The last half of the 20th century has seen the establishment of a literary canon of classics from many places in the Third World: India, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. Some authors have become not only recognizable to, but indispensable for, the educated First World reader: Chinua Achebe, Salman Rushdie, V.S. Naipaul, Gabriel García Márquez, and Bharati Mukherjee are certainly some of these authors. How do these authors shape their worlds and what issues concern them? What in their works and formal methods appeals so much to the readers of the First World? In this regard, we will consider how canons come to be: what are the criteria by which certain books are selected to become classics?

The foundational option of this course (HUMS633W) provides an additional level of guidance, support, and feedback. Students enrolling in the first term of study, as degree candidates or with the intention to apply for candidacy, are encouraged to take advantage of this option. Foundation courses focus sharply on the development of the necessary tools and skills required by graduate level research and writing. Students enrolled in the foundational course option will have additional writing assignments and will receive more extensive detailed feedback on their work from the instructor.

• Requirements
  Faithful attendance and engaged, thoughtful participation in discussion. You should come to class not only having read the material assigned for that day, but prepared with questions and ideas about it. The written work will consist of three essays of 3‐4 pages, double‐spaced, and a final paper of 5‐7 pages.  One in-class presentation.
• Texts

  Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

  Chinua Achebe, Education of a British‐Protected Child

  Chimamananda Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun

  Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children

  Arundhati Roy, God of Small Things

  Roberto Bolano, Monsieur Pain

  Junot Diaz, The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

  V.S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas

  Bharati Mukherjee, Jasmine

  Keri Hulme, The Bone People

  David Damrosch, How to Read World Literature

• Schedule

  SCHEDULE:

  Class session 1:  ESTABLISHING THE CANON

  Achebe, Things Fall Apart: Read Part One
  from The Education of a British‐Protected Child: "The Education of a British‐Protected Child"
  "Teaching Things Fall Apart" from How to Read World Literature: "What Is 'Literature'?"

  Class session 2: COMBATTING AND CONSTRUCTING TRADITIONS

  Finish Achebe's Things Fall Apart
  from The Education of a British‐Protected Child: "My Dad and Me"
  "Spelling Our Proper Name"
  from How to Read World Literature: "Reading across Time"

  Class Session 3: LITERATURE AND THE NATION

  Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun
  from The Education of a British‐Protected Child: "What Is Nigeria to Me?"
  "Africa's Tarnished Name"

  ESSAY # 1 DUE IN CLASS

  Class Session 4:   A LANGUAGE OF ONE'S OWN

  Rushdie, Midnight's Children: Read all of Book One and through the chapter titled "All‐India Radio" in Book Two
  from The Education of a British‐Protected Child: "Politics and Politicians of Language in African Literature"

  Class Session 5: GENDER, RACE, AND CLASS

  Roy, God of Small Things

  ESSAY # 2 DUE IN CLASS

  Class session 6: ETHNICITY AND THE NATION

   V.S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas

  Class Session 7: AUTHENTICITY, MULTICULTURALISM, AND HYBRIDITY

  Mukherjee, Jasmine from How to Read World Literature: "Going Global"

  Class Session 8: THE QUESTION OF TRANSLATION

  Bolano, Monsieur Pain from How to Read World Literature: "Reading in Translation"

  Class session 9: AT HOME IN DIASPORA

  Diaz, The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
  from How to Read World Literature: "Going Abroad"

  ESSAY # 3 DUE IN CLASS

  Class Session 10: CLAIMING INDIGENEITY

  Hulme, The Bone People

  FINAL PAPER DUE Monday, August 1, 5-7 pages

• Faculty Bio
  Indira Karamcheti B.A., M.A., Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara) is associate professor of English and American Studies. Her teaching and research interests include postcolonial literature and theory, the literature of the South Asian diaspora, and the writing of ethnic and racial minorities in the U.S. She has written on such authors as Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, Simone Schwarz-Bart, and Aime Cesaire.