Spring 2022  |  DTCH 3610 Section 001: Dutch Literature in Translation -- Dutch-Caribbean Colonialism: Race/Gender/Identity (66388)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Discussion
Credits:
3 Credits
Repeat Credit Limit:
9 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Class Attributes:
Topics Course
Meets With:
DTCH 5490 Section 001
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
01/18/2022 - 05/02/2022
Mon, Wed 01:00PM - 02:15PM
UMTC, East Bank
Folwell Hall 112
Enrollment Status:
Open (2 of 25 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
In-depth study of authors or topics from various periods in Dutch literature. All primary/secondary literature is read in English translation.
Class Notes:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?ooste003+DTCH3610+Spring2022
Class Description:
The buildings on the canals in Amsterdam owe their grandeur largely to the profits made by the East and West Indian trading companies in the 17th century when the Dutch established colonies and trading posts on opposite ends of the world and participated in the transatlantic slave trade. Known as a period of economic growth, flourishing art, and religious tolerance, the Golden Age, while undeniably a source of national pride for some, has in recent years received much critical attention by others, notably those whose ancestors worked on the overseas plantations before and even after the abolishment of slavery. Particularly after the image of "Zwarte Piet" (a central figure in the Dutch Saint Nicholas tradition), came under the scrutiny of the United Nations as a symbol of racism and the embodiment of negative stereotypes of people of African descent, new debates on multiculturalism and national identity forced the Dutch to confront their long colonial past and their current role in European immigration politics. In this course, we read and discuss texts that cross borders and boundaries and that offer familiar scenarios against the background of colonial history and migration. Specifically, literary texts by younger Dutch-Caribbean authors explore questions on racial and gender identity surrounding their ancestors' colonial past and invite us to critically reflect on our own position in a world in which racial and gender oppression still exist. Students will read a variety of primary and secondary texts on Dutch colonial history and post-colonial identity. They will make cross-cultural comparisons between European colonial expansion and American colonial enterprises. They will view archival and documentary materials as well as museum exhibits and other cultural artifacts accessible on the internet. Grade components include active participation, an individual presentation, a group project, two short reflective papers and a longer research paper.

Who Should Take This Class?:
Students who are interested in Dutch colonial history and its aftermath. Anyone interested in colonial and post-colonial literature, Dutch-Caribbean in particular.
Learning Objectives:
Students will learn about the hitherto largely neglected and trivialized impact of 400 years of colonial oppression during the transatlantic slave trade on a society, the Netherlands, that likes to think of itself as a tolerant and welcoming nation. They will learn about the Dutch colonial expansion and state formation and the rise and fall of the Dutch Republic as a hegemonic power within the early modern capitalist world-system. They will learn about the role of the Dutch East- and West-Indian Companies in establishing overseas colonies and plantation economies. They will learn about the subsequent glorification of this colonial legacy in the Dutch cultural archive. Most importantly, they will learn about the challenges to the cultural canon by young Dutch-Caribbean writers and academics who contribute to an uncomfortable but timely and necessary debate on institutional racism and national identity.
Grading:
30% active participation, including discussion forums on Canvas
20% two short papers
20% one longer paper
10% individual presentation
10% group presentation/project
10% short assignments
Class Format:
A combination of lectures, group activities, class discussions
Workload:
75-100 pages of reading in English per week
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/66388/1223
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
29 October 2021

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