LIT 499: Seminar in Research and Theory Literature and Politics of Postcolonial Africa Fall 2010 Dr.

Nagesh Rao Office: Bliss 224 Office Hours: Thursdays 2-5pm and by appt. Phone: x2918 Email: nrao@tcnj.edu

Course Description In the decades before the collapse of the European empires, African writers and intellectuals were inspired by mass, popular movements against European rule. The literature of this period raised the cultural expectations of an entire continent. However, after colonialism ended, the now-independent African nations struggled unsuccessfully to realize those expectations. What went wrong in postcolonial Africa? What can African novels and poems teach us about the hopes of the past, and the failure to realize the dreams of liberation? We will explore the cultural politics of postcolonial African literature via the works of Aim Csaire, Frantz Fanon, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Chinua Achebe, Ousmane Sembne and several other well-known African writers. This course will expose you to works by a range of sub-Saharn African novelists help you grapple with theoretical and literary-critical debates surrounding the study of the African novel; and help you better understand the politics--and poetics--of anticolonial struggles, and their intersection with nationalism, womens liberation, and class struggles. Prerequisites LIT 201; English major or minor; and junior status Learning Goals LIT 499 is a writing-intensive capstone seminar in the English major and minor. These seminars challenge students to conduct advanced research in the humanities by building upon the basic research skills first introduced in LIT 201; foster the kind of intellectual independence and sustained, critical thought required for the production of high-quality literary, linguistic, textual and/or rhetorical scholarship; enable students to discover, assert and insert their own critical "voice" in the ongoing, and often interdisciplinary, dialogues, critiques, and debates that frequently characterize the humanities; encourage students to apply a range of critical theorieslinguistic, literary, rhetorical, and/or culturalto texts and their contexts in order to elucidate complex issues and concerns of the discipline and suggest additional avenues of critical inquiry; help students think theoretically, moving beyond issues of textual analysis into more abstract modes of thinking; cultivate a sophisticated understanding of issues of canonicity and disciplinary politics; encourage mastery of essential concepts and terms of literary, linguistic, rhetorical and/or textual analysis; and teach students how to prepare and conduct primary research of their own and communicate their ideas and their findings with precision and clarity. Texts Aim Csaire, Discourse on Colonialism Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions Ousmane Sembne, Gods Bits of Wood Chinua Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah

Ayi Kwei Armah, The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born Several theoretical and critical articles as marked on the schedule below. Course requirements and grading Each assignment is worth a certain number of points, and you can earn a total of 1000 points. Letter grades are assigned as follows: 940+ pts = A 910-939 = A880-909 = B+ 850-879 = B 820-849 = B790-819 = C+ 760-789 = C 730-759 = C700-729 = D+ 670-699 = D

Below 670 = F

Seminar participation (150 points; 15% of final grade) In accordance with college policy, you are expected to attend class regularly. This is especially important in a capstone seminar, as it will not be easy to make up for missed classes. Absences will adversely affect your contribution to the seminar, and consequently, your participation grade. Success in a seminar, and the success of a seminar, requires a different approach to the classroom, on the part of both student and teacher. I expect you to come to class thoroughly prepared each week. (A detailed set of guidelines and tips can be found in the handout Preparing for a seminar, available on SOCS.) Simply reading the material and showing up to class will be insufficientyou must immerse yourself in the material. You must take the initiative to seek out additional material on the subjects being discussed, reading beyond what is on the syllabus, from the very beginning of the course. The sooner you begin to do this, the better off you will be. Rememberthis is a seminar in research and theory. A seminar is effective only if it is a collective learning experience. Engaging with the ideas of your classmates, both in and outside the classroom, and developing an intellectual community with your peers, is essential for collaborative learning. This, of course, begins with our weekly classroom discussions. You should be prepared, and willing, not only to participate in the discussions (that ought to be a given) but to help steer the discussions in productive ways, bringing in your own insights, questions, disagreements, confusions, etc. The regularity and intensity of your participation in the discussions will be an indicator of the degree of responsibilty you take for the success of the seminar. Seminar facilitation (100 points; 10% of final grade) Working in pairs, you will volunteer to facilitate the discussion for a portion of one class period. Each team will prepare a set of questions based on the reading for that day, and using these questions, lead the class in an exploration of the texts for about 20 minutes. Feel free to bring in other material to aid discussion, but be sure to get it to me in advance so I can photocopy them for the class. Four brief response papers (4 x 50 = 200 points; 20% of final grade) You will write four papers responding to the prompts in the syllabus. Response papers are to be brief (2 pages, max.) and informal; i.e., as long as it is readable and coherent, it doesn't need to be a polished essay. You must be in class to submit your response papers. A response paper will generally receive full credit if it meets these standards and engages with the assigned text thoughtfully. Specific due dates are listed in the schedule below. Graded response papers will be returned the following week.
LIT 499 | Fall 2011 |

Research process expectations Given the unfamiliarity of the subject matter to most of you, the sooner you get into it, the better. A well-researched final paper cannot be the product of a late scramble at the end of the semester. Early in the semester, you will need to determine the focus of your research. Initially, you will narrow your focus based on the following criteria:

any two of the following factorsrace, gender, class, nation the work of at least one major African writer not covered in the syllabus (a good place to begin to search for other authors would be the Bibliography of Commonwealth Writers, which publishes periodical updates on new writers from the Anglophone world)

Once you have made these choices, you must meet with me to discuss the next steps for your research. This meeting should take place no later than September 30, to give you ample time to research and write your Theoretical Exploration Essay. Theoretical Explorations Essay (150 points = 15% of final grade) What theoretical approach/es will your final research paper be based on? In your first formal essay for this course, you will explore the manner in which the two factors (race/gender/class/nation) you have chosen relate to one another: both generally and in the specific context of African literature. RUBRIC This essay will be graded according to the following criteria: Theoretical accuracy and consistency Use of sources to support and elucidate claims Control of language A passing essay will demonstrate a working understanding of relevant literary-critical theory (or theories), with appropriate support for each debatable pointsupport cited with integrity and accuracy. A superior essay will provide ample support for its claims; more importantly, it will demonstrate that its writer has thought deeply about theory and theoretical texts rather than merely accepting and regurgitating something read hastily and in passing. Length: 6-8 pages See "Theory Essay Rubric" (SOCS) for detailed rubric. Annotated Bibliography (100 points = 10% of final grade) A sample annotated bibliography will be provided for your reference. Your bibliography must include at least six scholarly/critical/theoretical texts (journal articles or book chapters), and works by at least one major African author not on our syllabus. Final research paper (300 points = 30% of final grade) You will work on your final 15-20 page research paper in close consultation with me. When thinking about possible research projects, be creative and imaginative. You should aim to produce a well-researched, polished paper, one that you might publish in the Journal of Student Scholarship, or present at a Sigma Tau Delta conference, for instance.

LIT 499 | Fall 2011 |

RUBRIC The research paper will be graded according to the following criteria: Grasp of theory Quality of research Application of theory to literary texts Use of sources to support and elucidate claims Control of language A passing research paper will demonstrate a working understanding of relevant literarycritical theory (or theories), with appropriate support for each debatable pointsupport cited with integrity and accuracy. The research is adequate for the purposes of this essay, and the writer is able to use theoretical concepts to explain literary texts. A superior research paper will provide ample support for its claims; more importantly, it will demonstrate that its writer has thought deeply about theory and theoretical texts rather than merely accepting and regurgitating something read hastily and in passing. The research is extensive, reflecting the researcher's intellectual curiosity, and the essay moves fluidly between theoretical concept and literary analysis, with each informing the other productively. See "Research Paper Rubric" on SOCS for detailed rubric. Attendance Attendance is mandatory. College policy prohibits grading attendance. However, please note that absences, tardiness, leaving class early, showing up unprepared, zoning out once too often, etc. will undoubtedly have an adverse impact on your participation grade. In exceptional circumstances, such as illness or emergency, please contact me immediately. Such notification does not necessarily guarantee that absences will be excused. See TCNJs attendance and absence policies: http://www.tcnj.edu/~academic/policy/attendance.html http://www.tcnj.edu/~academic/policy/absence.html Late submissions Assignments submitted late will be penalized, and missed exams cannot be made up for, except in the event of a documented family or medical emergency. In all other instances, your request for an extension must reach me at least a day before the assignment is due. For each day beyond the due date, you will receive a 5% grade penalty on that assignment. How to reach me The best way to reach me is by email. However, please understand that I may not respond to emails that I receive after hours or on weekends until the following working day. As is obvious from what follows below, we have a packed schedule. Needless to say, you will have many questions, ideas, epiphanies, and insights that we may not be able to fully discuss in class. Please drop by my office during my office hours to chat about the material in greater detail, or if you simply have questions about something that was said in class. (If my office hours dont work for you, I will do my best to meet with you at a different time, if you give me enough notice.) If you are experiencing difficulties, in particular, please seek me out sooner rather than later. APPOINTMENTS (exclusive perks for this seminar): My office hours are often packed, and sometimes you might end up waiting while I work with another student. As I am
LIT 499 | Fall 2011 |

teaching three packed classes this semester, I am offering seminar participants the ability to block off chunks of my office hours (and other times that I might be available) for meetings with me. Of course, you can still drop by during office hours without an appointment. But if you would like to consult with me for a longer period of time, please go online and sign up for an appointment: 1. Go to: http://www.bit.ly/nageshappointment 2. The site will ask for your email address. Entering your mobile number (optional) will allow me to contact you in case of any last-minute schedule problems. 3. On the calendar, white time slots indicate availability. 4. Sign up for an appointment (by default, appointments are set for 20 minutes, so feel free to sign up for two slots back-to-back if you want more time). 5. You will receive an automatic confirmation email. You can also opt to receive a reminder email from the site.

Academic Integrity Policy Academic dishonesty is any attempt by the student to gain academic advantage through dishonest means, to submit, as his or her own, work which has not been done by him/her or to give improper aid to another student in the completion of an assignment. Such dishonesty would include, but is not limited to: submitting as his/her own a project, paper, report, test, or speech copied from, partially copied, or paraphrased from the work of another (whether the source is printed, under copyright, or in manuscript form). Credit must be given for words quoted or paraphrased. The rules apply to any academic dishonesty, whether the work is graded or ungraded, group or individual, written or oral. TCNJs academic integrity policy is available on the web: http://www.tcnj.edu/~academic/policy/integrity.html. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy Any student who has a documented disability and is in need of academic accommodations should notify the professor of this course and contact the Office of Differing Abilities Services (609-771-2571). Accommodations are individualized and in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992. TCNJs Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) policy is available on the web: http://www.tcnj.edu/~affirm/ada.html

LIT 499 | Fall 2011 |

8/30 9/6

Introductions and course outline Follow Monday's schedule

9/13 9/20

Adu Boahen, African Responses to Colonialism (extract) [SOCS] Tamara Sivanandan, "Anti-colonialism, national liberation, and postcolonial nation formation" in The Cambridge Companion to Postcolonial Literary Studies, Ed. Neil Lazarus (Cambridge UP, 2004), pp. 41-65. [SOCS]

Response Paper 1: Briefly summarize two key insights you gained from reading Boahen's text

A POETICS OF ANTICOLONIALISM: Aim Csaire The idea of Africa in anticolonial discourse Negritude The significance of Csaire and Fanon in African intellectual history
9/27
Paper 1 returned

Aim Csaire, Discourse on Colonialism

Please have all of the book read by today, including the Interview with Csaire. While reading Discourse be sure to refer to the endnotesthey are quite helpful. Lookup all unfamiliar names, terms, and the like.

Aim Csaire, Return to my native land (excerpts) [SOCS]

Watch: Robin Kelley on Aim Csaire on Democracy Now! (YouTube) Look up: Surrealism; social realism and socialist realism; Negritude; Pan-Africanism

THE CONDITION OF THE NATIVE IS A NERVOUS CONDITION Colonialism as a lived experience Country and city in colonial Zimbabwe Western feminism and "third-world" women
10/4 Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions

Response Paper 2: Without doing any research, write up a brief feminist response to the novel 10/11
Paper 2 returned

Chandra Mohanty, "Western Feminism and Third-World Women" [SOCS] Supriya Nair, Melancholic Women: The Intellectual Hysteric(s) in Nervous Conditions, Research in African Literatures (26.2) Summer 1995.

Response Paper 3: Having read Mohanty, reflect on your previous response paper. Does Mohanty help you confirm your earlier analysis, or does she challenge it?

Tentative Schedule | LIT 499 | Nagesh Rao | Fall 2011

10/18
Paper 3 returned

Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks. Chapters 1, 4, 5

Useful resource: http://www.umass.edu/complit/aclanet/FanonBW.html

LIT 499 | Fall 2011 |

Theoretical Explorations Essay due today

NATIONAL LIBERATION, CLASS STRUGGLE, AND WOMENS LIBERATION The class dimensions of colonialism The intersection of gender and class in God's Bits of Wood Traveling modernity and colonialism
10/25 Ousmane Sembne, Gods Bits of Wood
Samba Gadjigo, Ousmane Sembne: The Life of a Revolutionary Artist http://www.newsreel.org/articles/OusmaneSembene.htm

11/1
Graded essays returned today

Marian Aguiar, Smoke of the Savannah: Traveling Modernity in Sembne Ousmanes Gods Bits of Wood, MFS Modern Fiction Studies (49.2), Summer 2003, pp. 284-305. James A. Jones, Fact and Fiction in Gods Bits of Wood, Research in African Literatures (31.2), Summer 2000, pp. 117-131.

Response Paper 4: Summarize and explain the central argument presented by either one of the two articles.

POST-COLONIAL DILEMMAS: IF NOT NATIONALISM, THEN WHAT?

11/8
Paper 4 returned

Chinua Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah

11/15

Frantz Fanon, The Pitfalls of National Consciousness (from The Wretched of the Earth) [SOCS]

Annotated bibliography due today 11/22 11/29 12/6

Annotated biblios returned

Ayi Kwei Armah, The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born TBD TBD

Final Research paper due December 17

LIT 499 | Fall 2011 |