All of these words are possible but partial descriptions, since Canada, like all the other postcolonial nations, has a mixture of cultures, races and contradictory self-images. To us Taiwanese, Canada offers syrup, maple leaf, picturesque tourist spots and ice-melt clean water. But for itself, it has a combination of non-militaristic national flag and the very violent hockey game, the Quebecois French which is "not-quite" French and the Canadian English which is hardly distinguishable from British and American English. Moreover, it is still struggling with the heart-wrenching question of "One nation, two nations, or many regions" -- the possibility of turning multicultural mosaic into a mixture of two solitudes or many solitudes.

Why the Canadian?
Canada, or the Canadian culture, is actually not too far away from us -- with the daily and rapid exchange of commodities, information and people (e.g. Taiwanese and Hong Kongese immigration to Canada) between the two nations. Despite and perhaps because of the complexities mentioned above, we Taiwanese can relate to the issues (such as national identity, race and gender issues) Canada struggles with. Let's have a glimpse at the issues we will discuss :

1. nation--How is the Canadian different from the British and the U.S.? How does Canada retain one-ness while confirming multiculturalism? How do different provinces relate to the national center?
2. race--Is it a "mosaic" or "vertical mosaic"? In other words, in what forms does racism appear in Canadian society, on both individual and institutional levels? How do the immigrant writers construct their cultural identity?
3. gender--How is sexism related to racism and nationalism? Where are the gender, racial and national boundaries?

The texts we will be reading will be a collection of short stories (e.g. Alice Munro, Mordecai Richler, Clark Blaise, Sky Lee), poems (e.g. Earle Birney, P. K. Page, Joy Kogawa, Gwendolyn MacEwen, etc.), and one or two medium-length novels (e.g. Obasan by Joy Kogawa, and The Wars by Timothy Findley). Also, we will have a selection of English films related our themes from different regions (e.g. . West Coast: My American Cousin; Lotus Eaters; The Prairie: Tales from the Gimli Hotel., Quebec: Perfectly Normal; East Coast: Margaret's Museum) and of different races (aborigine: Dance Me Outside, Indian -- Sam and me; Chinese: Double Happiness). The three issues we focus on, of course, cannot be exhausted, not to mention contemporary Canadian literature as a whole. But this course will be a chance for us to explore a new world in order to broaden our own horizon.

Requirements & Grading policy:
1. Reading before class and active participation in class is essential. Any late or absence will affect your final grade. If you have to be absent, please let me know beforehand.--10%
2. one group report on a topic of your own choice.--20%
4. Bi-Weekly journal--two pages each week--30%
5. a take-home exame--40%

Textbooks: Selections from

1. An Anthology of Canadian literature in English. Ed. Russell Brown, et al. Rev. & bridged ed. Toronto : Oxford University Press, 1990.
2. Other Solitudes: Canadian Multicultural Fictions. Ed. Linda Hutcheon& Marion Richmond. Toronto: Oxford UP, 1990.
3. Many-Mouthes Birds: Contemporary Writings by Chinese Canadians. Eds. Bennett Lee and Jim Wong-Chu. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre.
4. She Tries Her Tongue: Her Silence Softly Breaks. Marlene Nourbese Philip. Charlottetown, Island P, 1991.