English 308 is an historical survey of Native literature in Canada written in English, beginning with the oral tradition and showing how this developed into a written tradition.
The course is divided into nine units. Each unit is organized according to genre or form. The readings in the first four units (the oral tradition) are relatively short and constitute approximately one-third of the total course. The readings in the next five units (the written tradition) assume that the material of the preceding four has been mastered.
Unit I: An Introduction—a discussion of the history of native literature and problems that might emerge in a study of the subject.
Unit II: Myths and Legends—an examination of the various types of myths and legends found in the oral tradition.
Unit III: Songs and Chants—an examination of the characteristics of oral poetics and the various native song types.
Unit IV: Orations—an examination of native rhetoric and its historic significance.
Unit V: Short Fiction—a structural and thematic examination of the short story.
Unit VI: Novels—a structural and thematic examination of two novels.
Unit VII: Poetry—oral elements and themes in contemporary lyrics and poetry.
Unit VIII: Essays and Memoirs—rhetorical and anecdotal techniques in non-fiction.
Unit IX: Drama—an examination of modern drama and its links to pre-contact ritual.
