American Voices (Honors Option)
This elective course will be an introductory survey of literature from the perspectives of American writers belonging to a variety of cultural, ethnic, religious, and racial backgrounds. Students will read contemporary short stories, novels, plays, poems, and informational texts to study how historical context and cultural influence impact the diversity of the American experience. This is a seminar course that will rely upon assigned reading and independent research, participation in class discussion, and academic and informal writing responses. Novels that may be studied are Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, James McBride’s The Color of Water, and Cristina Henriquez’s The Book of Unknown Americans.