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2021/2022

Postcolonial Studies

Code: 100206 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500245 English Studies OT 3 0
2500245 English Studies OT 4 0
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Felicity Hand Cranham
Email:
Felicity.Hand@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

Students are advised to have passed all first and second year subjects in the English Studies degree before taking this subject.
 
The required level of English is C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, which means that the student is able to understand a wide range of long, complex texts and can recognize implicit meanings. S/he can express him or herself fluently and spontaneously without it being obvious that s/he is searching for the correct word or expression.  The student should be able to use the language efficiently and flexibly for social, academic and professional purposes. S/he should be able to produce clear, well structured and detailed texts on complex topics and demonstrate his or her control over organizing structures and connectors. 

Objectives and Contextualisation

1. General introduction to the theory and practice of Postcolonial Studies in the English-speaking world (India, ex Pacifiic Island colonies,  Australia, New Zealand, Africa, the West Indies and Canada)

2. Basic study of class, gender, race, ethnicity and nationality in English-speaking sociocultural environments. 

3. Critical reading and analysis of a selection of texts, both print and audiovisual, as well as cultural manifestations of contemporary  societies in the English-speaking world from a postcolonial perspective 

4. Study of the most recent relevant transformations in culture and society in the English-speaking world with special attention given to those introduced by feminism, the breakdown of colonial empires and new understandings of the concept of culture. 

Competences

    English Studies
  • Critically assessing the scientific, literary and cultural production in the English language.
  • Demonstrate a comprehension of the relationship between factors, processes and phenomena of linguistics, literature, history and culture, and explaining it.
  • Develop critical thinking and reasoning and knowing how to communicate effectively both in your mother tongue and in other languages.
  • Effectively working individually or in teams in multicultural and interdisciplinary environments in English and other languages, applying values of a culture of peace, and the characteristic democratic values of a degree in a foreign language that trains the student for intercultural communication.
  • Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activities.
  • Identify the main literary, cultural and historical currents in the English language.
  • Produce clear and well structured and detailed texts in English about complex topics, displaying a correct use of the organisation, connection and cohesion of the text.
  • Rewrite and organize information and arguments coming from several sources in English and presenting them in a coherent and summarised way.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Utilising new technologies in order to capture and organise information in English and other languages, and applying it to the personal continued training and to the problem-solving in the professional or research activity.
  • Working in an autonomous and responsible way in a professional or research environment in English or other languages, in order to accomplish the previously set objectives.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply the acquired knowledge to the generation of innovative and competitive research on a basic level.
  2. Apply the knowledge and competences acquired in the professional and academic activities related to literature, history and culture.
  3. Applying appropriate secondary academic sources to text comments and argumentative essays in relation to the English-speaking history, culture and contemporary society.
  4. Applying the acquired knowledge about intercultural communication to the work in multicultural and interdisciplinary environments in English.
  5. Applying the acquired methodologies of work planning to work in an environment in the English language.
  6. Applying the acquired scientific and work planning methodologies to the research in English.
  7. Applying the information in English that is available on the Internet, in databases, etc. to the work and/or research environments.
  8. Carrying out oral presentations using secondary academic sources in relation to the English-speaking history, culture and contemporary society.
  9. Communicating in the studied language in oral and written form, properly using vocabulary and grammar.
  10. Comparing in an advanced level different topics and texts related to the English-speaking history, culture and contemporary society.
  11. Demonstrate a master of the specific methods of individual academic work that prepare the student for a postgraduate specialised education in the same or a different field of study.
  12. Demonstrate a sound knowledge about advanced topics related to the study of literature and culture.
  13. Describing in detail and in an academic way the nature and main traits of the English-speaking history, culture and contemporary society.
  14. Developing a labour and research bond in multicultural and interdisciplinary environments in English that contribute to international collaboration.
  15. Distinguishing the main ideas from the secondary ones and summarising the contents of primary and secondary texts about History.
  16. Drawing up academic essays of medium length, using secondary academic sources in relation to the English-speaking history, culture and contemporary society.
  17. Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  18. Explaining and reflecting on topics and texts of the English-speaking history, culture and contemporary society.
  19. Localising secondary academic sources related to History in the library or on the Internet.
  20. Locating and organising relevant information in English that is available on the Internet, in databases, etc.
  21. Produce new professional initiatives.
  22. Students must be capable of comprehending advanced academic or professional texts in their own language or the another acquired in the degree.
  23. Students must be capable of precisely arguing ideas and opinions in their own language or another acquired in the degree.
  24. Summarising the content of primary and secondary sources about History.

Content

Syllabus

  • Reading and analysis of a selection of literary texts in English from different genres by authors from the former British colonies
  • Introduction to postcolonial literary criticism
  • Reassessment of the terms “nation”, “language”, "migration”, "identity" and "environment" in a postcolonial context
  • Introduction to intertextual analysis from a postcolonial perspective
  • Introduction, analysis and critical appreciation of specific terms used in the postcolonial world: Pan-africanism, Indianness, Pan-Indian Oceanity, Orientalism and Hybridity.
  • Introduction to postcolonial theory and colonial discourse analysis
  • Construction and deconstruction of the concepts of “gender”, “race”, “sexuality”,  “class” and "environmental justice" in a postcolonial context.

 

For the academic year 2021-2022 the set books are:

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun , Fourth Estate, 2006  (Nigeria)

Amitav Ghosh,  The Hungry Tide, Harpercollins, 2004 (India)

Ashwin Singh, To House, 2003 (South Africa)  - available on moodle

Selection of extracts (poetry and short stories plus theory)  - available on moodle

 

Methodology

The teaching methodology will be based on:

  • Directed activities (30%, 1.8 cr)
  • Supervised activities (15%, 0.9 cr)
  • Autonomous activities  (50%, 3 cr)
  • Assessment activities (5%, 0.3 cr)

NOTE:  the teacher will allow students 15 minutes during one of the sessions to answer the surveys about the course

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Group seminars 7.5 0.3 2, 23, 13, 8, 18, 17, 9
Text reading and in-class debates 7.5 0.3 23, 11, 8, 18, 17, 9
Theory classes 30 1.2 10, 11, 15, 18
Type: Supervised      
Oral presentation 12 0.48 4, 8, 18, 17, 20
Tutorials 9 0.36 5, 6, 4, 1, 7, 23, 20
Type: Autonomous      
Analysis 10 0.4 4, 2, 10, 11, 13, 15, 8, 18, 19, 24
Bibliography practice 8 0.32 5, 4, 7, 14, 20
Individual reading 45 1.8 4, 1, 7, 22, 11, 15, 24
Individual study 12 0.48 7, 22, 11, 20, 16, 24

Assessment

Assessment

  • Exam  1 - 30%
  • Exam  2  - 35%
  • Class Presentation – 20%
  • Attendance and Class and/or Forum Participation - 15%

 

NOTE CAREFULLY:

  • The assessment is continuous and students must pass each item.
  • Students who do not take both exams and do not show up for the class presentation will not pass the subject. 
  • The level of English is taken into account.
  • VERY IMPORTANT: Plagiarism, that is copying without citing sources, will be an automatic FAIL of the item and if repeated, of the WHOLE COURSE.

 

Reassessment

  • Only those students who obtain at least a 3.5 in both exams may go to the reassessment. 
  • The class presentation is not reassessable. 
  • The reassessment exam will be a test on the whole sylllabus. 
  • The maximum grade for students who need to go to the reassessment exam is 5. 

 

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
1st exam 30% 1.5 0.06 2, 23, 10, 22, 12, 11, 15, 18, 17, 9, 16, 24
2nd exam 35% 1.5 0.06 5, 4, 1, 2, 3, 23, 22, 12, 11, 14, 15, 18, 17, 9, 21, 16, 24
Attendance and participation in class and/or the vitual campus forums 15% 5 0.2 1, 2, 23, 12, 11, 15, 18, 17, 9
Oral presentation 20% 1 0.04 5, 6, 2, 7, 23, 10, 12, 11, 13, 15, 8, 18, 17, 9, 19, 20, 24

Bibliography

Set Texts:

Chimamanda Nogozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun , Fourth Estate, 2006  (Nigeria)

Amitav Ghosh,  The Hungry Tide, HarperCollins, 2004 (India)

Ashwin Singh, To House, 2003 (South Africa)  - available on moodle

Selection of extracts (poetry and short stories plus theory)  - available on moodle

 

Bibliography:  

Ahmad, Aijaz, In Theory.  Classes, Nations, Literatures, London: Verso, 1992.

Ashcroft, Bill, Gareth Griffiths and Helen Tiffin, Key Concepts in Post-Colonial Studies, Routledge, 1998.

Bhabha, Homi K., The Location of Culture, Routledge, 1994.

Boehmer, Elleke, Colonial & Postcolonial Literature, Oxford University Press, 1995.

Boehmer, Elleke, Stories of Women. Gender and Narrative in the Postcolonial Nation. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2005.

Caminero-Santangelo, Byron, Different Shades of Green. African Literature, Environmental Justice, and Political Ecology, UP Virginia, 2014.

Chapman, Michael & Margaret Lenta (eds), SA Lit. Beyond 2000, Scottsville: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2011. 

Chew, Shirley & David Richards, A Concise Companion to Postcolonial Literature, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.

DeLoughrey, Elizabeth & George B. Handley (eds), Postcolonial Ecologies. Literatures of the Environment, Oxford UP, 2011,

Donaldson, Laura E. Decolonizing Fictions: Race, Gender and Empire-building. London and New York: Routledge, 1992.

Fanon, Frantz. Black Skins, White Masks. 1952. Trans. Contance Farrington. New York: Grove Press, 1998.

Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. 1961. Trans. Charles Larn Markmann. London: Penguin Books, 1990.

Ghosh, Amitav, The Great Derangement. Climate Change and the Unthinkable, UP Chicago, 2016.

Hand, Felicity (ed), Durban Dialogues Dissected. An Analysis of Ashwin Singh's Plays, Stellenbosch:  African Sun Media, 2020.

JanMohamed, Abdul. Manichean Aesthetics. Amherst, MA: University ofMassachussets Press, 1983.

Mbembe, Achille. On the Postcolony. Berkeley and London: University of California Press, 2001.

McLeod, John, Beginning Postcolonialism, Manchester University Press, 2000.

Mehrotra, Arvind Krishna (ed), An Illustrated History of Indian Literature in English,  Delhi: Permanent Black – Ravi Dayal Publishers, 2003.

Mishra, Vijay, The Literature of the Indian Diaspora. Theorizing the Diasporic Imaginary, Routledge, 2007.

Mohanty, Chandra Talpade, Ann Russo and Lourdes Torres, eds. Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991.

Naik, M.K. & Shyamala A. Narayan, Indian English Literature 1980-2000. A Critical Survey, Delhi: Pencraft Interantional, 2001.

Ngugi wa’ Thiongo, Decolonizing the Mind. The Politics of Language in African Literature. London: Heinemann, 1986.

Rushdie, Salman, Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism, 1981-1991, Granta, 1991.

Said, Edward, Orientalism, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1991 (1978).

Said, Edward, Culture and Imperialism, New York: Vintage Books, 1994.

Spivak, Gayatri, The Post-Colonial Critic, ed. Sarah Harasym, London: Routledge, 1990.

Williams, Patrick & Laura Chrisman (eds), Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory,  Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1993.

Young, Robert, Colonial Desire. Hybridity in Theory, Culture andRace, Routledge, 1995.

 

Websites:

Amitav Ghosh website: https://www.amitavghosh.com

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie website: http://www.cerep.ulg.ac.be/adichie/index.html

Contemporary Postcolonial and Postimperial Literature in English: http://www.postcolonialweb.org

Postcolonial Theories: http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/Literary_Criticism/postcolonism/postcolonial_link.htm#Introduction

South African History Online  https://www.sahistory.org.za/

 

 

Software

No specific programme will be used in this subject