FYSP 129 - Coming of Age in African Literature

Semester Offered: Second Semester
Credits (Range): 4 Hours
Attribute: 2HU, 2SS, CD, WRi

This course focuses on African writing, examining a non-western body of work from a non-western perspective. A major theme is the challenges facing youth in colonial and postcolonial Africa: the struggle to balance tradition and change; the quest for education; the development of political awareness. Several books offer an African approach to what in the west is called a “Bildungsroman,” or novel of youth’s coming of age. Texts include Laye’s L’Enfant Noir, Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions, and Achebe’s No Longer at Ease. Enrollment Limit: 14.

Instructor: L. Podis, Y. Saaka