Week 9: Unit Planning Ideas

 

I am interested in developing a class around the theme of “The American Dream” because this broad topic provides an opportunity for exploring a number of interesting sub-themes, such as “income inequality and democracy,” “changing patterns in marriage,” “educational opportunity,” “debates over welfare,” and “racial inequality.” The topic of the American Dream is relevant to students' lives today, especially given the increasingly difficult prospect that our students will realize this Dream, or will achieve upward mobility, within their lifetimes.

For the unit, I would focus on one or two sub-themes related to the broader theme of “The American Dream.” I have spoken with a few of my classmates about this topic, and through our conversations, was introduced to some great comprehensive articles about the topic, such as The American Dream: A Biography. This has led me to conclude that my unit could be the first in a five-unit, semester-long course centered around the American Dream, and students could start by reading this longer introduction to the topic before exploring a number of sub-themes. If the unit occurred at the beginning of the semester, it would also incorporate community-building activities and would introduce key aspects of the reading and writing processes, such as annotation, citing sources in MLA Style, writing thesis statements, paragraph structure, etc.

I am primarily interested in developing a freshman-level composition course, rather than a remedial course, since this is what I am familiar with as an instructor.

I would like to incorporate a range of elements from a variety of orientations, including cognitive, expressivist, and sociocultural orientations. Because the theme is focused on topics that are relevant to U.S. society today, I imagine it will mainly be sociocultural. The unit will aim to get students to critically analyze their own subject positions in relation to dominant (and alternative) American ideologies, and will encourage them to examine contradictions, challenges, and questions raised by this exploration of cultural ideals and realities. I would also like to incorporate both cognitive and expressivist activities in order to allow students to learn and explore by utilizing a range of strategies and skills, as I think this will ultimately lead to a more well-rounded and provocative course overall.

Possible texts to assign for this unit (listed below related sub-themes):

The American Dream in general:

What Happens to the American Dream in a Recession?
Is the American Dream Dead?
What is it with Twenty-Somethings Anyways?
The American Dream's Empty Promise
Is the American Dream Still Worth It?

The Welfare Debate:

Conservative perspective: Strange Facts About America's "Poor"
Pro-welfare perspective: I Was a Welfare Mother

Income Inequality:

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
Poverty in America: Why Can't We End It? 
The Great Divergence: America's Growing Inequality Crisis and What We Can Do About It

Inequality and Education:
Inequality Undermines Democracy
Income Inequality and Educational Opportunity

 
**Supplemental Films:
Capitalism: A Love Story
Inside Job