AFS 236: Mapping Caribbean Identity
Spring 2015
Professor: Florence Ramond Jurney
Office: McKnight 45
Email: fjurney@gettysburg.edu
Phone: 337-6870
Office hours: Monday, Wednesday 10-11; Tuesday 10-11:30; or by appointment.
Class meeting times: The class will meet MWF 9-9:50 am, Glatfelter Hall 103.
Texts used in class and available at the bookstore (or on any good online bookstore of
your choosing, or free via interlibrary loan):
Danticat, Edwidge. The Farming of Bones. (Haiti)
Alvárez, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies (Dominican Republic)
Zobel, Joseph. Black Shack Alley (Martinique)
Cliff, Michelle. No Telephone to Heaven. (Jamaica)
Marshall, Paule. Praisesong for a Widow. (Barbados)
Súarez, Virgil. Welcome to the Oasis and Other Stories (Cuba)
Description of the course:
As you may have noticed, there is a nice balance in the choice of novels between
men and women authors, as well as in the origins of these authors as they spread evenly
between the Francophone, Hispanophone or Anglophone Caribbean world. In other
words, you will be introduced to the cultural, social and literary variety of the Caribbean
world (all the novels will be read in English, original or a translation). In this class, you
will study of the evolution of the Caribbean people from colonial to post-colonial times
through careful reading of literature. A small and accessible body of postcolonial theory
supplements the works of fiction and will help you place each work in a historical,
cultural and theoretical context. Even though this class looks at the Caribbean through
literature, the focus is on the different historical, political, and cultural realities imposed
on the various islands and their populations by the respective colonizing powers. Thus, it
will be important to not only be aware of the geographical position of each island, but
also to know the turning points in the history the places studied. Finally, this class will
fulfill the Global Understanding requirement at Gettysburg College because the literature
studied is grounded in post-colonial theory and focuses on the creation of identities that
define themselves in opposition to a colonial and western heritage as they appeal to the
basic values of the negritude, caribbeanness (antillanité), and creoleness (créolité)
movements. It will also count towards your major or minor in Africana Studies as well
as your major or minor in Latin American Studies.
How does this course fit in your personal learning journey at Gettysburg College:
This course creates a bridge between the Introduction to African-American Studies (AFS
130), Introduction to African Studies (AFS 230) and Making of the Diaspora in the
Americas (AFS 272) as it focuses on the displaced Africans in the Caribbean where they
formed as a people in place of the Arawak and Carib natives who had been decimated.
This course opens up the world of interdisciplinarity as it links nicely literature, history,
and contemporary global realities. Finally, it can also answer questions you may have
about the realities of a place that is commonly described as "exotic."
Goals of the course:
1)
a) to be familiar with historical and cultural contexts of the novel read
b) to be able to talk intelligently about Caribbean literature
2)
a) to analyze critically works of fiction
b) to offer close readings of the selected novels
c) to be able to synthesize material
General:
1) No late papers are accepted. They are due during class-time of the day they are
assigned. It is your responsibility to get it to me on time.
2) No make-ups are given. The absent or delinquent student will receive a zero for
these grades.
3) I expect every student to be respectful of the ideas of others. There are no "stupid"
ideas, simply ideas you might disagree with. Remember that you have every right to
argue your view point as long as you use a respectful tone of voice and arguments based
on substance rather than on personal judgment ("As X says Z, we can conclude that Y,
and I believe it can be applied here" rather than "I feel" "I like" "I don't like")
4) If you know you are going to be missing class, have the courtesy to call me or send
me an email before. You are not just a number in this class, and I rely on every one of
you everyday.
Course requirements
1) Attendance/ Participation:
Class participation is an important component of this class since the class focuses on
informed discussions rather than on lectures. You are not allowed more than three (3)
missed classes during the semester, whatever the reason, or your participation grade will
be dropped by a letter grade for each subsequent absence. Unannounced in-class quizzes
may be given if I see that the readings are not (or not well) done. No make-up will be
offered.
2) Caribbean country profile + movie review:
Each student will pick one of the Caribbean islands the writers we study are from, and
research information on one very specific aspect of this island (history; politics/
geography/ culture). Write a critical analysis of the aspect in question (2 pages).
ie: Martinique seen through a historical/ political lens:
1) Write a BRIEF summary of how Martinique went from being a French colony to being
a department of France.
2) Write a critical analysis of the situation including pros and cons as well as the
consequences of such a move 50 years later (ie. Include a discussion of the violent
demonstrations in the island in March/ April 2009).
The critical movie review will be done on “Heading South” by Laurent Cantet (2005) (on
reserve) and needs to be no less than 550 words and no more than 650 words.
3) Literary papers:
You will write two (2) six to seven-page papers on the novels read in class (double space,
12 Points Font/Times New Roman). You will be given possible topics.
4) Mid-term:
You will be asked to show your knowledge of the history and geography of the West
Indies as well as reflect on some theoretical concepts and how they apply to the works
read in class.
5) Global understanding:
You will be asked to write weekly reflections on the impact of the issues we discuss in
class in the global world. In order to write these weekly papers (250-300 words, double
space, 12 Points Font/Times New Roman), you will have to watch visual documents, and
attend lectures or events on campus.
6) Final exam:
Through various questions of reflection, you will be asked to show a synthesis of what
you learned throughout the semester to describe the bigger picture and explain how each
piece fits in the whole.
Grading:
1) Caribbean country profile + movie review 10%
2) Two seven-page literary papers
20%
3) One mid-term
20%
4) One final exam
30%
5) Global understanding
10%
6) Oral participation
10%
Ethics and Plagiarism
The honor code applies to all the work done in this class. Consult your honor code
booklet, and when in doubt, come and ask me. Unless indicated otherwise, you are
encouraged to use various sources for your papers written at home. Do so sparingly, but
QUOTE your sources when you cite directly or when you paraphrase (Smith says: "Love
is beautiful" (Smith 25) or "One of Smith's main arguments rests on the beauty of love"
(Smith 25) or "The border between Mexico and the US, or "tortilla curtain" (Anzaldúa
13), is the source of many disagreements between the two countries"). Always turn in a
list of works cited with your papers and if you wrote the correct quote on a piece of paper
but forgot to write the page and cannot find it again when the time to use it comes, write
the author's name in parenthesis.
Possible topics for Literary Paper #1
1. The 1937 Massacre is told from opposite perspectives in The Farming of Bones
and In the Time of the Butterflies. Compare those two perspectives using precise
examples from both novels.
2. Examine the role and the importance of education in Black Shack Alley.
3. Various characters show different ways they commit personally to political causes
in In the Time of the Butterflies. Describe and compare the different cases you
find using precise examples from the novel.