EN 3230 6.

0: Modern Canadian Fiction

Course director: Terry Goldie tgoldie@yorku.ca

Course description:
This course will introduce students to a selection of Canadian fiction in English from the
1940s to the present day. Please note all of the course, including tests and exams, will be
online. There will be no requirement to be on campus.

Required Texts:

Atwood, Margaret. Surfacing. 1972 (McClelland & Stewart ISBN: 9780771008603)x

Brand, Dionne. What We All Long For. 2005 (Penguin ISBN: 9780676976939) x
Findley, Timothy. The Wars. 1977 (Penguin ISBN: 9780143051428)x
King, Thomas. Green Grass, Running Water. 1993 (Harper Perennial ISBN:
9780006485131)x
Kogawa, Joy. Obasan. 1981 (Penguin ISBN: 9780140067774)x
MacDonald, Ann-Marie. Fall On Your Knees. 1996 (Vintage Canada ISBN:
9780394281780)x
Moore, Lisa February. 2009 (House of Anansi: 9780887849626)
Munro, Alice. Who Do You Think You Are? 1978 (Penguin; ISBN 9780143054955)x
Ondaatje, Michael The English Patient. 1992 (Vintage ISBN: 9780394280134)x
Richler, Mordecai. Solomon Gursky Was Here. 1989 (Penguin; ISBN 9780143051459)x
Ross, Sinclair. As for Me and My House. 1941. (New Canadian Library; ISBN
9780771094125)x
Selvadurai, Shyam Funny Boy. 1994 (Emblem editions: 9780771079511) x

Course Requirements
Forum Discussions 20%
First essay (2000 words) 20% June 26
Mid-year test 15%
Second essay (2000 words) 20% August 10
Final exam 25%
Participation
Class participation includes more than regular checking in on the moodle site. It includes being prepared to
discuss the material by reading actively and thinking about what it is you are reading and learning in this
class. And it includes actively participating. If there is material you do not understand please ask for
clarification.

Your participation grade is 20%. That grade will be based solely on your contributions to discussion
forums. There will be 24 forums (one for each lecture) and you will be expected to participate meaningfully
in 20 of the 24 forums. You can post more than once on a lecture and if the posts are substantial and
informative all will count. You still, however, need to participate in 20 of the 24 forums. Each forum will
be graded out of 5. The best posts are ones that demonstrate you have thought about the question and you
have read what others have posted. Posts should be between 100-250 words. Please do not write more than
250 words – there is a limit to how much any of us can read on one topic and, because there are many
students in this course, we all need to be aware of making sure our posts are accessible whether you are the
first person posting or the last. My expectation is that the forums will invite some back-and-forth discussion
and new ideas. Feel free to start a new thread if you are offering a new idea. You will have one week to
participate in each forum – after that the forum will be closed.
Please note that the forums are an important part of your grade. One student last year had C+ or B
in all assignments but received a D+ final because she did not participate in the forums. One had all
A’s but dropped to a B. Two students who were marginal received an E final because they
participated in so few forums. They would have passed had they participated in even 10 forums. On
the positive side, one student with a C+ essay and most other marks B’s received a B+ because of
excellent participation.

Essays
Essays are to be submitted via email the day the essay is due in a word format (doc or docx). If you are not
able to submit your essay on time due to illness or unforeseen circumstance email me as soon as you can to
let me know and we will figure out a good solution together. If you need an extension then please arrange
this with me well before the essay is due. Extensions will not be granted the day before something is due so
plan ahead. The late penalty is 5% per week.

Test and exam

These will consist of questions submitted to you on a Friday and you must submit your answers via email
on the following Monday. I will give you information about the format later.

Schedule (These are the dates when the lectures will be posted)

May 22 Introduction

May 25 Ross As For Me and My House

May 29 Ross As For Me and My House

June 1 Atwood Surfacing

June 5 Atwood Surfacing

June 8 Findley The Wars

June 12 Break
June 15 Findley The Wars

June 19 Munro Who Do You Think You Are?

June 22 Munro Who Do You Think You Are?

June 26 Kogawa Obasan ESSAY DUE

June 29 Kogawa Obasan

July 3 Summary

July 6 Mid-year test

July 10 Richler Solomon Gursky was Here

July 13 Richler Solomon Gursky was Here

July 17 Ondaatje The English Patient

July 20 Ondaatje The English Patient

July 24 King Green Grass, Running Water

July 27 King Green Grass, Running Water

July 31 Selvadurai Funny Boy

August 3 MacDonald Fall On Your Knees

August 7 MacDonald Fall On Your Knees

August 10 Brand What We All Long For ESSAY DUE

August 14 Moore February

August 17 Summary

August 24 Final exam