I am very pleased that you are considering this course on multicultural literature. My hope is that you will find it intellectually stimulating, relevant to your life and work, and fun to meet new people and exchange ideas. The previous classes seemed to have a good experience with the materials and readings, especially those students who did not have an opportunity in their previous education to focus on the "voices" of ethnic writers or learn how history, culture and the social environment influence us all in how we think and act. The course is a "connector" that may help you pull together your thoughts and experiences about diversity in America. One can hardly open a newspaper or hear a news report without coming in contact with the "themes" of this course.
One of the major themes that weaves itself into the course is that we are all "immigrants" to the United States in some generation (except if you have pure native tribal roots) and, therefore, we have commonalities with other such groups....and differences, too. As a result, many students have been stimulated to research or rethink their own family history and heritage.
The class is likely to be diverse in itself, if not in multicultural status, in student interests and experience. In the past, there have been students from across the United States and from a number of other countries. They were working adults, UW campus students, retired folks, teachers, health professionals, and high school students in advanced placement programs. Usually a class is a rich mix of different interests, backgrounds, and lifestyles so the class discussions can be very interesting and personal.
UW Colleges Catalog Course Description for ENG 278: Multicultural Literature in America - 3 credits. This course is a study of literature written by, and expressing the perspectives of, writers from minority groups in the United States. The course includes readings by contemporary writers focusing on the experiences of African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native Americans through their essays, poetry, fiction, and drama. As an Interdisciplinary course, the literature will be studied in the context of the historical and cultural context of American life. This course fulfills the UWC requirement for Humanities (HU) and Ethnic Studies (ES). This online course also fulfills the UWC requirement for Interdisciplinary Studies (IS).
Prerequisites: Exemption from ENG 101 based on placement test score or ENG 101 or consent of instructor. May be taken for credit more than once if content changes.
Successful completion of this course will enhance students' ability to
By completing this course, students will
As a class we will strive to become a "learning community" that interacts through the weekly discussions and reflections on the readings. This will only happen if each one contributes. Throughout the course there will be very specific directions for the kinds and frequency of your responses, and your grade will be affected by the quality as well as the quantity of your responses.
It is required that you know how to use email, attach files, and use a word processing package that is compatible with MS office (MS Word, Notepad, WordPad).
