Dr. Margaret Noodin Spring 2017
Office: 187 Bolton English 778-001
734-276-2059 Wed. 4:00 PM-6:40
Curtin 386
Native American Literature: Indigenous Literary Studies from Translation to Tribalography
Course Description: Students in this course will consider the history of translation in relation to North American Indigenous literature to better understand how the theories and methodology of translation influence the construction and interpretation of indigenous narratives. We will consider pre-colonial texts as well as work being done in the present post-revitalization era including fiction by William Jones, Simon Pokagon, Jane Schoolcraft, LeAnne Howe, Allison Hedge Coke, Simon Ortiz, Delphine Redshirt and Debra Magpie Earling. As we read the texts we will also consider the concept of tribalography, which focuses on the social relationships embedded within narratives, as initially defined by LeAnne Howe in the late 1990s and refracted more recently by such other scholars as Jodi Byrd, Carter Meland, Jill Doerfler and Channette Romero. Students will be asked to write several short pieces in response to these works as well as one longer analytical essay.
Required Texts:
Schoolcraft, Jane Johnston, and Parker, Robert Dale. The Sound the Stars Make Rushing through the Sky : the Writings of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft / Edited by Robert Dale Parker.Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007.
Ortiz, Simon J. Woven Stone. Sun Tracks, 1992.
McInnes, Brian D. Sounding Thunder : The Stories of Francis Pegahmagabow. East Lansing : Michigan State University Press, 2016.
Texts to be Posted on Course Site:
Various Poems and Stories
Howe, LeAnne. “Tribalography: The Power of Native Stories.” Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, vol. 14, no. 1, 1999, pp. 117–25.
Studies in American Indian Literatures
Vol. 26, No. 2, Special Issue: Tribalography (Summer 2014)
Munday, Jeremy. Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications 4th Edition
Course Requirements: In addition to completing the readings and participating in class discussions, students will give one short (15 minute) in-class presentation and complete one final project (2- 5 pages) and one research paper (10-15 pages).
Course Policies: Students should attend class regularly and complete the coursework during the spring semester. More than two absences will adversely affect your grade. Taping and photography are not allowed in this class.
Grading: Grades for this course will be based upon: attendance, class participation, and short assignments 25%; class presentation 25%; final project 25%; and final paper 25%
Academic Dishonesty and Grievances: English Department policies on Academic Dishonesty and Grievances are posted on a bulletin board in the west corridor of 4th floor Curtin (near the department office) and and can be found on the website for the Dean of Students in the Office of Student Life at http://www4.uwm.edu/osl/dean/.