123044 PS Proseminar Literature / Literary Studies (2016W)

"In a world in which Indigenous peoples are constantly represented as always on the margins of modernity and on the verge of disappearing, Native American and Indigenous literature serves as an affirmation of a robust Indigenous cultural present" (Cox and Justice, The Oxford Handbook of Indigenous American Literature 10).

In the face of this present, Indigenous literature in North America continues to be inherently political, historical, diverse, and all-inclusive in subject matter, peoples, cultures, heritages, traditions, languages, and religions. As such, ever since the earliest transmissions of oral stories, the production, publication, and recognition of writing by Native Americans has increased immensely and has triggered a visibility for Indigenous writing and Indigenous Studies as a whole. In the 21st century, therefore, novels, short stories, poems, autobiographies, plays, songs, TV shows, and movies by and about Native Americans take center stage in the United States like never before as they examine issues of history, land, language, religion, sovereignty, cultural memory, identity, and many more.

This class will introduce students to a variety of Native American authors whose texts are situated within, across, and beyond the aforementioned genres. We will examine recurrent themes and tropes in order to cultivate a deeper understanding of the diversity of Indigenous fiction, as well as a range of critical responses to the different texts and authors from literary theorists and critics.

Course Objectives:
In this class we will work with texts including short stories, novels, and poems, as well as examples from popular culture in the form of movies and/or TV shows to trace the development and characteristics of Indigenous writing, and explore the historical and cultural contexts as well as the academic debates and discourses relevant to the conceptualization of Native literature and literary genres. Students will learn to critically examine texts from different theoretical perspectives and to apply the respective critical terminology to primary texts. They will also be familiarized with the research and writing skills necessary to write a term paper, including how to find a paper topic, formulate a research question, structure a paper, use secondary material, and create a list of works cited.

Methods:
In this course, we will work with a variety of methods including group work and individual assignments, short presentations, research projects, multimedia, and interactive discussions.