EN2C4-30 New Literatures in English
Introductory description
EN2C4-30 New Literatures in English
Module aims
Through the medium of English, writers from Africa and Asia today confront a (prospectively) global audience. This module aims to introduce students to the emergent body of literature being produced by writers (and film-makers) from South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa generally, and South Asia, and to situate it in terms of the historical circumstances that have engendered it and to which it constitutes a response. The module will examine the various ways in which different writers negotiate and represent social conditions -- local and global -- in their work, and the ways in which they incorporate and work with domestic and foreign literary forms and conventions. The works will be read comparatively, in relation to one another, and as contributions to particular literary and cultural traditions. Social issues under review will range very widely: for example, race, violence, religion and communalism, land, ‘development’ and the environment, sex and gendered identity, nation and state, memory, trauma and prolepsis, English as a world language and English as a language of cultural imperialism.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Syllabus for Term 1: South Asia
Week One: Introduction to the Module
Week Two: Partition Narratives
Urvashi Butalia, excerpt from The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India (2000) Butalia, The Other Side of Silence
Saadat Hasan Manto, 'Toba Tek Singh' (1955). Kingdom's End and Other Stories (1987) manto_toba_tek_singh.pdf
Manto, 'Khol Do' (1950). The Annual of Urdu Studies 27 (2012) Manto, Khol Do
Kamleshwar, 'Kitne Pakistan' (1966-7). Tarun K. Saint, ed. Translating Partition: Essays, Stories, Criticism (2001) Kamleshwar, Kitne Pakistan
Faiz Ahmed Faiz, 'The Dawn of Freedom' (1947). Tr. Agha Shahid Ali. The Annual of Urdu Studies 11 (1996) Faiz, The Dawn of Freedom
Week Three: Salman Rushdie, Shame (1983)
Week Four: Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things (1997)
Week Five: Mirza Waheed, The Collaborator (2011)
Film: Garm Hawa (1974) (dir., M.S. Sathyu, Urdu, with English subtitles, film)
Screening: Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Week Six: No class. Reading Week
Week Seven: Amitav Ghosh, The Hungry Tide (2004)
Week Eight: Vishwajyoti Ghosh, Delhi Calm (2010)
Film: Masaan (Crematorium) (2015) (dir., Neeraj Ghaywaan) The film will be screened in H545 on Wednesday, Nov 22, from 7 pm.
Week Nine: Arvind Adiga, The White Tiger (2008)
Week Ten: Mahasweta Devi, ‘Pterodactyl, Puran Sahay, and Pirtha’. Imaginary Maps (1995). Pterodactyl
Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, ‘November is the Month of Migrations’, ‘Baso-jhi’ and 'The Adivasi Will Not Dance' from The Adivasi Will Not Dance: Stories (2015)
Syllabus for Term 2: Sub-Saharan Africa
Week One: J M Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians (1980)
Week Two: Ayi Kwei Armah, The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1968)
Week Three: Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions (1988)
Week Four: Nadine Gordimer, The House Gun (1998)
Week Five: Film: Tsotsi (dir. Gavin Hood, 2005)
THE FILM WILL BE SCREENED ON WEDNESDAY, FEB 7 AT 7 PM IN H545.
Week Six: No class. Reading Week
Week Seven: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun (2006)
Week Eight: Mia Couto, Confession of the Lioness (2012)
Week Nine: Film (screening to be arranged): Moolaadé (dir. Ousmane Sembene, 2004)
Week Ten: Ngugi wa Thiong’o, A Grain of Wheat (1967)
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Familiarity with a wide range of Anglophone writing that has emerged after decolonization.
- Familiarity with basic concepts and methods of post-colonial studies.
- Acquire knowledge of key theoretical, literary, cultural and critical contexts within which to situate the set texts.
- Develop analytical and critical skills through close reading/viewing of the set texts.
- Adjust to scholarly standards and protocols of academic presentation.
Subject specific skills
No subject specific skills defined for this module.
Transferable skills
No transferable skills defined for this module.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 18 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Seminars | 18 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Private study | 264 hours (88%) |
| Total | 300 hours |
Private study description
Research & reading
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Assessed Essay 1 | 40% | |
|
Topics based on Term 1 readings |
||
| Assessed essay 2 | 40% | |
|
Topics based on Term 2 |
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| Creative or Critical Project | 20% | |
|
A final, syncretic project devised by the students |
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Feedback on assessment
Written comments; opportunity for further oral feedback in office hours.
Courses
This module is Optional for:
- Year 2 of UENA-Q300 Undergraduate English Literature
- Year 2 of UENA-QP36 Undergraduate English Literature and Creative Writing
- Year 2 of UENA-VQ32 Undergraduate English and History
- Year 2 of UTHA-QW34 Undergraduate English and Theatre Studies
- Year 2 of UFIA-QW25 Undergraduate Film and Literature
This module is Option list C for:
- Year 2 of UCXA-QQ37 Undergraduate Classics and English
This module is Option list D for:
- Year 2 of UPHA-VQ72 Undergraduate Philosophy and Literature