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Contemporary Canadian Film and Literature:
Survival in Postmodern Cities

Kate Liu, Fall, 2001
Classroom: AV204

Syllabus
* means film; M stands for Montreal vu par
Date
Units & Themes
Texts and References
1. 9/20
I. Introduction
General Issues of 
1. (Post)Modern City 
2. & Canadian National Identity		 *Understanding Cities
*"When the Day Breaks"

(General Intro. articles)
2. 9/27
  2. Montreal and Toronto, Past and Present
1)  administrators' points of view		 *"La toile du Temps" ("The Canvas of Time" Jacque Leduc from M*) 
"The Street That Got Mislaid"
3. 10/4 2) Quebec Independence movements *No
*Vue D'Ailleurs  (Denys Arcand from M*) 
4. 10/11 3) Orphan mentality * Le Confessional

journal 1 due
5. 10/18 4) Toronto: building the city In the Skin of a Lion  ("Little Seeds" & "The Bridge")  (Macedonian) Michael Ondaatje
6. 10/25
3. Race Relations in the Cities
1). Montreal: English, Jewish, French		 "Snakebite"  "North" "Piety" 
7. 11/1 2). Montreal & Toronto: Italian * La Sarrasine  Paul Tana 1992 (Italian)
"The Immaculate Conception of Photography Gallary"  Group 4
journal 2 due 
1. La Sarrasine; 2. "Immaculate"
8. 11/8 3).  Montreal & Toronto: Caribbean
The Caribbeans Diaspora in Toronto		 "I'm Running for my Life"  Austin Clarke
"At the Lisbon Plate"  Dionne Brand
9. 11/15 4). Indian and Vietnamese
Mid-Term Week 		 "Pigeon in Lemon Sauce"
Masala* by Srinivas Krishna
1. census; 2 "Pigeon"; 3. Masala
10. 11/22
4. Love, Obsession and "Family" in the Cities
1). Montreal: husband and wife, father and son		 * Night Zoo  1987  Jean-Claude Lauzon
La derniere partie ("The Last Game" Michel Brault; from M*)  Group 3
journal 3 due 
1.Night Zoo, 2."Last Game"; 3. Robber Bride
11. 11/29 2) Toronto "The Robber Bride" (chaps 39-41;45-49) from The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood 
Group 2
1. report; 2. conclusion
12. 12/6 3) Toronto * Exotica  1994  Atom Egoyan  Group 6
"Under the Wings of a Big Old Bird" by Stuart Ross
journal 4 due
Exotica
13. 12/13
5. City Visions
1) Montreal: Outsiders' views		 * "Desperanto" (or "Let Sleeping Girls Lie" Patricia Rozema) 
* "En Passant" ("Passing Through" Atom Egoyan)  Group 5
* "Rispondetemi"  (Lea Pool) -- all the three from M*

1. Desperanto and En Passang, 2. Director intro. 3. City vision & Rispondetemi
14. 12/20 2) Montreal: views of the marginalized artists "Topographies" by Natasha Waxman
Straight for the Heart by Lea Pool
1. Straight, 2.Topographies
15. 12/27 3) Toronto "In Various Restaurants"  by Daniel Jones
I've Heard the Mermaid Sing  1987 Patricia Rozema  Group 1
journal 5 due 
1. Mermaid, 2. Rozema & Artists.
16. 1/3
6. Chance Encounter & Apocalypse
 		 Last Night & Eldorado
"Crates of Stars," "Rescue" from Concrete Forest
17. 1/10 Cosmos and Conclusion
18. 1/17   Final Exam
.