Multicultural Identities in Contemporary British LiteratureLaajuus (6 cr)

Objective

Learning outcomes: A successful student - Recognizes the significance of ethnicity and multiculturalism in contemporary British culture - Is able to explain the transformation of British identity and its different forms through contemporary literature and culture - Recognizes central themes and issues in contemporary ethnic British writing The course develops the following work life skills: - meaning making, media literacy, management of large entities, information sources and source critique, language skills, time management and prioritization, self-management, self-development, special knowledge of a country/cultural area Generic competences: ethics, internationality, sustainability and responsibility, critical thinking, identification and development of expertise, interaction and communication

Content

This course seeks to provide a general overview of contemporary British literature in the context of multicultural Britain. Through an examination of key texts discussing the problem of identity from several perspectives, the course will show how post-World War Two migration into Britain has a generated a lively literary culture where the voices of black and Asian Britons are heard. During the course students will familiarize themselves with a variety of texts (novels, short stories, poetry and film) reflecting on the problematics of migration and identity. The aim of the course is to explore the treatment of such issues as the redefinition of Englishness; racial, gender and sexual identity; and the role of multiculturalism and migration in today’s post-imperial Britain.

Qualifications

2130346 Anglophone Literature: Cultures and Contexts, 2130445 19th-Century Realism and 2130446 20th and 21st Century Literature

Materials

Timothy Mo: Sour Sweet (1982) Hanif Kureishi: My Beautiful Laundrette (1986) Caryl Phillips: Crossing the River (1993) Zadie Smith: White Teeth (2000) Brian Chikwava: Harare North (2009) Excerpts, short stories and poems from writers such as, e.g., Olaudah Equiano; Samuel Selvon; Salman Rushdie; Grace Nicholls; Linton Kwesi Johnson. Research articles.

Further information

Teachers: Jopi Nyman Time: 3rd-5th year of study Further information: Language of tuition: English.

Accomplishment methods

Modes of study: Lectures and seminars (15h), independent work (147h) Evaluation criteria: Written tasks and final essay