Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An Introduction to the study of literature within the wider cultural field, with a focus on contemporary issues across genres and media. Students with credit for ENGL 105W may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

Contradictions of literature and culture

In this course we will explore the contradictory relationship between literary texts and the broader culture. We will read five texts closely: two books of poetry, one by the B.C. Nisga writer Jordan Abel (The Place of Scraps) and other by California poet Rosie Stockton (Fuel); a novel by the Irish writer Sally Rooney (Normal People); a work of cultural criticism by the late British philosopher Gillian Rose (Marxist Modernism), and the original Blade Runner film, directed by Ridley Scott and based on a novel by P.K. Dick. And contradictions will abound: Abel’s book is mostly appropriations from an early 20^th century anthropology text – what’s now called erasure poetry – flipping the script on colonial theft of Indigenous land and artifacts. Stockton’s Fuel points to the debt we all have to petroleum – how can we be critical of the tar sands and Canada’s petro-capitalist state if we drove or took a bus to campus today? Rooney’s novel portrays two young students as they progress into university life, so far so good, but with hot sex as well. Doesn’t such a topic go against today’s “cancel culture” of trigger warnings? And Blade Runner? Why are we watching a film in an English class? But my genius move here is having us read Marxist Modernism because that’s all that Rose talks about – contradictions – also known as dialectics. You’re asking whether it is still true today, as it was a century ago, when “Literary criticism was not a discrete discipline but inseparable from the basic questions of epistemology and philosophical experience and, conversely, philosophical questions could not be considered apart from cultural forms.” How did you ever live this long without realizing that literary criticism can save your life? Please note that NO DIGITAL DEVICES ARE PERMITTED IN THE LECTURE HALL. You will be asked not to have laptops, smartphones, or tablets on your desk during lecture. You can take notes in a notebook, on paper. And you shall write essays based on course lectures, so as to foil Chat-GPT. And you will not be distracted by the person in front of you watching a movie or playing a game on their laptop. I do suggest buying actual paper copies of the books so you can consult them if need be. There will be times during lecture when I will ask for questions and, in turn, ask you questions. We will also have the two poets as guests: Rosie Stockton in person, and Jordan Abel by zoom. Finally, there will be frequent uses of the iClicker app during the course – always at the end of the lecture, when you will be permitted to take out your phones – as a way to check in and see what you are learning in the lecture. Final contradiction, I suppose.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

In this course you may learn why novels and poetry remain a superior platform for thought, entertainment, and political critique. You may learn how Marxist concepts of ideology, reification, and aura help you understand the world today. And you may learn that rather than dooming the planet or saving it, AI is irrelevant in the face of human consciousness and creativity.

Grading

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

In addition to the books listed below (Sally Rooney's Normal People, Jordan Abel's The Place of Scraps, Rosie Stockton's Fuel, and Gillian Rose's Marxist Modernism - they will be available at the campus bookstore or you can buy them online/at your local bookstore) there will also be short readings available on Canvas, the online platform for the course. Plus, our final text will be the original (1982) Blade Runner, which will be nice because at that point you will be writing your final paper, so no heavy reading. 

NOTICE:

• this coure requires the use of iClicker
• iClicker is available as a hand held remote and as a mobile app. You can choose the option that works best for you.
• there is a cost involved. iClicker mobile has a 14-day free trial so payment is not required until the trial is over.
• You should sign up for iClicker student mobile and your sfu email must be used for course set up. This is important because without the use of the sfu email, the Canvas integration will not work.

 Data Collection Notice

iClicker collects personal information on behalf of SFU under the authority of the University Act (R.S.B.C. 1996, c.468), and Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (RSBC 1996, c. 165).

The information is related directly to and needed by the University to facilitate engagement and interaction between the instructor and students. The information will be used by iClicker to facilitate engagement and interaction between the instructor and students in a face-to-face or virtual instructional space, score student responses, and record student attendance.

If you have any questions about the collection and use of this information please contact the Centre for Educational Excellence, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, (778) 782-7115.

REQUIRED READING:

REQUIRED READING NOTES: