English 604 (Native American Autobiography) is a course designed to provide students with an overview of some of the major periods and forms of autobiographical expression produced by Indian writers from the early nineteenth century to the present. The focus of this course is primarily on writers coming from nations located within the borders of the United States, though students who wish to broaden the geographical and cultural scope of their inquiry in writing their seminar papers will be encouraged to do so.
Because the study of Native American autobiography so frequently focuses attention on questions of identity and authenticity, this course has also been designed to encourage students to think critically about the concept of ethnicity. The writers to be studied come from a wide range of subject positions, and they define their "Indianness" in a variety of ways. Students will study both as-told-to narratives and independently written texts. They will have an opportuninty to consider the ways that traditional, pre-contact forms of autobiographical expression have been preserved, reinterpreted, and transformed in the wake of colonialism. They will also be exposed to a series of critical essays, tied to the primary course materials, that will allow them to reflect on the ways that literary scholars have approached the genre.
In the end, the goal of ENG 604 is to allow students to challenge reductive, stereotypical assumptions about Indian identity, to develop an appreciation of the narrative inventiveness of the writers we will study, and to come to a greater understanding of why the legal and historical pressures of colonial contact have made Native American autobiography such a vital and complicated form of post-colonial discourse.