Topics in Canadian Literature III - Hockey, Social Justice, and Cultural Production
Although the dominant culture of ice hockey in lands claimed as Canada has been steeped in nationalist nostalgia and heteropatriarchy, the meteoric popularity of Heated Rivalry and the marketing of the newly minted Professional Women鈥檚 Hockey League as a feminist, queer-positive space suggest the culture of the game is far more dynamic than it might initially appear. Hockey can be a site of contention, struggle, and even possibility. This course examines cultural productions of hockey across diverse media鈥攏ovels, short stories, poetry, songs, films, tv shows, podcasts鈥攊n relation to issues such as gender, sexuality, race, economics, nationhood, colonialism, and the environment. Armed with critical readings in Indigenous Studies, Black Studies, Queer Theory, and the History and Sociology of Sport, we will study works by creators like Rachel Reid and Jacob Tierney, Nancy Doud, Frederik Backman, Roch Carrier, Matt Robinson, Judith Alguire, Kyle Edwards, and Richard Wagamese.
(Offered jointly with ENGL 489)