Ateneo - UPO

Introduction to colonial/postcolonial literatures in English and North-American literature through a wide formal and thematic spectrum of short stories. Each class will be partly a lecture introducing a given writer in the context of his/her social and historical background, and partly a close reading and discussion of the texts assigned for each class. Students will also be introduced to terms and concepts for literary analysis, paying special attention to the formal elements of a given short story: structure, narration, characterization, point of view, voice.

Dean Baldwin and Patrick J. Quinn, An Anthology of Postcolonial Short Fiction, Cengage Learning 2007; P. Poplawski, English Literature in Context, second edition, CUP 2017; John McLeod, Beginning Postcolonialism, Manchester UP, 2010; Cristina Iuli, Paola Loreto, La letteratura degli Stati Uniti dal Rinascimento Americano ai nostri giorni, Roma, Carocci 2017.

The basic educational objectives of the course are: 1. to provide an introductory overview of the themes and languages of world literatures in English and of the history of North American literature through the reading and analysis of a selection of 19th and 20th-century short stories; 2. to provide appropriate basic tools for the analysis of short stories, in order to recognize their formal characteristics (structure, plot, character development, point of view, narrative voice, etc.) and their implications.
A more advanced objective is the development of the ability to critically analyze the texts considered, with particular attention to their linguistic dimension.

No specific requirement. Cultural and linguistic competence in L1 as certified by high school diploma. B1 level of English

Lectures and in-class readings of primary texts

Program for non attending students does not vary.
This class has been conceived to meet goals 4,5, 16 of the Unesco 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda: Quality Education; Gender Equality; Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Students' performance will be assessed through three written exams: one in Literatures of English-speaking countries (divided into two parts) and two in North American Literature (one midterm exam on the history of literature textbook and one involving analysis and commentary on the short stories included in the exam).

The evaluation of each module contributes 50% to the final grade.

Grading criteria, shared by both modules, are based on the student's transversal skills and align with the expected learning outcomes:

27-30: Excellent knowledge of the main aspects of 19th- and 20th-century anglophone literatures; in-depth knowledge of the texts and well-developed analytical skills concerning the short story genre (with reference to stylistic characteristics and formal narrative elements such as structure, plot, character development, point of view, voice, etc.); ability to engage with arguments, hypotheses, theses, and perspectives presented in literary texts; excellent expressive proficiency. Honors will be awarded for personal and critical elaboration of the themes studied and the ability to independently deepen particular topics, even beyond the indications provided in class and in the exam syllabus.

23-26: Fair knowledge of the main aspects of 19th- and 20th-century anglophone literatures; adequate knowledge of the texts and satisfactory analytical skills concerning the short story genre; fair ability to engage with arguments, hypotheses, theses, and perspectives presented in literary texts; adequate expressive proficiency.

18-22: Inaccurate or rote-memorized knowledge of the syllabus; superficial understanding of the texts and limited analytical skills; inability to go beyond simple plot summaries when discussing literary works; weak expressive proficiency in oral and written exposition.

Failing grade: Inability to navigate the assigned material; lack of textual analysis; failure to construct a logical argument; inappropriate language.

World literatures in English:
Week 1: Introduction: Situating the colonial and postcolonial in space, time, theory
Week 2-3: The Nineteenth Century and Imperial Responses
Kipling, “The Man Who Would Be King”
Lessing, “Old Chief Mshlanga”
Week 4-5: The Colonial Response
Mansfield, “How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped”
Rhys, “The Day They Burnt the Books”
O’Connor, “Guests of the Nation”
Week 6-7: Immigrants and the Diaspora
Divakaruni, “Clothes”
Rushdie, “The Courter”
Week 7-8: The Colonial Legacy at Home
Achebe, “Girls at War”
Gordimer, “Amnesty”
North-American Literature:
Introduction; The Geopolitical History of the United States; Critical Terms for Reading Short Stories;
"The 1619 Project" – The New York Times (2019)
Short Stories:
Edgar Allan Poe, "The Black Cat " (1845)
Week Two: Nathanael Hawthorne, “The Minister’s Black Veil” (1836)
Week Three: Benito Cereno (1855)
Week Four: Mark Twain, “A True Story, Repeated Word for Word as I Heard It” (1874); Kate Chopin, “Desirée’s Baby” (1894); Stephen Crane, "The Monster";
Week Five: William Faulkner “Dry September” (1931)
Week Seven: Zora Neale Hurston, “The Gilded Six Bits” (1933);
Week Eight: Flannery O’ Connor “The Artificial Nigger” (1955)
Week Nine: James Baldwin, “Going to Meet the Man” (1965)
Week Ten: June Jordan, "Dry Victories" (1972); Percival Everett, "The Appropriation of Culture" (2004).

In order to achieve the knowledge, skills, and abilities corresponding to the basic level, the student is required to demonstrate:
(KNOWLEDGE): Knowledge of the main features of postcolonial literature and 19th- and 20th-century American literature; understanding of the short story genre (its stylistic and formal features: structure, plot, character development, point of view, voice, etc.);
(SKILLS): The ability to read, interpret, and evaluate literary works from the Anglo-American tradition based on textual evidence;
The ability to discuss and refute arguments, hypotheses, theses, and perspectives presented by literary texts;
(TRANSVERSAL SKILLS): The ability to clearly and effectively present knowledge, information, and opinions related to the topics covered, using appropriate language and terminology.
To achieve an advanced level, the student must demonstrate the ability to: analyze the assigned texts with particular attention to their linguistic dimension; read the texts from a critical perspective, identifying their peculiarities and points of connection.