Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2026 - WL 304 D100

Exile and Migration (4)

Class Number: 6178

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 6, 2026: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units; or 30 units for students enrolled in the SFU-Exeter accelerated law dual degree program.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Explores the culture of peoples and individuals displaced by force or migrating by choice. May focus on the literary cultures of exiles and emigres or on the depiction of refugees, immigrants or exiles.

COURSE DETAILS:

Exile and Migration: The Pain and Possibilities of Rupture

PROFESSOR/INSTRUCTOR:  Dr. Maral Aguilera-Moradipour

EMAIL:  maguiler@sfu.ca

OFFICE:  AQ 5114

OFFICE HOUR:  By appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course takes for its starting point a provocation in The Location of Culture (1994) by renowned literary theorist Homi K. Bhabha that “Where, once, the transmission of national traditions was the major theme of a world literature, perhaps we can now suggest that transnational histories of migrants, the colonized, or political refugees—these border and frontier conditions—may be the terrain of a world literature.” The migrant or refugee may speak to our historical moment where human migration is occurring on a scale never seen before, migration and the figure of the exile are thematically as old as storytelling itself.

The figure of the exile, the exiled author, exile as a condition of being, and exile as an intellectual orientation have long existed in literary traditions across the world—from ancient Greece, to China, to the Fertile Crescent. Whether political, religious, or self-imposed, exile marks a rupture between the self and place or belonging. It can be marked by alienation, displacement, pain, and loss but it can also be generative. Exile can be suffered by exposing injustice or refusing to bow to power, it can create a distance and retreat conducive of deep reflection, and it can spark new possibilities. This course examines the ways in which the figure of the exile, the migrant, and the refugee are depicted and conceptualised in literature. Through literature and film, we will consider questions such as: How do these conceptualizations overlap and in what ways are they in tension with one another?  What do they say or reveal about belonging and life-making as related to the nation-state, home, and the natural world?

Grading

  • Attendance and Participation 15%
  • In-Class Paper 25%
  • Oral Presentation 25%
  • Final Paper Proposal 15%
  • Final Paper 20%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

  • Nina Berberova. The Ladies from St. Petersburg.
  • Tayeb Salih. Season of Migration to the North.
  • Mourid Barghouti. I Saw Ramallah.
  • Vinh Nguyen. The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse.
  • Laura Mora Ortega. Los Reyes del Mundo. (film)
  • Panah Panahi. Hit the Road. (film)
  • Additional material will be made available by the instructor.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.