different topic is taught.
COURSE DETAILS:
Arguably, human beings are defined by their mobility: popular theories of our origins have us walking out of Africa and, over the millennia, spreading, largely on foot, over the planet’s land masses. Stories related to less welcome forms of mobility abound—stories of exiles, of refugees, and of those displaced and yearning to return to homelands, the long history of which we will consider, beginning with Homer’s story of the hero Odysseus’s ten-year struggle to return home. While a large part of our focus will be on the contemporary moment of the so-called refugee crisis, where we will focus on the Refugee Tales project at length, we will also look at several texts which bridge the long gap between Homer and the twentieth century. Course readings will be supplemented with at least one film.
Grading
- Participation 10%
- Discussion prompts (5-6 over the course) 25%
- Reading Journal (approx. 10 pages) 20%
- Essay proposal 10%
- Essay (approx. 3000 words) 35%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Homer, The Odyssey
ISBN: 9780393356250
Herd and Pincus, Refugee Tales Vol 1.
ISBN: 9781910974230
Herd and Pincus, Refugee Tales Vol. 2
ISBN: 9781910974308
Solmaz Sharif, Customs
ISBN: 9781644450796
W. G. Sebald, Austerlitz
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:
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