UW-Milwaukee: L&S Freshman Scholars Seminars

Fall 2008 Seminars

English

Multicultural America

Greg Jay, Professional

Note: Students who complete this course will satisfy both their Cultural Diversity and Humanities General Education Requirements

How are our identities shaped by the cultures and communities from which we come? Arriving at UWM, many students experience a diversity of people they have not encountered before, leading to unexpected friendships as well as tensions and confusions. Success in today's multicultural America requires thinking critically about one's own story as well as learning to listen to the tales told by others. This seminar will invite students to explore the importance of "cultural identity," both in the stories and poems we read and in our own personal lives. Whether our ancestors were Germans or Mexicans, Ojibwe or Jewish, from West Africa or Laos or Ireland (or any combination of these and any others), the histories of our families and the stories we have inherited shape who we are, what we know, what we value, and how we act. Through a combination of literary readings, film and video screenings, and experiences in the Milwaukee community, students will have opportunities to reflect on their own identities as they also learn to appreciate other people's stories. Work for the course will culminate in an "Identities" project, in which students will investigate their own histories and identities through the lens of their growing multicultural awareness.

Gregory Jay is a professor of English and the Director of UWM's Cultures and Communities Program. He grew up in Los Angeles during the turbulent 1960s, when the Civil Rights movement and anti-war protests shook-up the Woodstock generation. Looking for answers, he went to an experimental college (UC Santa Cruz), hitchhiked through Europe, and fell in love with American literature (he remembers reading Moby-Dick during his breaks cooking bad food at a drive-in restaurant). After earning his doctorate, he took a job at the University of Alabama, which had only recently been de-segregated. That's where his commitment to a more multicultural curriculum began. He listens to blues and jazz, goes to indie flicks, loves New Mexico, and spoils his two spaniels.

Number: ENGLISH 192, SEM 005
Credits: 3HU
Time: MW 3:30pm-4:45pm
Place: LUB S233
Class Number: 50940

Hmong American Life Stories

Mary Louise Buley-Meissner, Associate Professor

Extraordinary stories often are told by ordinary people - stories of courage, fear, sacrifice, strength, and hope. If we want to understand people, we need to listen carefully as they tell us about their families, histories, and dreams of the future. This seminar will focus on such narratives by Hmong Americans, who have become an increasingly important part of this country since the Vietnam War. Students will read a history of the war (Hmong in America: Journey from a Secret War by Tim Pfaff); the first collection of poetry and essays by young Hmong Americans (Bamboo Among the Oaks: Contemporary Writing by Hmong Americans,edited by Mai Neng Moua); a book of cross-cultural investigative reporting (The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman); and two issues of the literary journal Paj Ntaub Voice (Loss and Separation and Becoming America). These texts illuminate not only individual lives, but also the historical and cultural circumstances shaping people's identities, communities, and sustaining values. Through reading, writing and informed discussion, we will address many challenging questions. For example, how differently do first-, second- and third-generation Hmong Americans view the opportunities offered by this country for success and happiness? When Hmong traditions clash with modern American values, to what extent can opposing world views be reconciled? What are the choices and consequences faced by young people who attempt to live "between worlds"- as Hmong and American? For young women in particular, how can family and community obligations be balanced with personal ambitions that challenge tradition? To investigate such questions, we will delve into historical, social and educational studies of Hmong American life. Guest speakers and videos will provide additional background information. Our seminar will emphasize active learning through discussion informed by extensive reading, individual research projects, and class inquiry into the dynamic development of Hmong American identity from the 1970s until now.

A Seattle native, Mary Louise Buley-Meissner has traveled to China, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Europe and across the U.S. as a teacher and life-long learner. She enjoys meeting new students, crossing cultures, and searching for the perfect cup of coffee. An associate professor of English, she also works with the Cultures and Communities Program to promote cultural diversity in the UWM undergraduate curriculum. Her main project is developing the Hmong American Studies Initiative, which includes connecting course work with community engagement.

Number: ENGLISH 192, SEM 008 (Full)
Credits: 3HU
Time: TR 12:30pm-1:45pm
Place: CRT 468
Class Number: 53320

Number: ENGLISH 192, SEM 011 (Full)
Credits: 3HU
Time: TR 3:30pm-4:45pm
Place: CRT 468
Class Number: 59122

© College of Letters and Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Freshman Scholars Program, PO Box 413, Holton Hall G18, Milwaukee, WI 53201
Send your questions and comments to L&S Web Team
Last Updated: July 28, 2008


Humanities Africology Celtic Studies Communication Comparative Literature English Ethnic Studies German History Italian Philosophy Women's Studies Natural Science Atmospheric Sciences Biological Sciences Geociences Physics Social Science Africology Anthropology Economics Political Science Psychology Sociology Cultural Diversity English		Fall 2008 Seminars English Multicultural America Hmong American Life Stories (Full) Multicultural America Greg Jay, Professional Note: Students who complete this course will satisfy both their Cultural Diversity and Humanities General Education Requirements How are our identities shaped by the cultures and communities from which we come? Arriving at UWM, many students experience a diversity of people they have not encountered before, leading to unexpected friendships as well as tensions and confusions. Success in today's multicultural America requires thinking critically about one's own story as well as learning to listen to the tales told by others. This seminar will invite students to explore the importance of "cultural identity," both in the stories and poems we read and in our own personal lives. Whether our ancestors were Germans or Mexicans, Ojibwe or Jewish, from West Africa or Laos or Ireland (or any combination of these and any others), the histories of our families and the stories we have inherited shape who we are, what we know, what we value, and how we act. Through a combination of literary readings, film and video screenings, and experiences in the Milwaukee community, students will have opportunities to reflect on their own identities as they also learn to appreciate other people's stories. Work for the course will culminate in an "Identities" project, in which students will investigate their own histories and identities through the lens of their growing multicultural awareness. Gregory Jay is a professor of English and the Director of UWM's Cultures and Communities Program. He grew up in Los Angeles during the turbulent 1960s, when the Civil Rights movement and anti-war protests shook-up the Woodstock generation. Looking for answers, he went to an experimental college (UC Santa Cruz), hitchhiked through Europe, and fell in love with American literature (he remembers reading Moby-Dick during his breaks cooking bad food at a drive-in restaurant). After earning his doctorate, he took a job at the University of Alabama, which had only recently been de-segregated. That's where his commitment to a more multicultural curriculum began. He listens to blues and jazz, goes to indie flicks, loves New Mexico, and spoils his two spaniels. Number: ENGLISH 192, SEM 005 Credits: 3HU Time: MW 3:30pm-4:45pm Place: LUB S233 Class Number: 50940 Check current enrollment information. Return to Top of Page Hmong American Life Stories Mary Louise Buley-Meissner, Associate Professor Extraordinary stories often are told by ordinary people - stories of courage, fear, sacrifice, strength, and hope. If we want to understand people, we need to listen carefully as they tell us about their families, histories, and dreams of the future. This seminar will focus on such narratives by Hmong Americans, who have become an increasingly important part of this country since the Vietnam War. Students will read a history of the war (Hmong in America: Journey from a Secret War by Tim Pfaff); the first collection of poetry and essays by young Hmong Americans (Bamboo Among the Oaks: Contemporary Writing by Hmong Americans,edited by Mai Neng Moua); a book of cross-cultural investigative reporting (The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman); and two issues of the literary journal Paj Ntaub Voice (Loss and Separation and Becoming America). These texts illuminate not only individual lives, but also the historical and cultural circumstances shaping people's identities, communities, and sustaining values. Through reading, writing and informed discussion, we will address many challenging questions. For example, how differently do first-, second- and third-generation Hmong Americans view the opportunities offered by this country for success and happiness? When Hmong traditions clash with modern American values, to what extent can opposing world views be reconciled? What are the choices and consequences faced by young people who attempt to live "between worlds"- as Hmong and American? For young women in particular, how can family and community obligations be balanced with personal ambitions that challenge tradition? To investigate such questions, we will delve into historical, social and educational studies of Hmong American life. Guest speakers and videos will provide additional background information. Our seminar will emphasize active learning through discussion informed by extensive reading, individual research projects, and class inquiry into the dynamic development of Hmong American identity from the 1970s until now. A Seattle native, Mary Louise Buley-Meissner has traveled to China, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Europe and across the U.S. as a teacher and life-long learner. She enjoys meeting new students, crossing cultures, and searching for the perfect cup of coffee. An associate professor of English, she also works with the Cultures and Communities Program to promote cultural diversity in the UWM undergraduate curriculum. Her main project is developing the Hmong American Studies Initiative, which includes connecting course work with community engagement. Number: ENGLISH 192, SEM 008 (Full) Credits: 3HU Time: TR 12:30pm-1:45pm Place: CRT 468 Class Number: 53320 Number: ENGLISH 192, SEM 011 (Full) Credits: 3HU Time: TR 3:30pm-4:45pm Place: CRT 468 Class Number: 59122 Check current enrollment information. Return to Top of Page
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© College of Letters and Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Freshman Scholars Program, PO Box 413, Holton Hall G18, Milwaukee, WI 53201 Send your questions and comments to L&S Web Team Last Updated: July 28, 2008