| What books get taught in Canadian Literature courses within Canada and around the globe? More importantly, why are some texts excluded or gradually disappear from the course syllabi while others remain popular? What pedagoical and political implications does canon-formation have in the context of nation-building and how has Canada's complex status, as an officially bilingual country with a policy of multiculturalism, affected the teaching of Canadian literature written in English? Using these questions as a framework for the seminar, we will consider the theoretical and practical dimensions of teaching English-Canadian literature and representing the history of English-Canadian writers through course syllabi and class discussions. We woll begin with a consideration of contemporary North American theories on canon formation (including Herrnstein-Smith, Guillory, and Altieri) and narratives of nation (brennan, Corse). We will then look more specifically at some of the central debates that have shaped the English-Canadian canon throughout the twentieth century (from early handbooks of Canadian literature oneward) and explore how contemporary Canadian critics (e.g. Davey, Lecker, Blodgett, and Mukherjee) are re-evaluating the birth and growth of the English-Canadian literature at the end of the millennium. Part of our task will be to gather sample syllabi from different institutions across the country to see what professors are teaching in their courses and to evaluate how regional identity politics shapes the content of such classes. We will add to and revise the list of readings, according to the interests of the students enrolled in the seminar, in order to make this course directly relevant to the concerns of the participants. A course-pak will be made available and the texts will be put on reserve to make them easily accessible. Please read Lecker's Making It Ream (1995) prior to the start of the course. |
