This literary course focuses on contemporary Native American crime fiction. We will start with an overview of Native American literature and look at the traditions and conventions of American crime fiction. We will study innovative structures and styles, different rhythms of tension and release, and focalization and perspectives. Other topics include how Native authors debunk classic racial stereotypes, discuss inter-generational trauma, and depict on-going colonialism.

In this course, students will discover culturally-appropriate and Indigenous-centered resources and frameworks, and learn to apply postcolonial theory to American literary studies. We will confront the reductive stereotypes and ongoing cultural appropriation commonly found in traditional American crime fiction, and explore new diverse voices and perspectives through texts that have historically be confined to the margins.
Six sessions. $235/$210. Led by Léna Remy-Kovach