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Objective
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Requirements
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Policies •
Timeline
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Evaluation
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Readings
This course is
designed as an introduction to the field of postcolonial
studies,
a dynamic field that has emerged and grown in the
past twenty years. The word “postcolonial,” itself controversial, has many
meanings and connotations. In the most literal sense, the term postcolonial is a
temporal one that defines the period after European colonialism. The controversy
over the term postcolonial primarily concerns the question of whether
colonialism really ended when the Europeans left their colonies. Many have
suggested that we might better understand the challenges posed by the ongoing
legacies of colonial ideas, institutions and inheritances as a process of
decolonization rather than a sharp end to an era.
Postcolonial
studies is defined by an interdisciplinary approach to a variety issues,
including: the experience of colonialism and anti-colonial struggles; the role
of discourse, rhetoric and language in processes of domination and resistance;
the complex ways in which the colonial experience has shaped the modern world;
and the social, cultural and political conditions of postcoloniality.
Not
surprisingly, postcolonial theory has had a deeper influence on the scholarship
emerging from and on the former colonies of Asia, Africa and the Americas, where
the struggles against European colonialism produced a series of critiques of
European culture, history, and philosophy. In this course we will broadly
examine postcolonial studies as a methodological and epistemological perspective
that offers us tools to transcend the traditional divide between theory and
narrative in the writing of history.
We will begin by defining issues of
power relationships in a historic context by looking at how certain categories
--such as race, gender, and class-- are constructed. Thus we will be
able unearth hidden agendas of colonization and the sources of major conflicts
in postcolonial
societies.
To develop an understanding of major issues in postcolonial theory and
an
appreciation for the range of discourses in and about areas once colonized, and to examine how the colonial experience may have affected
the type and content of texts produced in these areas.
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Regular attendance and participation in class discussion;
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weekly response papers;
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leading the class discussion on
an assigned article and submitting a 4-5 page written version of the
presentation that includes major points of the class discussion as well;
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completion of a research project
that result in a paper (approx. 12-15 pages).
All assignments must be submitted
online through
SafeAssign on
WebCT
before class meets. The weekly
assignments may not be submitted late as that would defeat their purpose, which
is to demonstrate your understanding and analysis of the reading prior to our
discussion. Submit your weekly assignment prior to class on
SafeAssign and bring
a printed copy to class. If you are unable to submit a weekly assignment on
time, you must contact the instructors at least 24 hours in advance of
class to discuss a make-up assignment. If you do not complete your written work
when it is due, and if you do not have an adequate excuse (and contact the
instructor before the due date), your grade will be reduced by one letter
grade each day after the assignment is due.
The University maintains a clear
policy with regard to
Academic
Integrity and the instructors have no tolerance
for infractions such as cheating on assignments,
plagiarism, and submitting
the same or substantially similar papers for more than one course without
consent of all instructors concerned. All acts of academic dishonesty will be
reported and students can expect to be disciplined according to standard
university
rules of academic integrity.
Penalty in this course is a failing grade.
Attendance is mandatory and is
crucial to your success and the success of the course as a whole. If you miss
more than one class and do not have a written excuse, your overall grade in the
course will be dropped by 5% for each class missed. More than 3 unexcused
absences will result in automatic failure in the course.
Timeline:
Paper due dates
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Title, general description
of the paper topic due in class on
September 9, 2009
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Annotated bibliography
and short oral presentation due in class on
October 7, 2009
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Oral presentation of
research progress in
class on
December 2, 2009
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Final paper due
December 9,
2009 before 3 pm
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Late papers are NOT ACCEPTED.
Unless a student has a documented medical
excuse or other documented extenuating circumstances late papers will
be penalized by being dropped one grade per day until the paper is
submitted.
Mamdani, Mahmood.
When Victims Become
Killers. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2002
Rhys, Jean.
Wide Sargasso Sea. NY: Penguin Books,
1966
Recommended
Dictionaries
(for terminology):
Ashcroft, Bill; Gareth Griffiths,
Helen Tiffin:
Key Concepts in Post-Colonial Studies. London:
Routledge, 1998.
Hawley, John C:
Encyclopedia of
Postcolonial Studies. London: Greenwood Press, 2001
Readers:
Ashcroft,
Griffiths,
Tiffin (eds).
The Post-Colonial Studies Reader.
London: Routledge, 1995.
Desai, Nair (eds).
Postcolonialisms. An Anthology of Cultural Theory and Criticism.
New
Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 2005.
Further
RECOMMENDED READINGS
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