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The University of Lahore

Department of English Language and Literature

Postcolonial Theory and Literature

Course Code: --, Spring-2023
M.Phil.-English (Literature) Semester-I (3 Credit Hours)

Instructor: Dr H.M. Zahid Iqbal Email: zahid.iqbal@ell.uol.edu.pk

Office: SOCA Building, Room, ED-109 (First Floor, Eng. Dept)
Consultancy Hours: 03 pm -05 pm (Sunday & Friday)
Lecture Timings: 03 am - 06 pm Classroom: CS-1-202
Class Day: Saturday

Course Description:
This course introduces important concepts of postcolonial theory and studies leading postcolonial
literary texts (poetry, drama and fiction). Postcolonialism as a literary discipline has developed
new theoretical dimensions in relation to the changing contemporary global environment. The
theory has also introduced postcolonial scholars to a series of interdisciplinary trends such as
ecocriticism, modernism and life writings which are important to understanding the current
conditions of the world and its conflicts. The course aims to develop an understanding of the
theoretical concepts of postcolonial theory by studying the works of major postcolonial scholars
and critics. The course explores how postcolonial texts address the contemporary realities, issues
and debates related to the identity -and- culture of the displaced/erstwhile colonies in transnational
contexts.
Course Objectives:
➢ To explore postcolonial writings by taking into account their formal, thematic, and
philosophical principles.
➢ To study the works of postcolonial authors and examine the ways these writers perceive
the colonial heritage and critique it in their literary works.
➢ To acquaint participants with the changing postcolonial trends in the 21st century in the
wake of globalization and ecocriticism.
Course Learning Outcome:
Upon completing the course, students should be able to:
➢ explore postcolonial writings by taking into account their formal, thematic, and
philosophical principles.

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➢ study the works of postcolonial authors and examine the ways these writers perceive the
colonial heritage and critique it in their literary works.
➢ acquaint themselves with the changing postcolonial trends in the 21st century in the wake
of globalization and ecocriticism.
Teaching Methodology:
The course will be taught in the form of lectures and important materials will be provided by the
instructor. Students will be assessed on a combination of the following: Assignments;
presentations; quizzes, projects, and exams. Students are also expected to perform well in the
following: class participation; class discussion; individual and group projects. The major class
practice will be based on the instructor’s discussion on the outlined topics followed by students’
input and interactive class discussion. The presenter as well as the other students will be graded in
each class based on their preparation, participation, and punctuality. The tentative assessment
measures are given below but these may change for the smooth running of the course.
Assessment Mid- Quizzes/ Presentations End Term End-Term Total
Criteria term Assignments 05% paper Exam 100
exam 10% 15% 40%
30%

Calendar of Course contents to be covered during the semester

Week Course Contents/ Topics Reference/ Material to be covered/Readings

1 Modernity, Colonialism, and Bhambra, G.K. (2023). Rethinking modernity:

Postcolonial Critique Postcolonialism and the sociological imagination (2nd
ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. (pp. 3-29).

2 Environmental- Kochar, S. & Khan, M.A. (Eds.). (2021).

postcolonialism Environmental postcolonialism: A literary response.
conceptualized Lexington Books. (pp. 1-21).

3 Albert Memmi: The Choudhury, B. (2016). Reading postcolonial theory:

Colonizer and the Colonized Key texts in context. Routledge. (pp. 1-29).

4 Frantz Fanon: The Wretched Choudhury, B. (2016). Reading postcolonial theory:

of the Earth Key texts in context. Routledge. (pp. 29-53).

5 Edward W. Said: Choudhury, B. (2016). Reading postcolonial theory:

Orientalism Key texts in context. Routledge. (pp. 73-96).

6 Sara Suleri: The Rhetoric of Choudhury, B. (2016). Reading postcolonial theory:

English India Key texts in context. Routledge. (pp. 224-245).

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7 Gayatri Chakravarty Spivak:
Decolonizing Modern English
Literature
8 Mid-Term Exam Week
9 Reading Postcolonial Poetry: Daniels-Ramanujan, M., & Harrison, K. (Eds.). (2003).
A.K. Ramanujan: “Eagle and A.K. Ramanujan: Uncollected poems and prose.
Butterfly” and “Becoming” Oxford University Press. (pp. 5; 33; 83-101).
Chinua Achebe: “A Mother
in A Refugee Camp”
10 Agha Shahid Ali:
Decadence, Decolonization
and Postcolonial poetry
11 Reading Postcolonial Novel:
Chinua Achebe: Things Fall
Apart
Unfolding Dialogue:
Teaching Achebe’s Fiction
12 Arundhati Roy: The God of
Small Things
The God of Small Things:
Text and contexts
13 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o: The
River Between
Free your Mind: Uzodinma
Iweala on Ngũgĩ wa
Thiong'o
14 The Postcolonial
Autobiography and
Historical Consciousness
15 Reading Postcolonial
Drama:
Derek Walcott: Dream on
Monkey Mountain
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Lewis, R. & Mills, S. (Eds.). (2003). Feminist
postcolonial theory: A reader. Edinburgh University
Press. (pp. 306-324).
NA
Achebe, C. (2012). There was a country: A personal
history of Biafra. The Penguin Press. (p. 155).
Stilling, R. (2018). Beginning at the end: Decadence,
modernism, and postcolonial poetry. Harvard
University Press. (pp. 1-37).
Achebe, C. (1995). Things Fall Apart. Knopf
Doubleday Publishing Group.
Lynn, T. J. (2017). Chinua Achebe and the politics of
narration: Envisioning language. Palgrave Macmillan.
(pp. 143-167).
Roy, A. (1998). The God of small things. Harper
Perennial.
Tickell, A. (2005). Arundhati Roy’s: The God of small
things. Routledge. (pp. xiii-19).
Wa Thiong'o, N. (2015). The river between. Penguin
Books.
Wa Thiong'o, N. (2015). The river between. Penguin
Books. (pp. 1-16).
Lebdai, B. (Ed.). (2015). Autobiography as a writing
strategy in postcolonial literature. Cambridge
Scholars Publishing. (pp. 161-179).
Walcott, D. (1975). Dream on monkey mountain and
other plays. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (pp. 207-326).
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Walcott, writing and the Baugh, E. (2006). Derek Walcott. Cambridge. (pp. 1-
Caribbean: issues and 29).
directions
16 Recap and Presentations Discussion and participation

A Note on Academic Dishonesty!

Students are strictly warned against any attempt to cheat, including plagiarism, during the course
of their studies. Plagiarism is the willing representation of another person’s work as your own.
There are two main types of plagiarism: Wholesale plagiarism and patchwork plagiarism. In
wholesale plagiarism, a student passes off written work composed by another person or persons as
his/her own, while in patchwork plagiarism a student uses another person’s ideas or words in
his/her work without citing the source. If students are found committing any of these cheating
strategies, they will either receive failing grades or be disqualified from the course depending on
the level and severity of plagiarism. Students must familiarize themselves with ways to avoid
plagiarism at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/
Note for the Participants/Class Policies
• Attendance at lectures is mandatory. Students may not arrive late or leave the class early
without the instructor’s permission or be marked absent.
• Students are expected to prepare for the upcoming class by consulting the course outline
or the instructor and come to class having read the material to be discussed. They must also
bring the text(s) being studied to the class that day in the form prescribed by the instructor
(for example, a hard copy instead of an electronic one).
• Papers should be word-processed on A4 size paper with one-inch margins all around and
written in 12 pt. The font is Times New Roman. Follow the APA citation style for
references. Please proofread your assignments for errors before handing them in. Take help
from the Aaron Handbook and the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
• There will be no rescheduling of deadlines and assigned tasks or examinations.
• For all purposes of communication with your teacher, you are required to contact through
your CR/GR.
Recommended Readings:
Baugh, E. (2006). Derek Walcott. Cambridge
Bhambra, G. K. (2023). Rethinking modernity: Postcolonialism and the sociological
imagination (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
Choudhury, B. (2016). Reading postcolonial theory: Key texts in context. Routledge.
Daniels-Ramanujan, M., & Harrison, K. (Eds.). (2003). A.K. Ramanujan: Uncollected poems

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and prose. Oxford University Press.

Kochar, S. & Khan, M.A. (Eds.). (2021). Environmental postcolonialism: A literary response.
Lexington Books.
Lewis, R. & Mills, S. (Eds.). (2003). Feminist postcolonial theory: A reader. Edinburgh
University Press.
Lebdai, B. (Ed.). (2015). Autobiography as a writing strategy in postcolonial literature.
Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Lynn, T. J. (2017). Chinua Achebe and the politics of narration: Envisioning language.
Palgrave Macmillan.
Stilling, R. (2018). Beginning at the end: Decadence, modernism, and postcolonial poetry.
Harvard University Press.
Note: The teacher will provide the students with all the readings for this course in PDF format.
There will not just be one book recommended to the whole class. Students are advised to consult
different books present in the Library. For further information about books, please contact the
library staff.

Postcolonial Theory and Literature