Hello and welcome to this exciting adventure through Canadian Literature, where we will explore how the stories of the Great White North evolve and are communicated to the rest of the world. This blog is where I will share my thoughts and questions about the stories I will be consuming, and what exactly constitutes Canadian Content.
CanCon for short, Canadian Content is the modern, inclusive term that refers to Canadian created literature, television, and music. In this age of the internet, the resulting globalization of media consumption has changed the landscape of how Canadians engage with modern entertainment.
Although CanCon intends to celebrate Canadian identity, it largely overlooks the voices of indigenous peoples, much like Canadian Literature. This course, English 470A, will be focusing on whose stories make up Canadian literary canon, and expand students’ repertoire of under-represented stories.
What’s exciting about this class is the new ways of communication that we will be utilizing, and how the online format allows us to experience first hand the different effects of different storytelling methods. Personally, I find the changing ways in which people communicate and share their stories to be a fascinating reflection of cultural values and social practices.
I have spent three years at UBC, studying literature and how it is a mirror of the people who both read and write it. While stories are the focus of my degree (a major in literature and a minor in creative writing), I have also taken several language classes, and have come to appreciate the differences in language and how that affects the cultural norms we inherit.
My spare time is also spent on telling stories, as I am the co-president of the UBC Players’ Club (the oldest theatre club on campus), and work on other shows throughout Vancouver during the summers. I’m passionate about stories because they give everyone a voice, and in hearing about others’ experiences and emotions, we can connect to someone we’ve never met. And for minorities whose stories may not otherwise be heard, every connection is important.
WORKS CITED
Athanasopoulos, Panos. “How the Language You Speak Changes Your View of the World.” The Conversation, 27 April 2015. Web. 11 Sept 2016.
Freeman, Sunny. “‘CanCon In The Netflix Age: Just Don’t Mention It’s Canadian.” Huffington Post, 29 Nov 2013. Web. 11 Sept 2016.