Resources for Your Critical Thinking

"The Danger of a Single Story" by Edwidge Danticat

Critical Thinking Organization for our Class Discussion

Bloom's Taxonomy to Guide our Thinking about Thesis

Stanley Fish on "Arizona: The Gift that Goes on Giving"

Ted Talks on Cultural Relativism

Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat

Edwidge Danticat wrote this fiction book, Breath, Eyes, Memory,  in 1994 when she was just 25 years old.  She has written several other books--both fiction and memoir since.  She is Haitian American.  Reading her book will give you a window into that troubled country, her culture, and the courage of the immigrants who come to America for a new life.  I heard her speak several years ago in Seattle at Benaroya Hall when she was a featured speaker in the Arts and Lectures series.  She was inspiring to hear and learn about her work as a novelist.  There was an interview with her in The New Yorker after the earthquake in Haiti in January.

Ted Talks by Edwidge Danticat
Interview with the Author

Read the book as quickly as you can.  We will have one seminar paper on this book DUE on May, 19th.  By Sunday the seminar assignment will be posted.

Cultural Interview and Finish Obama's Dream

For Monday's Class--Cultural Interview #2 is DUE in class--bring two extra copies. We will share and use the rubric to evaluate each other's work.

Complete your reading of Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama for Wednesday's  seminar #4--do 3 quotes and unpacking if you only did one for Seminar #3. 

BRING all of your books, articles (if you have them printed) to class this week for our work on the Big Ideas and Questions about the work/texts/conversations that we have been doing in our class.

Essay #1 and Seminar Assignments for Obama's Autobiography

Essay #1 about your life with some connection to our texts--DUE on Monday, May 3rd--Include the short paper about your writing process--linked on the left.  [No late papers without notifying the teachers and expecting some "points" off for late work.]

Seminar Preparation Papers #3 and #4--DUE on Wednesday, May 5th and May 12th for Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama.   


Leticia Nieto's articles on Understanding Oppression--

• "Strategies in Addressing Power and Privilege"--1
• "Skill Sets for Targets"--2
• "Skill Sets for Agents"--3

Dreams from Obama's and Your LIFE!

Read by Wed. 4-28, Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, Part 1 or pp. vii--129 by 4-28; for May 5 Part 2 or pp. 133-295 (Seminar paper #3) and Part 3 and book finished (Seminar paper #4) by May 12th. 

Essay #1 asks you to write about your own "roots" or "voice" as it connects to your life and dreams.  Obama's book, Dreams from My Father, demonstrates very clearly how you must have a "purpose" for your writing or a theme that you explore. In this book he connect the "events" or incidents of his life with the other "texts"--stories from family, or books (Obama 102-103), or other encounters with incidents or information in his life.  Your first essay assignment also asks you to dig into your roots or some time when your "voice" was used or not heard in your life.  One example in Obama's book is when he reacts with fear about the time in Indonesia when he learned that black people in America were whitening their skin: "As in a dream, I had no voice for my new found fear" (30). 

Read another example of an essay using the concept of voice by author Zadie Smith.  She wrote about her own voice and Obama's voice in the New York Review of Books.

Cultural Communication and Love Medicine--April 16-19

Enjoy your Cultural Interview--DUE on MONDAY 4/19  in class.  Remember the Barna article as you concentrate on the other person and use your best listening to learn from them.  The recorder really helps so you can concentrate on listening.  Then turn to your writing and follow the assignment form carefully.  Here is the link to the video "Faces of America" on PBS.

Finish Reading Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich--Your second seminar paper--DUE on Wed. 4/21 for class seminar-- should take your "question" deeper or into the last pages of the book or explore another question that you found interesting after your fist seminar and as you finish reading this book.  Most of you are liking this complex novel and making connections to the themes in our class of VOICE-CULTURE-MEMORY-LANGUAGE-IDENTITY-COMMUNICATION-ROOTS!!

As I read the novel again, I know you may have some "small" or other question about the "setting/time/references" that may be puzzling you.  If you do, post a question into the comment section below--or bring it to class on Monday.  I will do my best to answer it.   Carol

Louise Erdrich--Author of Love Medicine and Book Store Owner

FOR WEDNESDAY's CLASS:  Bring an "object" from childhood to share.


Read this info on Seminars by our mentor and colleague, Jim Harnish, who taught us how to teach you!  Read LaRay Barna article posted on the left.


Louise Erdrich

Learn more about her and her work by following the link to Voices From the Gap--A site that has biographies and other links about Women Writers of Color--published by the University of Minnesota.
This is the front of her Native American book store, Birchbark Books, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

NOTES ON ASSIGNMENTS: Read and Annotate "Composing a Life" by Bateson for MONDAY's Class--we gave out copies in class to mark up.  Read and bring questions about the posted assignments for the Cultural Interview and Seminar #1. 

A Site for Elements of Fiction--Resources for studying American Literature