In this course, we will think about the relationship literature and culture have to politics and power. How do literary and other cultural texts engage with current events? With ongoing historical injustices? What are different forms that resistance takes in literary and other cultural texts, and how might they not only support, but help shape political struggles and visions? We will discuss these questions as we study a range of texts (short stories, novels, poems, videos, songs, film, literary essays, letters) written about Palestine. Our focus on Palestine is inspired by Sherene Seikaly’s contention that Palestine is a paradigm through which we can grapple with the many interconnected crises we face today. As we closely read individual literary and cultural texts, we will think about large questions of colonialism, racism, environmental catastrophe, war, sexual violence, and fascism. We will consider, for example, the significance of a Palestinian music teacher working with children in a tent camp to transform the sound of Israeli war drones into music, or why Palestinians tell their love stories during a time of genocide, or what we can learn from a novel that follows generations of Palestinian women displaced by political violence.
Student Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the semester, students
- will be able to discuss and analyze literary and other cultural texts in relation to their political, historical, and cultural contexts;
- will have an introductory knowledge of the tools of cultural analysis;
- will improve their ability to ask questions of and to closely read, analyze, and interpret complex literary and cultural texts, using relevant terminology critically and creatively;
- will augment their knowledge of how literature relates to politics;
- will improve their ability to express ideas by organizing, developing and supporting a description, analysis, or argument in written formats, within the conventions of academic writing.
Students will produce a significant amount of writing, and collectively studying and practicing writing as a process. The course fulfills the requirements for the W Focus designation.
Tentative List of Required Texts:
- Ghassan Kanafani, MEN IN THE SUN (short stories)
- Susan Darraj, BEHIND YOU IS THE SEA (novel)
- George Abraham and Noor Hindi, HEAVEN LOOKS LIKE US (poetry)
- Zaina Arafat, YOU EXIST TOO MUCH (young adult novel)
- Malak Mattar, SITTI’S BIRD (children’s book)
- Sarah Aziza, THE HOLLOW HALF (memoir)
- Selection of poems, songs, videos, podcasts, letters, and literary essays.
Assignments and Class Work:
Students will write a mid-term exam and a final exam (a combination of short questions and short essays), two take-home essays (1700 words each), and at least twice in the semester brief online responses to readings (250 words each).