Iz literature seminar : Introduction to Francophone literature of the Americas (Caribbean, Quebec) 3304-1DPXW-KL-026
The aim of the course is to provide students with an in-depth introduction to the main intellectual and aesthetic currents of contemporary francophone literature in the Americas, with a particular focus on the Caribbean and Quebec. The course will analyze the various literary expressions present in these geo-cultural spaces, reflecting the richness of tradition, history and socio-political experience. Particular emphasis will be placed on the importance of oral literature, which in many contexts not only precedes written literature, but also continues to coexist with it as a living form of transmission, important for the construction of cultural identity and collective memory.
The course also takes into account references to indigenous cultures, which bring unique perspectives and sensibilities to the literary space, especially in Quebec's social and aesthetic context. The class will be taught using a socio-critical and post-colonial approach to analyze literary texts in their historical, political and cultural contexts. Literature - both written and oral - will be approached as a tool for expressing individual and collective identity, as well as a space for reflecting on the complex relationships between tradition, family, environment, history and the political world.
The course will discuss selected excerpts from the works of authors and women authors from Haiti (Jacques Stephen Alexis, Dany Laferrière, Edwidge Danticat, Joujou Turenne), Martinique (Aimé Césaire, Ina Césaire, Patrick Chamoiseau), Quebec (Michèle Lalonde, Michel Tremblay, Marco Micone), as well as the literature of the indigenous peoples in Quebec (Natasha Kanapé Fontaine, Naomi Fontaine, Emilie Monnet). These fragments will be selected by the class instructor and will form the basis for joint analysis and discussion.
Through an interdisciplinary approach that combines textual analysis with elements of history, sociology, anthropology and cultural theory, students will gain the tools necessary to work independently and critically with texts representing a variety of postcolonial, diasporic and indigenous cultural experiences.
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
The student has knowledge of the culture of France and French-speaking countries (K_W12); has a systematized knowledge of the basic processes taking place in the areas of language, literature and Francophone culture (K_W04); is able to use a variety of sources and methods, traditional and modern, to search, analyze, evaluate, select and use information necessary for participation in class (K_U01); is able to recognize different types of cultural products (language, literature, art) and to carry out their critical analysis and interpretation using typical methods (K_U05); is able to cooperate in a group, solve problems in discussion and initiate solutions appropriate to the situation (K_K02); is interested in contemporary processes and phenomena taking place in cultural life and literature of Francophone countries (K_K09).
Assessment criteria
- 2 tests (text analysis and test with open questions)
- oral credit for the degree during the examination session
- attendance and activity in class
- 3 absences (more absences will result in the need to write an additional test)
Details of the various components will be determined at the first class of the course.
Bibliography
A detailed program and reading list will be given at the first class.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: