English 166

Other Readings and Media

Short readings and other materials available on bCourses.

Description

Book List to come.

This course explores a wide range of literary production by Native American/Indigenous writers from the nineteenth century to present, drawing out the various linguistic and literary influences present in the works. The course is organized thematically around concepts such as language, protest, genre, animacy, and story to show both continuity and invention across time. The foundations of Indigenous languages, literacies, and forms will be emphasized, while also analyzing how Native American writers have consistently appropriated Western literary forms and styles to express a distinctive aesthetic. Course materials will include traditional stories in their own languages (with translation), poems, sermons, novels, short stories, plays, and speculative fiction.

Evaluation will be based on short papers and exams and a final research paper.