DRAFT SYLLABUS (DRAFT ONLY)
COURSE TITLE:
CARIBBEAN NARRATIVES OF MIGRATION
COURSE CODE:
LITS 2111. Transferable to Howard University as ENGL056, ENGL225 or
ENGL227.
LEVEL:
1 and 2
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITE:
( For Howard university students: For transfer as a Level 2 English course,
student must have passed Sophomore Seminar 1. For transfer as a
divisional elective, student must passed a Freshman Writing course.
SEMESTER: Summer 2016, June 19-July 8, with optional extra recreational day July 9.
RATIONALE
The second half of the twentieth century was marked by a wave of migration from the Caribbean and other
once colonized territories, leading to the formation of new diasporas, a phenomenon that is obviously of
historical interest to students of the Americas, inhabiting a region born of a massive and brutal uprooting of
peoples. Migrant literature constitutes a body of texts which frequently give voice to concerns of universal
and compelling importance in an era of increasing globalization and of complex, evolving identities. This
comparative Caribbean literature course should appeal to students majoring in or interested in literature and
culture of the Americas, Literatures in English, Modern Languages and Literatures, History, Cultural Studies,
Migration Studies, Diaspora Studies, Jamaican heritage and culture, and Caribbean Studies.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is a three-week intensive summer course covering thirty six hours including examination time. The
course focuses on Jamaican and other Caribbean narratives of migration while exposing students to the
cultural milieu of Jamaica in ways that help to illuminate the themes and narrative approaches of the selected
texts. Students obtain a rich and diverse encounter with the literature in its cultural context and are
encouraged to think critically and creatively about the relations between their own history and culture and
those of Jamaica/the Caribbean, and the implications for diaspora, nationalism and concepts of heritage. We
will cover a selection of narratives tracing migration from former colonies to metropolitan capitals as well as
from diverse territories to North American cities. Among the thematic concerns reflected in these texts are:
the nature of diaspora, the myth of the Mother Country, the American dream, displacement, relocation,
transnationalism, multiculturalism, hybridity, national and regional identities, and the role of culture, including
language, in negotiating migration experiences. The prescribed texts, which include films as well as novels
and short fiction, are the work of writers/directors originating from the Caribbean (Anglophone,
Francophone and Hispanic) with ancestral roots in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Field trips to
major cultural spaces, places and events are an integral part of the course content and assessment. Some
supplemental reading material will be provided by the professor to flesh out context where necessary.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
1. Analyse the historical reasons for the importance of migration in the relevant societies.
2. Define and discuss the concept of diaspora and its relation to the concepts of nation/alism and
transnationality.
3. Discuss the cultural and historical issues and elements shared or contested among the relevant Caribbean
societies and their own societies.
3. Critically assess the importance of the theme of migration in the selection of texts studied.
4. Analyse the formal elements (literary and filmic) of the narratives studied.
5. Analyse the thematic concerns reflected in the prescribed texts.
6. Write critically on the narratives studied.
7. Critically assess the role and function of their own travel experience in Jamaica in the context of a study of
migration narratives
PRESCRIBED TEXTS
Students must purchase all texts, including films. Texts will be available for purchase at the UWI Bookshop
but it is recommended that you purchase these in the USA ahead of your travel to Jamaica.
Kei Miller. The Last Warner Woman
Erna Brodber. Myal
Edwidge Danticat. Krik? Krak! (selections)
Heading South (film)
Kaleb (film)
METHOD OF DELIVERY
Interactive lectures/discussions, film, video clips, internet searches, field trips
ASSESSMENT:
Assessment will be based on coursework and examination. Coursework includes a self-evaluative journal
reflecting on the total study abroad experience with the field trips forming an integral part of the reflection
and two short essays or an essay and presentation. The examination will be scheduled for the final day of
class and will consist of an essay and short answer paper.
PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE
Sunday, June 19: Arrival (Norman Manley International Airport), Airport Pick-Up, Settling into University
Dorm Accommodations, and Welcome Reception (University of the West Indies)
Monday June 20: ID Session; UWI Campus Tour; Kingston and St Andrew Tour
Week 1: Classes will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon from Tuesday June 20 to Friday June 24.
Weeks 2-3: Classes will be held Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Field trips will be scheduled Mon-Thur 2-5 p.m., or Fri-Sunday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., depending on the
nature of the trip.
CONTENT
WEEK 1:
A. Introductory lecture/discussion: the historical context
Migration to Europe from the “colonies”
Migration to North America
Postcolonial theory
Questions of identity related to migration (nationality, language etc)
The concept of diaspora
B. The Last Warner Woman
C. Kingston heritage-historical tour
D. Field trip: Revival/Pocomania church service
E. Cultural Event 1
F. [Possible Meet the Author Session with Kei Miller]
G. Written Assignment / Presentation1
Week 2:
A. Myal
B. Field Trip: Maroon Community ( Either Charles Town, Portland, traveling east coast; or
Accompong, St Elizabeth—traveling south coast)
C. Recreational field trip: YS Falls, St Elizabeth
D. Meet the Author Session with Erna Brodber
E. Guest presentation: Jamaican language
F. Cultural Event 2
G. Written Assignment/Presentation 2
Week 3:
A. Krik? Krak! , Heading South and Kaleb
B. Field Trip: Bob Marley Museum
C. Field Trips: Port Royal and National Gallery of Jamaica (Gallery exposes students to Haitian art and
Jamaican intuitive art, including the work of Revivalist Mallica Kapo Reynolds); Port Royal, the famous
piratical sin city (‘wickedest city in the world’) of the colonial period, exposes students to sites, ruins
and artefacts of the colonial period; tourism; ‘native’ culture and the clashes /interactions among all
three in the landscape and built environment. Local cuisine: fish and bammy)
D. Examination: Thursday July 7, 2016.
E. Friday July 8: Leave for recreational trip and weekend: Dunns River Falls, Runaway Caves. Hotel:
(north coast). NOTE: Cost of hotel accommodation on North Coast not included in the
payment advertised. Cost of visit to Dunns River Falls and Runaway Caves is included, so students
can opt to visit these attractions and return to Kingston on Friday evening.
Saturday July 9: Vacate university dorms; Pick up and Drop off at Norman Manley International
Airport for students opting not to spend the weekend on the north coast.
Saturday July 9 (evening): Return to Kingston for students opting for the north coast weekend.
Sunday July 10: Vacate university dorms; Pick up and Drop off at Norman Manley International
Airport for students opting to spend the weekend on the north coast.