Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Substitute(s)
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course will focus on the representation of Africa and Africans in contemporary African diasporic literatures. Following a brief introduction to the history of the continent and its portrayal in literary and non-literary discourses, the course will consist in a series of close readings of (mostly fictional) texts by writers from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and the Caribbean.
The texts to be read in class illustrate the thematic, narrative, and formal diversity of African diasporic literatures. More specifically, these texts fall into three categories:
- Short texts that discuss, resist, or possibly perpetuate stereotyped images of Africa as either an "exotic" location or a continent riddled with poverty and disease;
- Novels centring on post-independence civil wars in Africa;
- Diasporic narratives that focus on Africans living in Europe or the US.
In guiding students towards understanding the aesthetic and ideological nuances of the texts, the course will aim at developing participants' reading skills. More specifically, the analyses conducted in seminar form will borrow theoretical concepts from fields such as stylistics, narratology, and postcolonial studies, so as to understand not only the ideas that the texts might be conveying, but also how such conclusions might be reached.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Upon completion of the course, students will master the literary themes discussed in class, and they will have consolidated the methodological skills needed to conduct original analyses of literary texts.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Very good knowledge of English.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The class will feature an introductory lecture followed by interactive sessions. Students are expected to prepare the material to be discussed in class.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
Face-to-face.
Recommended or required readings
Required reading material includes:
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun (2006). Edition used in class: Fourth Estate, 2017.
- Chris Abani, Song for Night (2007). Edition used in class: Telegram, 2016.
- Caryl Phillips, "Northern Lights" (from Foreigners: Three English Lives, 2007). Edition used in class: Vintage, 2008.
- Dinaw Mengestu, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears (2007). Edition used in class: Riverhead, 2008.
Additional shorter texts will be made available to the students via the e-campus platform.
Assessment methods and criteria
Written essay to be prepared at home and oral exam. The final mark will take into account the students' level of English, their ability to develop an original scholarly argument based on existing research, and their knowledge and understanding of the texts studied in class.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
The course will be held during the first term (Monday, 1-3 pm). The first session will take place on Monday 23 September 2019 in room A1/Commu2.
Contacts
Daria Tunca, Département de langues modernes : linguistique, littérature, traduction, Université de Liège, Place Cockerill, 3-5 (A2), B-4000 Liège, Belgique. Courriel: dtunca@uliege.be. Tél.: + 32 (0) 4 366 53 44.