English 632
Postcolonialism and American Indian Literature
T Th 3:00 – 4:45
CRT 466
Course Web Page:
http://www.uwm.edu/~michael/courses/632fa02
Fall 2002
Michael Wilson
Curtin 495
Office Hours: T Th 4:15- 5:00
Th 2:00 – 3:00
email: michael@uwm.edu
Phone: 229-4839
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this course, we will look at some of the critical discussions surrounding the term “postcolonialism.” We will
determine what aspects of this field are useful to the field of American Indian literature, and then we will employ
these concepts to read American Indian novels.
COURSE READINGS
Earth Shall Weep – James Wilson
Beginning Postcolonialism -- John McLeod
The Empire Writes Back -- Ashcroft, Griffiths, Tiffin
The Post-Colonial Reader -- eds. Ashcroft, Griffith, Tiffin
Peace, Power, Righteousness -- Taiaiake Alfred
From the Deep Woods to Civilization -- Charles Eastman
Black Eagle Child -- Ray Young Bear
Lakota Woman -- Mary Brave Bird
Gardens in the Dunes, Leslie Marmon Silko
Bingo Palace, Louise Erdrich
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & POLICIES
Students must have access to email on a daily basis. You will be subscribed to an electronic mailing list for the
class. This list will contain response writing from the class, updates, assignments, and other information.
Important: One email for each assignment. Write the name of the assignment/chapter, date, and the number “632”
in the subject line.
There are three types of assignments in this course:
1) Class Responses. Students are required to send by email a one-half page (around 125 words) response
paper to the topic for the day of the class. In this response, students should present what they brought to
the class discussion for the day. Students should feel free to experiment with these responses: poems,
character sketches, humorous essays, and so on, are acceptable. Expression concerns (grammar and
punctuation) are not especially important here, but the writing should be understandable and
interesting. Email these responses to Michael@uwm.edu. Responses for Tuesday classes are due on
Friday; responses for Thursday classes are due Monday. This portion of the class counts for 20 percent
of your course grade.
2) Reading Responses. Students are required to provide an important detail from each assigned reading
(section of the book), essay, and documentary and show how this detail relates to the overall theme of
the chapter or film. These responses should be one page in length (around 250 words). Responses for
Tuesday classes are due on Friday; responses for Thursday classes are due Monday. This portion of the
class counts for 50 percent of your course grade. You are to write after we have had a chance to discuss
sections in class. Email these responses to Michael@uwm.edu.
3) Short Papers. Students are also required to write two more formal five-page papers, the first due
November 5th, and the second due December 19th. The most important aspects of these papers are
insightful commentary about the readings and a strong focus (organization). Email these responses to
Michael@uwm.edu. The short papers count for 30 percent of your course grade (15% each).
INCOMPLETE POLICY
Students will receive “incompletes” in the cases of documented health emergencies or other catastrophic
emergencies.
Late papers will be accepted only with prior approval from the instructor. Papers turned in late without prior
approval will be returned without an assigned grade.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of a university. All members of the academic
community must be confident that each person’s work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed,
and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is
successful. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious
consequences that range from probation to expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or
collaboration, consult with your instructor. Students who engage in plagiarism will receive a failing grade for the
course.
Fall 2002
NOTE: Approximate Schedule
Week 1:
Tuesday – September 3
Introduction – Groupwork
Thursday – September 5
Ashcroft, Introduction
McLeod, Introduction
ESW Prologue, Chapter 1
Week 2:
Tuesday – September 10
Ashcroft I, “Cutting the Ground”
McLeod 1 Commonwealth to Postcolonial
Spivak, “Can the Subaltern Speak?” (Reader)
Thursday – September 12
Parry, “Problems in Current Theories…” (Reader)
Slemon, “The Scramble for Post-colonialism” (Reader)
ESW Chapter 2
Week 3:
Tuesday – September 17
Ashcroft 2, “Re-Placing Language”
McLeod 2, “Reading Colonial Discourses”
Achebe, “Colonialist Criticism” (Reader
Thursday – September 19
Larson, “Heroic Ethnocentrism” (Reader)
Bishop, “Western Mathematics” (Reader)
ESW Chapter 3
Week 4:
Tuesday – September 24
Ashcroft 4, “Theory at the Crossroads”
McLeod 3, “Nationalist representations”
Said, “Orientialism” (Reader)
Thursday – September 26
Kincaid, “A Small Place” (Reader)
Tiffin, “Post-colonial Literatures” (Reader)
ESW Chapter 4
Week 5:
Tuesday – October 1
Ashcroft 5, “Re-placing theory”
McLeod 4, “The Nation in Question”
[Sharpe, “Figures of Colonial Resistance” (Reader)Taken
off the reading list.
Thursday – October 3
Fanon, “National Culture” (Reader)
Bhahba, “Dissemination” (Reader)
ESW Chapter 5
ESW Chapter 10
Week 6: Deep Woods
Tuesday – October 8
McLeod 7, Diaspora Identities
[Soller, “Who is Ethnic” (Reader) Taken
Week 11: Bingo Palace
Tuesday – November 12
Lee, “Writing in a Colonial Space”
Alfred, “Native Political Elites”
off the reading list.]
Thursday – October 10
Mudrooroo, “White Forms, Aboriginal Content”
ESW Chapter 6
Week 7: Deep Woods
Tuesday – October 15
Goldie, “Representation of the Indigene” (Reader)
Griffiths, “Myth of Authenticity” (Reader)
Thursday – October 17
Trinh T. Minh-ha, “No Master Territories”
ESW Chapter 7
Thursday – November 14
Alfred, “Abuse of Power” and “Re-empowerment”
ESW Chapter 11
Week 12: Black Eagle Child
Tuesday – November 19
Altbach, “Education and Neocolonialism”
Alfred, “’Sovereignty’ – An Inappropriate Concept”
Thursday – November 21
Alfred, “Colonial Mentalities” and “Co-optation”
ESW Chapter 12
Week 8: Lakota Woman
Tuesday – October 22
McLeod 6, Postcolonialism and Feminism
Trinh T Minh-ha, “Writing Postcoloniality and Feminism
Week 13: Black Eagle Child
Tuesday – November 26
Wilson and Moore, "Interview" (on-line)
Salzer, "Ray Young Bear's Cantaloupe Terrorist:
Storytelling as a Site of Resistance" (on-line)
Alfred, “Self-Conscious Traditionalism”
Thursday – October 24
Katrak, “Decolonizing Literature: Toward a Theory for
Post-Colonial Women’s Texts”
ESW Chapter 8
Thursday – November 28
No Class
Week 9: Lakota Woman
Tuesday – October 29
Suleri, “Woman Skin Deep: Feminism and the
Postcolonial Condition” (Reader)
Mohanty, “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and
Colonial Discourses” (Reader)
Thursday – October 31
Fee, “Who Can Write As Other?” (Reader)
ESW Chapter 9
Week 10: Bingo Palace
Tuesday – November 5
Alfred, “Native American Political Traditions”
Mitchell, “Postcolonial Culture, Postimperial Criticism”
(Reader)
Thursday – November 7
Week 14: Gardens in the Dunes
Tuesday – December 3
Chakrabarty, “Postcoloniality and the Artifice of History”
(Reader)
Alfred, “Leadership” and “Responsibility”
Thursday – December 5
Alfred, “Money”
ESW -- Epilogue
Week 15: Gardens in the Dunes
Tuesday – December 10
Christian, “Race for Theory”
Alfred, “Modern Treaties: A Path to Assimiliation”
Thursday – December 12
Alfred, “For the Youth: Toward a New Native Leadership”