COMP 272T Literature of the Americas: Dialogues in Historical Perspective (Same as American Studies 256) (Not offered 2008-2009; to be offered 2009-2010) (W) (D)
Most people in the US understand "American" literature as the work of writers born and raised in the United States, overlooking both the rich literary traditions of Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America and the centuries of political and cultural history we share with those peoples. This course will present the methods and issues involved in studying the literature of the American hemisphere, from the fundamental (what is "America"?) to more nuanced issues of identity, imperialism and cultural agency, while examining key texts written from 1800 to the present. Our work will be broadly comparative, drawing texts from different linguistic traditions (French, English and Spanish) into dialogue with one another. We will consider both the interrelations of American peoples and the many cultural forms that have developed in response to our common colonial heritage. Readings may include the work of: Melville, Cooper, Sarmiento, Ruiz de Burton, Whitman, Martí, Cather, Guillén, Césaire, Faulkner, Rulfo, Morrison.
Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: attendance and active, informed participation; oral presentations; two 5- to 7-page essays; proposal and 10- to 15-page final paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 19). (Cultural Studies)
FRENCH