Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0134 - Literature, Culture, & Empire: an introduction to critical looking, reading, and writing

In Literature, Culture, & Empire: an introduction to critical looking, reading, and writing, students will learn to view, read, and write about texts and images that reflect and reinforce imperialism and settler colonialism in the U.S. and beyond, as well as images and texts whose creators are doing work to unsettle Empire, chart new maps, and establish new routes/roots. We will read and be in dialogue with four creators who teach, are in residence, or will be visiting Hampshire: Visiting professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies Robert Caldwell, Jr.; Five College Women's Studies Research Associate Shailja Patel; and Associate Professor of Fiction Writing Uzma Aslam Khan; and Hampshire alum Daniel Jose Older. Each unit of the course will feature public events with each creator, as well as class visits. Students will write a series of short essays and participate in a collaborative mapping project, and at the end of the semester, they will build a portfolio of revised work. This course is best suited for students who want to gain foundational skills for studying and writing about literature and culture, who are curious about how culture and power impact one another, and who want to build intellectual community and collaborative knowledge in the classroom and beyond. Literature, Culture, & Empire is affiliated with the In/Justice Learning Collaborative, and will be deeply engaged with its guiding questions for 2021-22, "How can we disrupt and dismantle white supremacy? What can we do to build ongoing movements for racial and economic justice?" Students in this course will be expected to attend In/Justice LC events and gatherings this semester, some of which will relate directly to our course. (keywords: literature, culture, visual, empire, writing)

In/Justice Students in this course should expect to spend 6 to 8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.