This course will examine contemporary literature that explores the experience of being exiled "from" or "to" the United States. We will consider: how the process of affiliating with or belonging to a particular place occurs, what it then means to be distanced from one's home or a sense of "home," and how the experience of being in exile or political isolation impacts individuals as well as the social groups, cultural norms, and national boundaries that they seek to alter or escape. Our readings will trace the forms that postmodern literature takes in response to these concerns and questions, especially the methods authors employ to represent history, knowledge, and identity. Class meetings will be based on discussion. Other graded requirements will include critical response papers, a mid-term, and a final essay. The reading list may include the following authors: John Okada, Graham Greene, Philip Roth, Jamaica Kincaid, Marilynne Robinson, and Ruth Ozeki. Some recent literary and cultural theory will guide us, especially excerpts from the work of Benedict Anderson, Linda Hutcheon, and John Carlos Rowe.