Representations of Pacific Life

This course introduces students to the history, values and cultures of Hawai'i and the various Pacific Island nations, as they are represented through the genres of poetry, prose fiction, non-fiction essays, plays, films (feature and documentary), journalism and media. Specific attention will be paid to the ways in which Pacific Island cultures have been affected by Western contact and colonization, the development of postcolonial perspectives in Pacific Islanders telling their own stories, and the challenges of sustaining indigenous cultural identities in the 21st century.