canon

POINT / COUNTERPOINT: Should SFU’s English department focus less on white male authors?

Yes, English requirements should shift to focus on more diverse literature. By Emily Seitz, SFU Student On June 1, Alison Flood published an article in The Guardian exploring a petition put forth by undergraduate students at Yale University. The petition calls for an end to the English department’s course requirement of canonical white male authors such as Shakespeare, Chaucer, and the like. The students argued that “it is unacceptable that a Yale student considering studying English literature might read only white male authors.” The article also includes a comment by Katy Waldman, a writer for Slate, who states that “you…

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