2024-2025 Course Flipbook v2 - Flipbook - Page 31
SENIOR SEMINAR : LITERATURE OF IMMIGRATION AND
ASSIMILATION
Many of us know at least part of the story of our own family’s immigration to the United
States. How does our family story relate to the stories of other families? Are there things
that we see in the stories of others that lead us to more deeply question our histories?
Our attitudes? Throughout this course, students explore the experiences of immigrants
and 昀椀rst-generation Americans, building toward an individual inquiry project in which
they explore a particular area of interest. In the 昀椀rst semester, students explore the
experiences of various immigrant and 昀椀rst-generation families through the study of three
novels: Victor Villaseñor’s Rain of Gold, James T. Farrell’s Young Lonigan, and Amy Tan’s
The Joy Luck Club. Entering the second semester, the class collectively selects a literary
work to study. In addition, each student selects an area of interest and develops guiding
questions for their independent inquiry project. Students do this work in conversation with
the teacher, and it necessitates substantial independent research, including at least one
academic literary source. Students explore, examine, and integrate literary criticism and
materials from outside disciplines into their projects. Possible topics include: a study of
a particular community, the literature of a particular writer, the impact of a particular
government program on the experience of immigrants, or other topics of interest to the
student. Each student presents their work to an audience beyond their class.
ENGLISH
RS
