ENGL 103 A22: Case Studies in Research: Pocahontas in Literature and Contemporary Culture

L. Rasmussen

In this class we will undertake some methods commonly used to perform academic research in English studies as we focus on texts in which the historical figure of Pocahontas is represented. We will sample a range of texts both historical and contemporary: these will include life narratives, children's stories (including Disney), poems, essays, visual art, film, and short fiction. The primary and secondary texts that form the basis of our investigations will in turn allow class participants to select from a range of topics as they develop final research projects. Examples of such topics are ones analyzing texts for the ways they contribute to our understandings of masculinity, Indigenous-settler relations, whiteness, mythology, nation building, and colonialism. We will also spend some time considering the university's ethical responsibilities when working with texts by and about Indigenous peoples. There will be two independent writing assignments to complete over the course of the semester, and a skills portfolio. We will end the semester with short presentations of students' research findings.