This course is designed to introduce students to a
range of texts that represent the experience and effects of colonial
encounter. We will pay attention how different cultural, historical,
and political contexts shape colonial experiences across various
geographical areas–the Pacific, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean. We
will also consider how perceptions of islands–and by extension,
issues of land, territory, and borders–have figured into literary
representations of the colonial experience.
This class is writing intensive. Although this class will not be
focused on writing fundamentals, we will spend some time in class
improving your writing. By the end of this course, you will have
learned how to do literary and textual analysis and to incorporate
textual evidence into your papers more effectively.
Requirements:
Class participation, Laulima postings, reading quizzes, a memorization exercise, four essays (4-5 pages), a blog portfolio, a
midterm and a non-cumulative final.
Texts will be made available at Revolution Books: THE TEMPEST
William Shakespeare; SONS FOR THE RETURN HOME Albert Wendt; A SMALL PLACE Jamaica Kincaid; WHERE WE ONCE BELONGED Sia Figiel; KAMAU Alani Apio; BOOM Jean Tay. We may also watch up to two films. Shorter readings will be made available by Laulima.