
Dr. Harlin is Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Literature at Eureka College in Eureka Illinois. She obtained her PhD in 2020 from the University of Missouri, where she wrote about contemporary fiction from Africa and the diaspora. Her favorite authors to write about include Helen Oyeyemi, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, and Akwaeke Emezi. She is originally from Long Island, New York but has lived in the Midwest for nearly a decade. During her own undergraduate study abroad experience, she spent 6 months at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, and has also traveled to the UK, France, and Nigeria.
Course:
British Literature Transformed: English Writers in the Postcolonial Era
Program Dates:
July 09, 2023 —July 24, 2023
Honors Credit:
None
WKU Course:
ENG 290
Discipline(s):
Literature , English
Course Description:
The traditional British literary canon of Shakespeare, Dickens and Austen has not been the same since the post-WWII generation. Black, Asian, and Middle Eastern writers from the colonies emigrated to London and the rest of the UK, and their perspectives on race, class, and nationality transformed Britain’s idea of itself. This class will visit cultural sites like the Museum of London, the British Museum, and the Black Cultural Archives that tell stories of colonialism and immigration. At the same time, we will read some pivotal examples of postcolonial literature and explore the urban neighborhoods in which these works are set in order to develop a rich and complex understanding of contemporary Britain.
Prerequisites:
None
Physical Activity Requirements:
Contact Faculty
Course Highlights:
“This course is an opportunity to experience London through the framework of its diverse writers and thinkers. By studying primarily post-War literature, students from all backgrounds will find interesting and relatable themes in the works we study and consider how a diverse and eclectic artistic and literary scene can reshape a city and its people.” - Kate Harlin