Course information

This course is an introduction to traditions and innovations in Indigenous literatures in Canada through textual analysis and an examination of cultural contexts. The primary focus will be on contemporary literatures; however, we will also read selections from earlier texts. We will explore Indigenous short stories, traditional stories, poetry, and plays from various time periods, written by Métis, Inuit, and First Nations authors. We will study these literatures from different axes, related to language, land, relationship, genre, and nation, and adopt a combination of culturally specific and pan-Indigenous approaches. Although written texts will form the core of the course, we may also examine contemporary popular media and their representations of the Indigenous.