Writers from Atlantic Canada often focus on the place, the people, and their culture. Wayne Johnston’s coming-of-age novel, set in Newfoundland, is a hilarious exploration of growing up Catholic and Irish on the “Rock” amidst a group of eccentrics. Alistair MacLeod’s stories, set mostly in Cape Breton, examine the ties that stretch back to the Gaelic roots of the families that fish and mine the unforgiving coastline. David Adams Richards writes about the physical and moral struggles of the people of the Miramichi in New Brunswick. Sarah Mian, a new voice from Nova Scotia, tells the tale of poverty and perseverance, alternately comic and tragic, of a dysfunctional family that endures despite impossible odds. In this course we will ask the following questions: How does a sense of place pervade these works? How does place shape family and how does it serve to  link the present and the past? Does the harsh landscape and the subsequent struggles to eke out a living place a stamp on the people and promote a unique vision of life? Finally, is the writing of Atlantic Canada solely regional, or does it also fill the wider spaces of the heart through universal themes and concerns?

Books to Purchase (will be available at Argo Bookshop during the weeks prior to the course beginning):

• MacLeod, Alistair. Island (a collection of short stories) 
• Johnston, Wayne. The Divine Ryans (a novel) 
• Richards, David Adams. Mercy Among the Children (a novel) 
• Mian, Sarah. When the Saints (a novel)

Please note that this course has a maximum enrollment of 16 students and that TMI does not allow participants to audit courses for free.

Location: Zoom

First Session: Thursday September 19th, 2024

Course Length: 12 weeks, Thursdays, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Discussion Team: Zsolt Alapi, Murray Shugar, Anne Fitzpatrick

Degree Credit: 3 credits

Course Fee: 

$100.00 (New Students)

$160.00 (Standard Tuition)

Administrative Fee:

$40.00

Total:

$140.00 (New Students)

$200.00 (Standard Tuition)

For 12-week courses, fees are refundable in full before the second session. If the participant withdraws after the second course, they will be charged a $50 fee. There is no refund after the third course has passed. Please note that non-attendance does not constitute a withdrawal.

Students pursuing studies for credit are encouraged to consult with their advisers as they register for courses.

Course leaders, and students wishing to use credit vouchers, should call (514) 935-9585 to pay by phone or to schedule an appointment to pay in person.