Studies in Indigenous Literature

Catalog description

This writing-intensive course provides an in-depth exploration of literary texts written by Indigenous authors. In addition to analyzing these texts as literary productions, students will learn historical and political background to help them contextualize Indigenous literature and culture, especially in terms of the impact of and response to settler colonialism. Specific topics will vary by instructor and may include: exploring the power of Indigenous storytelling as a means to connect to tribal heritage and reclaim cultural and political sovereignty; highlighting the ways in which Indigenous literary traditions address and resist ongoing physical and cultural dispossession; and examining the importance of place and landscape to Indigenous cultural identity. Course work will include discussion and research of relevant cultural and historical matters, frequent written analyses of course texts and contexts, sustained analytic essays, and student-led discussion and/or class presentations.