ENG 325-01 - Studies in Ethnic American Literatures

4 credits (Spring)

“It is normally supposed that something always gets lost in translation; I cling, obstinately, to the notion that something can always be gained,” writes the novelist Salman Rushdie. Starting with Rushdie’s assertion, this seminar examines the focus on translation in so many English-language literary works by contemporary ethnic American writers and asks why translation between cultures, languages, and dialects matters for understanding the heritage of the United States. Engaging in contemporary debates over language diversity, immigration, and globalization, we will attempt to put critical race theory into conversation with translation theory, as both offer a rich critical vocabulary for thinking about questions of difference, origins, authenticity, betrayal, and subversion. We will read novels, autobiographies, essays, and poetry by writers such as Jhumpa Lahiri, Maxine Hong Kingston, Richard Rodriguez, Gloria Anzuldua, Aleksandr Hemon, Leslie Marmon Silko, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Eduardo C. Corral, amongst others. For the final project, students will have the option of writing a longer research paper related to the course theme or producing their own translation of a literary work, accompanied by a critical introduction.

Prerequisite: ENG 227, ENG 228, ENG 229, ENG 231, ENG 232, or ENG 273 .
Instructor: Phan