Historiography & Native American Oral Traditions and Narratives

This course is an introduction to Native American Literature in the United States in a (post) colonial, or decolonized context (in the last seventy years). The readings focus on the complex social and political influences that have shaped Native American literature in the last half of the twentieth century to the present. It is an introduction to Native American fiction, poetry, drama, nonfiction and autobiography. It draws on the historical (literary sovereignty) and theoretical frameworks (American Indian Literary Nationalism) used by Native American writers in the United States; how trends in Native American writing build on and integrate traditional modes of Native American storytelling (oral tradition & the verbal arts). It takes a specific in - depth look at Native American oral tradition. Where the overarching aim of the course is to address the question: How do you define Native American literature? Students will be required to provide their own definition from what they learn about Native American oral tradition and the challenges (historic and otherwise) inherent in a (post) colonial or decolonized world for Native Americans.