ENG4100HS L0101
Postcolonial Ecocriticism
Azubuko-Udah,C.
Course Description:
This seminar examines the intersections of postcolonialism and ecocriticism as well as the tensions between these conceptual nodes, with readings drawn from across the global South. Topics of discussion include colonialism, ecological degradation, resource extraction, globalization, decolonial epistemologies, futurity, the challenges of narrativization, and structural and slow violence. The course is concerned with varieties of environmentalism, biocultural relations, and the narrative strategies affording the illumination of these ideas. Full primary texts will be supplemented by scholarly works from foundational and more recent thinkers in the field.
Course Reading List: (subject to change)
Jamaica Kincaid - A Small Place.
Mayra Montero - In the Palm of Darkness.
Imbolo Mbue - How Beautiful We Were.
Amitav Ghosh - The Hungry Tide.
Zakes Mda - Heart of Redness
Method of Evaluation and Course Requirements
Course participants have two papers for the term, and they have the option to select the genre of their second paper. Students can craft an original essay that analyzes a primary text from a postcolonial and/or ecocritical perspective. Such work should aim at producing new insight on a theoretical concept and/or the cultural text. For their second essay, students can either write another original essay, or they can write a book review essay discussing two recent monographs focused on postcolonial ecocriticism.
Grade Breakdown:
Conference paper (6-8 pages) - 35%
Second paper (6-8 pages) - 35%
Weekly Summary, Synthesis, and Questions - 20%
In-class participation - 10%
Term: S-TERM (January 2025 to April 2025)
Date/Time: Monday 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (2 hours)
Location: JHB 616 (170 St. George Street, Jackman Humanities Building)
Delivery: In-Person