World Literatures 257 - Language and Power in the Age of Global English

How are understandings of literature shaped by the politics of language? This course explores approaches to the study of “World literature(s),” including important interventions from postcolonial and translation theory, in an increasingly monolingual world. The first half of the course considers such terms as cosmopolitan, global, modern, and universal; alongside counterpart notions of vernacular, local, traditional and particular. The course asks how language relates to ideas of nationalism, nativism, and to the making of canons. The course then narrows focus to how these terms and debates are inflected in African literatures with East Africa as the primary case study. Prerequisite: ENG 199, WLT 100, or other college level literature course. Restriction: Not open to first-years. (E)

[CE] No FY