Department of English

This course introduces students to the history, theory, and study of postcolonial literature.

We will read literary texts from the Caribbean, Ireland, Britain, Africa and India in order to see how postcolonial writers appropriate and retool the English language and its literary forms. We will examine how this writing expresses the dynamics of decolonization and the complexities of postcolonial societies, while also allowing us to consider whether the world we live today is truly postcolonial.

We will most likely read: include  Joseph Conrad, The Heart of Darkness, Sam Selvon, The Lonely Londoners; Brian Friel, Translations; Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children; Ama Ata Aidoo, Our Sister Killjoy; Andrea Levy Small Island; Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things; Manjula Padmanabhan, Harvest.

Assignments will include two oral class presentations, one mid-term paper and one final paper.