Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The Amy Tan Blogs, Take 7 (socio-cultural)


a socio-cultural teacher...

A socio-cultural teacher will assign “Mother Tongue” as part of a unit on the 20th century immigrant experience in America. Additional readings include sociological studies on the history and nature of “code-switching” and first-hand accounts of discrimination against Chinese immigrants to America. Following the reading of “Mother Tongue,” the teacher may assign studies about Chinese-American culture and the pressures to succeed placed on first- and second-generation immigrant children.

Class discussion will include personal reactions to the text:  student will share their own experiences of discrimination due to their mastery of language or an appearance of “otherness” as examples of broader cultural assumptions at play in Tan’s account. Discussion will also seek to tie Tan’s essay to the other texts being studied and discussed. An essay will ask students to situate Tan’s essay within the larger context of immigrant experience and language mastery. 

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