Abstract:

What is the role of a story? Can a narrative change the way we look at the world? While these are large and abstract questions, they are also foundational to thinking about the role of literary studies in the modern global university. In a world that seems increasingly divisive, how can literature be used to teach valuable and necessary lessons about diversity, history, and complex social systems? This paper argues that such questions within the humanities are central to discussions about how educational institutions and diverse course offerings contribute to and promote global cultural competence as a 21st century skill. By situating pedagogical approaches to literary studies within the context of debates about the role of the humanities in higher education and sociopolitical global citizenship, this paper advocates and outlines methodologies for the inclusion of diverse curricula to support critical cultural citizenship in an increasingly globalized world.

To unpack this complex argument, this paper offers a case study of using an multi-cultural novel to engage students in complex questions about racial identity, citizenship, and politics of nationalism – all issues that still loom large in contemporary global conversations. The paper uses a singular literary text - The Heartsong of Charging Elk by Indigenous American author, James Welch to outline a complex narrative of global citizenship. The novel tells the story of an indigenous performer in an American-produced “Wild West” show that travels to Europe in search of a new identity. Through shifts in location, language, and identity politics, Welch weaves a tale of body-based discourse that radically complicates the notions of identity, place, and citizenship.

This paper utilizes this complex narrative to consider and promote a globalized lens through which to teach humanities subjects, offering an alternative mode of instruction that encourages students to reach beyond the text and consider the social and political conditions that produce such radical narratives. In this case study, a model for instruction is built using the theoretical frameworks of critical race studies, regional studies, post-colonial theory, and Cultural Studies. To explore these complex frameworks, this paper provides examples for creating introductory class activities, guided case studies to analyze and apply core concepts beyond the world of the novel, and current event assignments to facilitate connections between art and contemporary social issues. Each example includes a blueprint for theoretical and pedagogical planning and a guide for facilitation. Through these examples, this paper fully explores new methods for teaching literature in an increasingly complex world.

In advocating for a multidimensional global view, this framework creates a context in which discussions of literature are placed in contact with global conceptions of difference, systemic structures of power, diaspora, and resistance. This creates a more inclusive and critical analytical line of discussion and questioning for students – and allows faculty members to focus on building core 21st century competencies in global awareness and diversity. By facilitating these connections for students, instruction methods for The Heartsong of Charging Elk aim to promote a globalized view of the “West” through critical analysis, historical contextualization, and comparative study.

Keywords:

Literature, pedagogy, instruction, global competencies, global education, diversity.