Fall 2000 English 116	&emdash;Mr. Saaka and Mr. Podis Peer Writing Tutor: Chris Miller
TTh, 11:00-12:15 King 235	Mr. Podis, King 139C, (440) 775-86``12 Mr. Podis' Office hours: TTh, 2:00-3:00
	E-mail for Mr. Podis: Len.Podis@oberlin.edu

Literary Reflections of the British Empire and Commonwealth

This course will focus on literature concerned with the experiences of peoples whose lands were colonized by the British. We will read some literature written by British and Indian authors and some literary criticism, but the bulk of the course will be devoted to anglophone (i.e., written in English) African literature of the late colonial and postcolonial periods (roughly the late 1950s to the present). We will begin by looking at selected writings of British colonial authors, for such works provide an excellent backdrop against which to read the later writings of the artists from colonized and formerly colonized African societies. Our main concern will be the work of fiction writers from ex-colonial countries, writers who have contributed to the burgeoning field that is variously referred to as "postcolonial," or "third world," or "commonwealth" literature.

Although the subject of our study is literature, we will encourage an interdisciplinary approach. Your two professors, Mr. Saaka and Mr. Podis, are, after all, trained in different disciplines: political science and literature, respectively. While reading the works to appreciate their literary qualities, we will also attempt to view them as products of the cultures and of the social and political circumstances that produced them. In other words, we will examine the literary works as complex expressions of their contexts, as well as indicators of the values and world views of the societies in which they were composed. We will be especially eager to explore ways in which the writings reflect particular issues and themes related to the colonial and postcolonial experiences.

Because of the nature of the literature we will be reading, our approach may differ from that of other English courses you have taken. For one thing, we will attempt to get beyond the typically western "formalist" or "aesthetic" ways of reading and evaluating works of literature. For another, we will strive for a less authoritarian, more "de-centered" mode of operation in the classroom. Although we (Mr. Saaka and Mr. Podis) are in fact authorities on the subject matter and authority figures in the classroom, we believe that we can best use our authority by cultivating and supporting your attempts to develop your authority as committed learners and scholars. Thus we view your participation in full-class and small-group discussion sessions as crucial to the success of the course. We will also value the thoughtful consideration of multiple points of view more than we will value the quest for any single correct answer to the complex issues we will be discussing. This open-ended, participatory approach reflects not only our own educational philosophies--developed during a combined total of 53 years of teaching at Oberlin College!--but also the anti-elitist, anti-authoritarian spirit of the postcolonial literature we will be reading. Indeed, one of the grand missions of this body of literature has been to challenge the literary and scholarly hierarchies that have tried to establish western art as superior to "third world" art.

Major Objectives:

• To introduce you to the study of late colonial and postcolonial literature
• To provide, as much as possible, a non-western perspective on the subject matter of the course, thereby promoting a culturally diverse approach (no simple task, since we are working within a western educational institution and most of us come to the course with decidedly western perspectives.)
• To offer an interdisciplinary approach to the study of literature (i.e., to consider literature from political, social, and historical&emdash;as well as literary&emdash;perspectives)
• To provide you with a seminar-type setting for exploring the subject matter in a hands-on, interactive, participatory style
• To help you develop as a writer, particularly as a writer of papers about literature and literary criticism

Course Requirements:

• Regular attendance. This is crucial. You risk a grade of "No Entry" if you miss more than two classes without an acceptable excuse. We are enforcing this rather strict attendance policy not because we wish to be punitive or authoritarian or to instill submissive habits in you, but because the interactive, participatory-style inquiry we wish to encourage will not work unless people are present to interact and to participate.
• Reading of assigned texts. These are listed on the schedule that follows.
• Participation in class discussion. We will use a system in which the "default" assumption is that everyone in class takes a turn at making at least one set of observations during each period. Of course people are encouraged to say more than that as discussions get going.
• Completion of a reading journal entry each week. Entries should be approximately 2-3 pages in length and may be typed or handwritten. They will be due in class every Tuesday.
• Three essays. The first and second papers should be 5pp each, the third about 8pp. Because this course is officially designated as "writing intensive," we will require that you put considerable effort into producing your papers. We expect everyone to draft and revise each paper over a period of several weeks in consultation with classmates, the course tutor (Chris), and the instructors. Writing intensive courses exist to encourage continuing improvement in students' writing skills. Even if you are already a highly accomplished writer, you should use the assignments in this course as an opportunity to work at becoming better.
• Class presentation. Each student will give a presentation to the class according to a sign-up schedule that will be passed around. We would like the presentation to take the form of a workshop on a draft-in-progress of a paper that you are working on for the course.

Grading:

Your final grade will be based on our assessment of the quality of the following: weekly journal entries, participation in class discussion, your class presentation (i.e., the workshop on your draft-in-progress), and the three essays.

Required Texts: (all except the Kipling story are available at the college bookstore)

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart.

Achebe, Chinua. Anthills of the Savannah.

Aidoo, Ama Ata. Our Sister Killjoy

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness.

Dangarembga, Tsitsi. Nervous Conditions.

Emecheta, Buchi. The Bride Price.

Forster, E. M. A Passage to India.

Kipling, Rudyard. "The Man Who Would Be King" (handout)

Ngugi wa Thiong'o. Weep Not, Child.

Nwapa, Flora. Efuru.

Podis and Saaka. Challenging Hierarchies.

Rushdie, Salman. Shame.

Schedule of Class Meetings and Assignments:

Week 1	Tuesday, September 5	Introduction of students, professors, and peer writing tutor Review of syllabus Overview of major themes and issues Assignment for Thursday: Read Podis & Saaka, Challenging Hierarchies, "Preface" (pp. xi-xiii) and "Introduction" (pp. 1-10). Also, write first journal for Thursday. In your entry, you should discuss any reactions you have to the readings, raise questions you have about approaching this field of study, and discuss any experience you have had with colonial or postcolonial literature. Please bring the journal with you to class on Thursday, Sept. 7. We will ask everyone to choose an excerpt from the journal to read aloud to the class.
	Thursday, September 7	Podis/Saaka, Challenging Hierarchies "Preface" (pp. xi-xiii) & "Introduction" (pp. 1-10) Note: First journal entry is due in class today. Plan to read part of your entry aloud. Assignment for next week: Kipling, "The Man Who Would Be King" (handout); Write your second journal entry on Kipling's story and bring the entry to class next Tuesday.
Week 2	September 12 & 14	Kipling, "The Man Who Would Be King" Note: Second journal entry is due in class on Tuesday, September 12. Assignment for next week: See readings listed under Week 3.
Week 3	September 19 & 21	Conrad, Heart of Darkness Podis & Saaka, Introduction to Section III (pp. 161-163); Chapter 10, "Criticizing the Critic: Achebe on Conrad," by Olusegun Adekoya (pp. 165-178); and Chapter 11, "Narrative Distancing and the (De)Construction of Imperialist Consciousness in 'The Man Who Would Be King' and Heart of Darkness," by Leonard Podis (pp. 179-197). Assignment of first essay (due Thurs., October 12). Schedule conferences with Chris. Sign up for presentations.
Week 4	September 26 & 28	Achebe, Things Fall Apart Begin presentations. Conferences with Chris, as scheduled.
Week 5	October 3 & 5	Nwapa, Efuru Podis & Saaka, Ch. 1, "Literature, Feminism, and the African Woman Today," by Ama Ata Aidoo (pp. 15-35); and Ch. 2, "The Woman Artist in Africa Today: A Critical Commentary," by Micere Mugo (pp. 37-61) Continue presentations. Conferences with Chris, as scheduled.
Week 6	October 10 & 12	Podis & Saaka, Ch. 4, "The Genesis of 'Male-ing Names in the Sun'" (pp. 85-86); and Ch. 5, "Male-ing Names in the Sun" (pp. 87-97)--both written by Ama Ata Aidoo. No new novel this week&emdash;we will have presentations on Tuesday, and, as time permits, we can finish up discussion of Efuru and Things Fall Apart and devote some time to discussing the short piece by Ama Ata Aidoo, "Male-ing Names in the Sun." Thursday's class will be devoted mainly to brief reports on the papers due. (See next paragraph.) Since the paper is due this, no journal entry is due. Note: Final draft of the first essay is due in class on Thursday, October 12. On that day, we will ask people to read aloud an excerpt from their paper and to speak briefly to the class about what they wound up saying in their paper, what they learned from it, how it relates to what we've been discussing in class, and whether they might be interested in working on it any further. We are hoping that in this way we can all benefit from the work everyone has done on the papers, rather than just having them addressed to us as the course instructors.
Week 7	October 17 & 19	FALL VACATION
Week 8	October 24 & 26	Aidoo, Our Sister Killjoy Podis & Saaka, Ch. 6, "Beside Every Good Woman Was a Good Man," by Vincent O. Odamtten (pp. 99-111). Thurs: Second essay assigned (due Tues., Nov. 21) Schedule conferences with Chris.
Week 9	October 31 & November 2	Emecheta, The Bride Price Conferences with Chris, as scheduled. (Will continue until paper #2 is due) Presentations (will continue in Weeks 10 and 11)
Week 10	November 7 & 9	Ngugi, Weep Not, Child Presentations
Week 11	November 14 & 16	Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions Podis & Saaka, Ch.15, " Representations of Cultural Ambivalence: The Portrayal of Sons and Daughters in Postcolonial African Literature," by Saaka and Podis (pp. 263-288) Presentations
Week 12	November 21 (No class on Thursday, Nov. 23: Thanksgiving Day)	Final draft of the second essay is due in class on Tuesday, November 21. We will again ask people to read aloud an excerpt from their paper and to speak briefly to the class about what they wound up saying in their second paper, what they learned from it, how it relates to what we've been discussing in class, and whether they might be interested in working on it any further. No journal entry due this week. Assignment of final paper (due Monday, December 18) Sign up for conferences with Chris.
Week 13	November 28 & 30	Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah Podis & Saaka, Introduction to Section II (pp. 109-111); Ch. 7, "From Stereotype to Individuality: Womanhood in Chinua Achebe's Novels," by Chioma Opara (pp. 113-123); Ch. 8, "Achebe's Women: Mothers, Priestesses, and Young Urban Professionals," by Catherine Bicknell (pp. 125-136). Presentations (will continue in Weeks 14 and 15) Conferences with Chris, as scheduled. (Will continue until paper #3 is due.)
Week 14	December 5 & 7	Forster, A Passage to India Podis & Saaka, Chapter 14, "Sojourners in the Lands of Former Colonizers," by Vincent O. Odamtten (pp. 247-261). Presentations
Week 15	December 12 & 14	Rushdie, Shame Presentations

Note: The last class meeting is Thursday, December 14. The final draft of the third essay is due Monday, December 18 in either Rice 208 or King 139.