Ateneo - UPO

Colonial and postcolonial: An Introduction to World Literatures in English.
The course offers an introduction to the plurality of the literary and cultural traditions of the Anglophone world through the study of colonial and postcolonial short fiction, poetry, and essays; combines close reading of literary texts with an introduction to key concepts in postcolonial theory and to the historical and cultural contexts of the works studied; discusses encounters between the centre of the British Empire and its colonies or former colonies, considering nineteenth-century imperialist discourse and colonial counter-perspectives, migrant and diasporic identities, processes of linguistic reinvention, gender issues, and the enduring effects of colonial violence and cultural displacement.

P. Poplawski, English Literature in Context, second edition, CUP 2017; John McLeod, Beginning Postcolonialism, Manchester UP, 2010; Philippa Levine, The British Empire. Sunrise to Sunset, third edition, Routledge, 2020; Ashley Jackson, The British Empire: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford UP, 2013.

The course is consistent with the specific learning objectives of the Degree Program in Modern Foreign Languages (SUA-CdS, point 2.1), which require students to acquire advanced
linguistic and literary competence in their languages of study and the ability to critically read and interpret literary texts within their historical and cultural context.
The basic educational objectives of the course are: to understand the diversity of literary and cultural traditions in the Anglophone world through the reading and analysis of a selection of short stories, poems, and essays focusing on the colonial and postcolonial experience, with particular attention to: mechanisms of contact between the centre of the empire and its former colonies; phenomena of subversion and hybridisation of European culture; the reinvention of the English language; gender dynamics; to acquire basic knowledge of postcolonial theory and of the historical and cultural contexts relating to the texts and authors examined;to acquire basic skills in reading literary texts in prose and poetry and argumentative essays.A more advanced objective is the development of the ability to analyse literary texts and synthesise them critically, with particular attention to their linguistic, rhetorical, and stylistic dimension.

B1 level of English

Of the 6 ECTS credits assigned to the course, 30 hours are devoted to face-to-face instructor-led teaching (DE), delivered as frontal lectures organised into weekly thematic units; these hours include
interactive teaching activities (DI), such as guided seminar discussions. The remaining workload is devoted to guided independent study, through the individual reading and analysis of the assigned texts.

Lectures, assignments and assessment will be in English.
Students unable to attend are asked to refer to the same syllabus as students regularly coming to class.
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.

The exam consists of a two-hour written test in English, divided into two parts.The first part includes seven factual questions designed to assess students’ detailed knowledge of the primary texts on the syllabus. This will be done through activities such as the recognition of a short significant passage, for which students will be asked to identify the author and title and/or to explain the function of the passage within the larger text. Each answer is awarded a score from 0 to 2 points, depending on the accuracy of the information provided.The second part consists of four open-ended questions on specific aspects of the syllabus. These questions are intended to assess:basic knowledge of the history of colonization and decolonization of the main former British colonies;knowledge of the main outlines of postcolonial literary history and of the related critical debate;the ability to present knowledge, information, and opinions on the topics covered clearly and effectively, using appropriate language and terminology;the ability to analyze a passage from the texts on the syllabus, with particular attention to the relationship between text and context — historical, geographical, political, and gender-related — as well as to linguistic, rhetorical, and stylistic features.Each answer is awarded a score from 0 to 4 points, according to the following scale:4 points: a well-developed answer showing an organic understanding of the topic, excellent ability to contextualize, excellent skills in synthesis and textual analysis, and excellent command of expression.3 points: an answer that is substantially correct in content and expression, with some minor imperfections.2 points: an answer showing mostly mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the subject; expression is not always appropriate.1 point: an answer showing minimal knowledge of the syllabus; poor command of expression; inability, when discussing the texts, to go beyond a simple summary of the plots.The sum of the scores obtained in the first and second parts determines the final mark, expressed out of thirty. An additional score of 1 to 3 points, to be added to the mark obtained in the written exam, will be awarded to students who complete all the reading-support activities included in the “Assignments” section of the course DIR page. The activities must be completed individually and by the stated deadlines. If one or more activities are not completed by the final deadline indicated, no additional points will be awarded.The activities will be assessed on the basis of the accuracy of the answers provided, the precision with which the assigned tasks are carried out, and the clarity and coherence of expression. Under no circumstances is the use of AI tools permitted in completing the activities. The professor reserves the right to award the additional points only after an oral assessment confirming the student’s language competence and command of the content demonstrated in the completed activities.Honours (30 cum Laude) will be awarded for the ability to engage personally and critically with the topics covered, and/or for the ability to carry out independent work on specific topics not included in the syllabus.

Week 1-2: Introduction: Situating the colonial and postcolonial in space, time, theory; readings: Ngūgī Wa Thiong’o, from Decolonizing the Mind; Salman Rushdie, from “Commonwealth Literature Does not Exist”; Kamau Brathwaite, “Nation Language”; Walcott, "The Schooner Flight"; De Souza, "De Souza Prabhu"; Nichols, "Wherever I hang"; Awoonor, "The Weaver Bird"; Agard, Listen mr Oxford Don"Week 3-4: The Nineteenth Century and Imperial Responses; readings: Kipling, "The White Man's Burden", “The Man Who Would Be King” Lessing, “Old Chief Mshlanga” Week 5: The Colonial Response; readings: Mansfield, “How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped”; Ihimaera, "The Affectionate Kidnappers"; Rhys, “The Day They Burnt the Books” Week 6-7: Immigrants and the Diaspora; readings: Divakaruni, “Clothes”; Rushdie, “The Courter” Week 7-8: The Colonial Legacy at Home: readings: Achebe, “Girls at War”; Gordimer, “Amnesty” The critical essays accompanying the primary texts, available on the course DIR page, are compulsory for non-attending students and strongly recommended for all students.

In order to achieve the knowledge, skills, and abilities corresponding to a foundational level, the student is required to demonstrate:(KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING): basic knowledge of the history of colonization and decolonization of the major former British colonies; knowledge of the main aspects of postcolonial literary history; (SKILLS): the ability to analyze and synthesize the proposed texts, with particular attention to the relationship between text and context (historical, geographical, political, gender-related); (TRANSVERSAL SKILLS): the ability to clearly and effectively present knowledge, information, and opinions on the topics covered, using appropriate language and terminology. To achieve an advanced level, the student must demonstrate the ability to: analyse the assigned texts with particular attention to their linguistic and rhetoric-stylistic dimension; read the texts from a critical perspective, identifying their peculiarities and points of connection.