English 150-001
Multicultural America
Instr: Jay, Gregory
Office: GAR 324; 229-6327
e-mail: gjay@uwm.edu
Office hours:
Course Information: M&W; 9:30-10:45am; CRT 368
Course Description
The United States has always been a diverse society, composed of people from many cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. Yet, too often the study of American history and literature has not done justice to this diversity, or faced honestly the conflicts and challenges that it presents. Today, more than ever, all of us need to expand our understanding of cultural differences and gain new skills in cross-cultural communication. This course will examine "Multicultural America" through the diversity of its literary voices; readings will include poetry, fiction, and autobiography by American Indians, African Americans, Latino/as, and Hmong Americans as well as by people of European descent. These readings will help us examine the relation of voice to identity, identity to culture, and culture to history. Each student will be asked to reflect critically on his or her own cultural identity, and to explore that identity in the context of America's racial and ethnic history. To better understand multicultural society today, students will be required to undertake 15 hours of Service Learning in a community setting where cross-cultural experiences are possible. Class sessions will emphasize student participation in discussion, small group work, and oral presentation. There will also be online assignments requiring use of the D2L web courseware. English 150 is open to all UWM students without prerequisite; it also serves as the required Core Course for the Cultures and Communities Certificate Program. This course satisfies both Humanities and Cultural Diversity General Education Requirements.
