SPAN590B

Animal Reading

What does it mean to be an animal? To be a human? And what does reading have to do with anything?

Animal studies and the environmental humanities are ideas that are increasingly familiar to 21st-century readers; viewed here through the lens of some of the finest and most intriguing Medieval and Renaissance literary works from the Romance world, with important interactions with other literatures around the whole world and influences on later European literatures, and spanning a range of forms: from short poems to encyclopaedias, from fables to bestiaries, from saints’ miracles to dramatic multimedia satires.

We will start small: listening to a frog in a 12th-century Troubadour poem in Old Occitan by Marcabru, “Bel m’es quan la rana chanta.” We will revisit this frog at the end of the course, to see how our readings have changed along the way.

Our two set / required texts in the main body of the course are originally in 12th- and 16th- century French; through them, we will meet animals in associated works from France, Italy, and Spain. There will be reading about animals, of animals, and physically on animals (through online digitised manuscripts and books in the library); shape-shifting; animals reading (and speaking, interacting, and otherwise showing evidence of sentience and thinking); and reading humans as animals (via Montaigne). Along the way, readings and student presentations may converse with—for example—wolves, dogs, foxes, bears, birds, bees, donkeys, horses, deer, cats, squirrels, rabbits, snails, unicorns, hedgehogs, lions, chickens, sheep, fish, whales, otters, beavers (and of course frogs).

All texts will be worked on in English translation, though students will have the option, if they wish, of using versions in the original (or a modernized variant) in their final projects.

Required Texts

The Lais of Marie de France, ed. and trans. Glyn S. Burgess (Penguin Classics, any edition)

Montaigne, The Complete Essays, ed. and trans. M. A. Screech (Penguin Classics, any edition)

Prerequisite: None

Language of instruction: English

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Food Cultures and Italy

Italy is world-renowned for its food cultures and Italians put great care into food preparation, consumption, and appreciation. It’s no wonder that Italian food-related themes permeate the country’s cultural life and beyond.

This course will examine representations of Italian or Italian-derived foodways and the role they play in articulating larger issues concerning contemporary Italy, including regionalism, anti-globalization, family history, gender identities, Italian American food, tourism in Italy, and immigration to Italy. Students will form a complex picture of Italy’s relationships with food cultures in a global context.

Class assignments and final projects will allow students to explore their critical and/or creative views of class materials. The course assumes no prior knowledge of Italian. But it requires a passion for Italian food and culture!

Required readings:

TBA

Prerequisite: None

Language of instruction: English

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Mémoires d’avenir

Ce cours se veut une étude de la tension entre le contexte historique de la modernité postcoloniale et la représentation fictive d’un avenir radicalement différent, souvent imprévisible et potentiellement libérateur. Nous lirons ensemble trois ouvrages d’auteurs de la Martinique, de la Côte d’Ivoire et du Cameroun. Nous discuterons de problèmes sociaux, politiques, économiques et culturels qui nous aideront à comprendre les textes. Nous identifierons les stratégies narratives mises en œuvre chez ces auteurs pour mener le lecteur à repenser ses perspectives sur l’Afrique et les Antilles.

Required readings:

Patrick Chamoiseau, Texaco
Ahmadou Kourouma, Monnè, outrages et défis
Calixthe Beyala, Les arbres en parlent encore

Prerequisite: One of FREN 220, FREN 221

Language of Instruction: French

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