Studying at York
Elemental: Contemporary Indigenous Literatures in English - ENG00135H
- Department: English and Related Literature
- Module co-ordinator: Prof. David Stirrup
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
Module summary
Organised under four headings—earth, air, fire, water—this module will introduce you to a range of contemporary Indigenous writing from North America and Oceania. Reading contemporary prose and poetry from Canada and the US, Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and some of the smaller Pacific islands, we will explore the political and cultural contexts of that writing alongside the knowledges carried by Indigenous oral traditions on the one hand and forms of contemporary Indigenous activism on the other. Acknowledging the principles of Indigenous relationality, which attend to generations past and those still to come, to the more-than-human community, and to the earth as kin, we will also consider our own responsibilities as “outsider” readers who are relationally bound to Indigenous communities—albeit in an asymmetrical relationship—through colonialism.
The module will use those elemental headings in both literal and abstract ways. Alongside thinking about decolonization as the restoration of Indigenous life and land, as Eve Tuck and K.Wayne Yang argue, we may, for instance, also consider the animacy of stone or the agency of country (Earth); flood narratives may tell us about the origin of Turtle Island (North America) but what happens when Lake Ontario starts its own social media account in an effort to halt human-made destruction (Water)? How can the epic battles between the Thunderers and Mishibizhiw, the underwater panther, help in the battle to halt oil pipelines, or feed into activist poetics that address the downwind victims of nuclear testing (Air)? And how do traditional burning practices and treaty negotiations a dystopian future in which Indigenous knowledge underpins survival (Fire)?
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2024-25 |
Module aims
The primary aim of this module is to introduce students to a range of contemporary prose and poetry by Indigenous authors from largely Anglophone settler states. In doing so, however, it will also provide students the opportunity to examine traditional oral stories, equipping them to analyse the problematic nature of collection and translation, and to recognise the traditional ecological knowledge the oral tradition carries. The third and final layer of this will be to relate what we are reading to contemporary Indigenous politics, by exploring a number of activist moments in recent decades that demonstrate the ongoing efforts of Indigenous custodians to observe and maintain a worldview that places human beings firmly within rather than as external to the natural world. We will think about the role Indigenous peoples – roughly 5% of the world’s population – play in the stewardship of over 85% of the world’s biodiversity; the specific challenges Indigenous peoples continue to face under conditions of settler colonial occupation; and the role of literature and reading in engaging with political and ethical concerns. In the course of the above, students will learn to navigate cultural contexts that differ considerably from their own, develop comparative readings across cultural contexts and genres, identify and question stereotypes (such as the “ecological Indian”), develop new approaches for understanding and critiquing colonial legacies, and develop their knowledge of environmental change and its impacts.
Module learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module, you should be able to:
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Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with contemporary Indigenous writing from Anglophone settler states;
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Demonstrate an advanced understanding of and engagement with the oral tradition; settler colonialism; and Indigenous activism.
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Evaluate key debates within the relevant critical fields dealing with Indigenous literary studies, Indigenous and postcolonial theory, decolonial theory, ecocriticism.
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Produce independent arguments and ideas which demonstrate an advanced proficiency in critical thinking, research, and writing skills.
Indicative assessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework 3000 word essay |
N/A | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
Throughout the module, you will have the opportunity to pitch, road-test, and develop essay ideas. Feedback will be integrated into your seminars or the ‘third hour’ (i.e. the lecture or workshop).
You will submit your summative essay via the VLE during the revision and assessment weeks at the end of the teaching semester (weeks 13-15). Feedback on your summative essay will be uploaded to e:Vision to meet the University’s marking deadlines
Indicative reassessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework 3000 word essay |
N/A | 100 |
Module feedback
You will receive feedback on all assessed work within the University deadline, and will often receive it more quickly. The purpose of feedback is to inform your future work; it is designed to help you to improve your work, and the Department also offers you help in learning from your feedback. If you do not understand your feedback or want to talk about your ideas further you can discuss it with your tutor or your supervisor, during their Open Office Hours.
For more information about the feedback you will receive for your work, see the department's Guide to Assessment.
Indicative reading
An indicative reading list might include (depending on availability):
Joshua Whitehead, Making Love with the Land (2022)
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Noopiming: the Cure for White Ladies (2020)
Tara June Winch, The Yield (2019)
Waubgeshig Rice, Moon of the Crusted Snow (2018)
Patricia Grace, Potiki (2001)
Witi Ihimaera, The Whale Rider (1987)
Poetry by e.g. Craig Santos Perez, Joy Harjo, Linda Hogan, Kimberley Blaeser, Evelyn Araluen Corr, Alice Te Punga Somerville, and others.