English R1B

Book List

Baldwin, James: The Fire Next Time; Diaz, Junot: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao; Kang, Han: The Vegetarian

Other Readings and Media

Course reader including excerpts from Henry Thoreau, Albert Camus, Edwidge Danticat, Jhumpa Lahiri, Gloria Anzaldua, and relevant critical theory

Description

This course turns to the experience of exile and its plural representations in texts drawing from the post-Enlightenment to contemporary periods. To open up our line of inquiry, we will reflect upon the following questions: How might exile be a self-determined choice leading to greater freedom or autonomy? Are exile and its attendant feelings an unresolvable part of the human condition? How might larger sociohistorical, political, and cultural forces precipitate the need for individuals or groups to survive in a state of physical or psychological exile? What are the possibilities of life after exile, and what new knowledge can be produced about one's self through his/her/their uprooting from "home" (particularly in relation to others and to the larger communities to which he/she/they belong)?

Writing will be integrated into every calss session, and also take the form of short responses to readings (1-2 pages) and argumentative papers that grow in length and complexity over the semester (3-10 pages).