Syllabus for December 10-14
WHAT IS LIFE LIKE FOR A BLACK American man growing up in relative poverty, in a community beset with social ills like crime and drug addiction? We will explore this issue alongside implicit bias with an independent non-fiction memoir/biography entitled The Other Wes Moore, the story of a black American youth who grows up to find success and happiness alongside another black American child with the same name, whose life takes a significantly different turn. We will be start Orwell’s 1984 on Friday.
Finishing our discussion of “The Kind of Light That Shines in Texas.” Small group story analysis, answering seven key questions about the story with two other students.
HW: Finish reading TOWM for our third, and final discussion on Wednesday. I will collect annotations on Thursday.
Tuesday
Discussing the story, “The Kind of Light that Shines in Texas,” by Reginald McKnight. Why is Clinton the only one of the three black students who speaks in the story, and what does that mean (in the context of the story, and in the context of our larger, American society)?
HW: Double check your annotations in TOWM, as I will collect them in class on Thursday.
Wednesday
Discussion 3: What lessons does do we learn from Author Wes’s and Other Wes’s experience?
HW: You should have reading through page 62 for class tomorrow, having finished part one.
Thursday
Introduction to 1984. We will also start reading chapter one together.
HW: As you read chapter one, make sure you keep a track of a) vocabulary, b) your questions, and c) Orwell’s warning about power to democratic citizens.
Friday
Continuing our reading of chapter one together in class.
HW: Read chapter one of 1984 for class on Monday. Remember to annotate!