“Many Voices, Many Places – Learning to Listen”
We will read mostly short texts (poems & stories) written and/or told by authors with a variety of cultural backgrounds. Although the focus will be on multicultural literature that was created in North America, we will, occasionally, read texts from other continents, in particular, from Africa, Asia, and Europe for comparison. The text selection for North America will include Indigenous literature as well as texts written by settlers and newcomers from various countries.
The goal of the course is two-fold. On the one hand, you will learn the basics of reading and writing about literature in an academic context and have the opportunity to refine your skills of analyzing literature and of exploring texts in their critical and theoretical contexts. On the other hand, you will be invited to discover the rich variety and diversity of cultural traditions and belief systems that find their expressions in literary works, to learn to appreciate the importance of voices that have either been actively suppressed or not been encouraged to speak, to start seeing life from some of these many perspectives and philosophical systems, and, eventually, to be able to understand the world in new ways that honour all the voices and experiences and their unique values, expressions, and traditions.
Books:
- Smaro Kamboureli (Ed.). Making a Difference: Canadian Multicultural Literature. Oxford University Press. 2006.
- and ONE of the following:
- Sophie McCall & Deanna Reder & David Gaertner & Gabreielle L’Hiorondelle Hill (eds). Read, Listen, Tell: Indigenous Stories from Turtle Island. Wilfried Laurier University Press. 2017.
- Daniel David Moses & Terry Goldie & Armand Garnet Ruffo. An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English. Oxford University Press. 4th Edition. 2013.
- Armand Garnet Ruffo & Katherena Vermette. An Anthology of Indigenous Literatures in English: Voices from Canada. Oxford University Press. 5th Edition. 2020.