Grandmother Spider’s Granddaughters: American Indian Writings by Women 4219-SC071
The course – taking as its motto Paula Gunn Allen’s comment that for Indian societies the question "Who is your mother?" is a very important one, because your mother's identity is the key to your own identity – explores the themes of various aspects of womanhood: daughterhood, sisterhood, motherhood and widowhood prevalent in writings by American Indian women. We will explore the meanings ascribed to these different social roles by native tradition and analyze their literary and artistic representation.
The course will start with discussing creation stories to familiarize students with the figures of mythical mothers: Grandmother Spider, Corn Mother, Sky Woman, who gave birth to mankind. We will continue the discussion by tracing these figures and their creative rewritings in contemporary works, both autobiographical and fictional, of Leslie Marmon Silko, Joy Harjo, Linda Hogan, Paula Gunn Allen and Louise Erdrich. We will pay attention to the special bond between women and evaluate the role of storytelling in its formation and maintanance.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
1. KNOWLEDGE
- the ability to critically use the concept of Indianness
- knowledge of various themes/ figures in American Indian literature
- the ability to recognize the specificity of Native American Literature within mainstream literature
- the understanding of the role of oral tradion in Native American Literature and Culture
- basic understading of the dynamics of Indian-Anglo relations
2. SKILLS
- the ability to reognize the cultural dependency of Native American literature
- basic research skills in Native American Literature
- improved skills in critical analysis of texts
- awareness of different forms of orature and their role in Native American culture
- ability to notice the inspiration by oral tradition in contemporary literture
3. SOCIAL COMPETENCES
- the ability to plan and carry out research in Native American culture
- the ability to help others in understanding the specificity of Native American Literature
- respect towards Native American beliefs and rituals
- the competence to identifiy dilemmas concerning the development of Native American Literature
Assessment criteria
1. Attendance and active participation - 10% of the final grade.
2. In class presentation/project - 20 % of the final grade.
3. Response papers - 30% of the final grade.
4. Final paper - 40% of the final grade.
Students will need 60% minimum to pass the class. Failure to complete any of the criteria will result in failure of the class.
Grading scale:
0-60 - 2
61-68 - 3
69-76 - 3,5
77-84 - 4
85-92 - 4,5
93-100 - 5
Bibliography
Selection from: Zitkala-Sa, Leslie Marmon Silko, Louise Erdrich, Joy Harjo, Linda Hogan, Paula Gunn Allen
Secondary sources (selection): Paula Gunn Allen Spider Woman’s Granddaughters: Contemporary Writing by Native American Women; Joy Porter, The Cambridge Companion to Native American Literature; John Prudy, Writing Indian. Native Conversations; David Treuer, Native American Fiction - A User's Manual; Karl Kroeber, Native American Storytelling
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: