Indigenous Film and Literature 

This course was taken during the Spring semester of my Freshman year at UNE. This course was taken as one of my Explorations but also counted towards my English minor. I wanted to enroll in this course because it was something that sounded really unique and different. Still somewhat fresh out of high school I was used to english classes focusing on more classic literature or things that were more mainstream. This course was completely different and taught me so much about how marginalized groups of people can be represented in various forms of media. It made be aware to the many pervasive problems that still exist in society today. This course was a stepping stone or introduction that allowed my other courses, such as those taken in sociology, make more sense.

 

“What happens when Indigenous people’s stories become a book? And when the book becomes a film? One of the wonders of the internet age is that Native peoples all over the world are able to tell their own stories as never before, changing understandings of indigenous pre/histories, post/colonial conditions, and struggles for political autonomy. This course explores examples of literary and film narratives by and about First Peoples in order to introduce students to the basics of film studies, literary criticism, and publishing/distribution industries. By focusing on the dynamic of “owning” stories – both honoring and possessing them – across media, the course also helps to elaborate the conditions of historic changes in Indigenous people’s lives that are taking place within our lifetimes, such as the Standing Rock protests.”

UNE Course Catalog Description