Through a guided exploration of modern American literature, students will investigate themes of immigration, diversity, racism, and cultural traditions in the United States from 1945 to the present. Students will analyze texts from literary, thematic, and historical perspectives to gain insights into multicultural modern life in America. Selected authors include Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Gish Jen, Hisaye Yamamoto, Chitra Divakaruni, Amy Tan, Lorraine Hansberry, and Chaim Potok.
This is fast-paced semester-long high school course in which students will read four full novels and several short stories and poems in a single semester. Weekly webinars are 50 minutes long. Recordings are available for students who must miss a session.
Learning activities include regular writing to communicate ideas via the discussion forum, videos and multimedia materials to support learning, use of web 2.0 tools to illustrate new concepts, and weekly participation in live webinars.
Required Books:
◦ A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
â—¦ The Chosen by Chaim Potok
◦ The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
◦ If I Ever Get Out of Here  by Eric Gansworth
◦ Imagining America: Stories from the Promised Land by Wesley Brown and Amy Ling
