SFE21213 Introduction to Colonial and Postcolonial Literature (Autumn 2016)

The course is connected to the following study programs

Obligatory subject within the English Extension Course.
May be taken as part of the bachelor programme in Society, Language and Culture.

Lecture Semester

English extension course: 1st semester (autumn)
Part of Bachelor of Arts  in society, language, and culture 3d or 5^th semester (autumn)

The student's learning outcomes after completing the course

KNOWLEDGE

The student

• has been given an introduction to colonial and postcolonial literature. 
• has acquired knowledge of significant works of literature written in English from around the globe, and of the social and political contexts in which they were written. 
• is familiar with some key terms of colonial and postcolonial studies: settlers and indigenous peoples, nation and diaspora, language and place, race and identity.

SKILLS

The student can

• analyze and discuss works of postcolonial literature
• compare works of literature from different regions
• apply ideas and terminology from postcolonial theory to literary texts

GENERAL COMPETENCE

The student

• has enhanced analytic and writing skills. 
• has been encouraged to think critically about the role of literature in society. 
• has increased his/her understanding of the ways in which English language and literature have been transformed, enriched and challenged by the impact of colonialism around the world. 

Content

Beginning with Chinua Achebe's seminal Things Fall Apart, often regarded as the starting point of postcolonial literature, the course covers literature from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, the Caribbean, and 'postcolonial London'. We will consider the texts in their social and historical contexts, and use postcolonial theory to explore the nature and roles of literature in a globalized world.

Forms of teaching and learning

The course comprises seminars, an obligatory reading list, and a variety of individual and group assignments.

Workload

Approx. 280 hours.

Coursework requirements - conditions for taking the exam

Students are to submit a written assignment which has to be approved by the lecturer for the student to be allowed to sit for the exam.

Examination

5-hour written exam ?
Language use as well as content count in the assessment. ?Permitted aids: English-English dictionary.? The exam paper is assessed on the A-F grading scale.

Course evaluation

This course is evaluated twice each semester.

Literature

Updated June 10th 2016

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1899)

Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (1958)

Patricia Grace, Potiki (1986)

Derek Walcott, Dream on Monkey Mountain (1971)

J. M Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians (1980)

Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things (1997)

Recommended
John McCleod, Beginnng Postcolonialism (2010)