Ethnic Identity: Literature

This assignment has been created as an exercise for Modern World Literature students. While students in this course are learning about other cultures, I also encourage them to examine their own ethnic identity - the "cultural lens" through which they view the world. I think this exercise could be used in many other courses as well.

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Using Literature to Explore Ethnic Identity
ASSIGNMENT
Consult a reliable online literature catalog or site to find a contemporary example of a poem, short story, or essay written by a writer who represents your ethnic identity. Then post your find to this week’s discussion forum, with the following information:

Presentation of the text:
Give the title of the work, the author’s name, and the date of publication (if available), along with a live link to the work.

A brief reflection on your selection:
Explain why you chose this particular text, how it reflects your ethnic identity, and how you responded to it. How did the text make you feel? What is familiar about the theme or content? Did anything in the text surprise you?

What beliefs, values, and traditions have shaped you?Image taken at a Greek Orthodox monastery in Eastern Finland by Mikko Erpestad
Additional Information:

If you are a combination of many cultures, as most Americans are, choose the culture with which you identify most strongly. For example, I have some Swedish blood and I have lived in many cultures, but my ethnic identity, without doubt, is Finnish (by the way, I will be posting my selection too!).

Remember to find a relatively contemporary source, written during the “modern” time period (after World War II), which is the focus of this course. Look for dates of publication or the writer’s age. If you can’t determine how old the writer or the text is, you must seek another one.

If you have trouble finding a reliable or useful source, you might try one of the following sites as they apply to your situation. If you still need help, ask your instructor or the college librarian.

Dmoz Open Directory Project
Google Literature Directory
Words Without Borders
World Literature Online

Other possible resources:

All of these sites give information about authors’ names and titles that you could research further, and many of them also provide live links to their work.

Chippewa/Ojibway/Anishinabe Literature
This website is hosted by Indians.org.

Finnish Literature Today
This website is hosted by Virtual Finland.

French Literature
This website is hosted by Discover France.

German Literature
This website is hosted by About-Germany.org.

Hmong Literature
This website is hosted by the Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Latino Literature
This website is hosted by lasCulturas.com.

Middle Eastern Literature
This website is hosted by Columbia University Libraries.

Norwegian Literature
This website is hosted by NORLA, which connects Norwegian writers with global publishers.

Russian Literature
This website is hosted by Duke University Libraries.

Serbian Literature
This website is hosted by Serbian Unity Congress.

Swedish Literature
This website is hosted by the Consulate General of Sweden.