Introductory Topics in South Asian Literature and Culture (260-0-20)
Topic
Global Caste
Instructors
Laura Rebecca Brueck
847/467-4746
1880 Campus Drive, Kresge Hall, Office 4-427
Office Hours: Varies quarter to quarter, please check with instructor.
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-425: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
AY 24-25 This course focuses on close readings of primary sources that weave a nuanced tapestry of ideas about race, caste, color, gender, freedom, and bondage around the world and across nearly two centuries. Poring over a range of readings from political speeches and manifestos to 19th century novels and 21st century poetry to love letters and music videos primarily from India and the United States but extending occasionally to Latin America and the United Kingdom, together we will build a framework to understand how colonizers, politicians, freedom fighters, activists, writers, and artists engage discourses of race and caste. We will learn how these and other related terms, and the evolving meanings attached to them, are wielded for political purpose and aesthetic effect, and how they evolve and change over time and across shifting regional and cultural contexts.
Learning Objectives
Perform close readings and discourse analysis on a wide range of primary source texts. Synthesize texts across a range of geographic, temporal, and political contexts to understand how semiotic, political, and aesthetic meanings evolve. Articulate a thesis and support it with evidence in both oral and written expression.
Teaching Method
Lecture and Discussion
Evaluation Method
Short writing assignments, participation in class, and contribution to collaborative projects such as building a class lexicon of terms (and their discursive usages) related to caste and race. Final in-class exam.
Class Materials (Required)
Everything will be available on Canvas.
Class Attributes
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for students majoring or minoring in Asian Languages & Cultures or International Studies until the end of preregistration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone who has taken the prerequisites, if applicable.