ENG 246: Native American Literature

 

Date	Before class, you should	During class, we will	In class, you will turn in
Week One August 22         Course Introduction		~ make introductions and go over the syllabus. ~ discuss labels, “political correctness,” and authenticity. ~ identify the problems of reading "Native American" literature. ~ introduce terms of literary analysis and cultural studies. ~ consider perspective and critical thinking in the study of literature. ~ consider the contemporary Native American landscape. ~ watch an excerpt of Power.
Week Two August 29         I is Not for Indian: Unlearning Stereotypes	~ read Stereotypes packet. ~ read Poetry Packet and Alexie, "How to Write the Great American Indian Novel" in Swann (ed.), Native American Songs and Poems.	~ discuss readings. ~ discuss stereotypes of Native Americans in contemporary U.S. culture. ~ watch "Elbow Room" and excerpt from Dances with Wolves. ~ consider examples of stereotypes in literature for children. ~ discuss poems. ~ assign and meet in groups. ~ assign Collaborative Letter. ~ assign Study Notes.	~ Short Writing 1.
Week Three September 5         Native Ways of Knowing: Creation Stories, Early Native Songs, and Indigenous Maps of the Americas	~ read Creation Stories packet. ~ read Silko, "Interior and Exterior Landscapes," "Language and Literature from a Pueblo Indian Perspective," and "The People and the Land ARE Inseparable." ~ read stories from the Miami Nation. ~ read Swann, Native American Songs and Poems (to page 27).	~ discuss the culture and history of the Laguna Pueblos. ~ discuss the relationship between creation stories and culture. ~ discuss Native American mapping practices. ~ discuss readings. ~ discuss the "oral tradition." ~ assign Paper I.	~ Short Writing 2.
Week Four September 12         Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Native American Literature	read Zitkala Sa, "School Days of an Indian Girl" & "Why I Am a Pagan." ~ read Winnemucca Hopkins, excerpt from Life among the Piutes. ~ read Johnson, "A Red Girl's Reasoning." ~ read Schoolcraft excerpts and Nicolar excerpts.	~ discuss readings. ~ discuss Indian Boarding Schools. ~ discuss the BIA. ~ discuss the Indian Removal Act.	~ Short Writing 3.
Week Five September 19	~ read McNickle, The Surrounded (to page 222).	~ discuss readings. ~ discuss history and culture of the Salish & Kootenai Tribe.	~ Short Writing 4.
Week Six September 26	~ finish The Surrounded.	~ conclude our discussion of the novel. ~ discuss the Dawes Act.	~ Paper I. ~ Short Writing 5.
Week Seven October 3   Contemporary Native American Literature: The Historical Novel	~ read Mean Spirit (all of it).	~ discuss the novel. ~ discuss the history and culture of the Osages. ~ assign Paper II.	~ Short Writing 6.
Week Eight October 10	~ read Tracks (all of it).	~ discuss the novel. ~ discuss the history and culture of the Ojibwes. ~ discuss the trickster in Native stories.	~ Short Writing 7.
Week Nine October 17	~ read Ceremony (the first half).	~ discuss the novel. ~ discuss the "Native American Renaissance." ~ discuss Native American participation in the US military.	~ Short Writing 8.
Week Ten October 24	~ finish Ceremony.	~ discuss storytelling and healing as rituals and madness as a response to violence. ~ discuss "the return" in Native literature. ~ conclude our discussion of the novel reading. ~ meet in groups to work on the Collaborative Letter.	~ Short Writing 9.
Week Eleven October 31   Contemporary Native American Poetry: Historical Perspectives	~ finish Swann (ed.), Native American Songs and Poems: An Anthology. ~ read Poetry Packet (handout).	~ discuss readings. ~ discuss the relationship between the past and the present.	~ Paper II. ~ Short Writing 10.
Week Twelve November 7   Native American Fiction about Contemporary Native Lives	~ read Love Medicine (all of it).	~ discuss the novel. ~ discuss families and kinship care.	~ Short Writing 11.
Week Thirteen November 14	~ read Alexie, "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona."	~ watch Smoke Signals. ~ discuss the movie.	~ Collaborative Letter. (Don't forget to turn in your reflection paper with two signed copies of the letter.) ~ Short Writing 12.
Week Fourteen November 21	~ begin reading Green Grass, Running Water. It’s a quick read, but it's long!	NO CLASS!   HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Week Fifteen November 28	~ read Green Grass, Running Water (all of it).	~ discuss treaties between the US and Native nations. ~ discuss the portrayal of Native Americans in the canon of American literature. ~ discuss reading. ~ discuss struggles for water rights for Native American nations. ~ discuss the novel.	~ Short Writing 13.
Week Sixteen   Native American Poetry about Contemporary Native American Lives	~ read Poetry Packet (handout).	~ discuss readings. ~ wrap up the course. ~ complete course evaluations.	~ Short Writing 14.
FINALS WEEK		~ Take the FINAL EXAM at the assigned time (TBA in class).