ENGL273

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ENGL273

South Asian Writing in Diaspora ENGL273 SP

Crosslistings: WMST289

Next Offered in 9899 SP

The South Asian diaspora spans the world; there are communities in Africa, the Middle East, England, North and South America, the Caribbean, as well as southeast Asia. Using novels, poems, and short stories, this course will focus upon the question of identity. Can such a widespread population, diverse in class, cultural practices, and local histories, claim a singular identity? What does it mean to be "Indian," "Pakistani," "Bangladeshi," "Sri Lankani," in these conditions? When is South Asian identity claimed and for what purposes? How is such an identity constructed and what role does race, ethnicity, culture, or nationality play in it? The literary readings will be supplemented with historical and sociological materials.

MAJOR READINGS

Selected works by various authors, among
them Chitra Divakaruni, Hanif Kureishi, Salman Rushdie, Agha
Shahid Ali, Indira Ganesan, Agnes Sam, M.G. Vassanj,
Bharati Mukherjee, Rohin Mistry, and others.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Midterm, final, two essays

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

This course counts toward the Department's historical knowledge requirement. Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Discussion Lecture

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UG Credit: 1.00 Gen Ed Area & Dept: HA ENGL

Prerequisites: None

Last Updated on MAR-03-1998

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