The Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature

	Cultural Studies Theory

	Teaching Strategies

	Authors and Literary Works

	Additional Resources


		Explore two poems using four approaches.

		Share your views on the discussion board.

Additional Resources

Ask Asia Web Site
http://www.askasia.org/teachers/Instructional_Resources/ Materials/Readings/index.htm
This site compiles numerous resources -- historical, literary, and cultural -- on Asian American culture in general, along with resource guides about specific Asian cultures.

Becoming American: The Chinese Experience
http://www.pbs.org/becomingamerican/
This Web site provides a wealth of information about Chinese immigration to the U.S. and Chinese American life.

Charles, Jim. "Contemporary American Indian Life in The Owl's Song and Smoke Signals," English Journal, 2002.
http://www.ncte.org/pdfs/subscribers-only/ej /0903-jan01/EJ0903Contemporary.pdf
This article on teaching cultural studies looks at works with young-adult Native American protaganists.

Chin, Frank, et al (eds). Aiiieeeee!: An Anthology of Asian American Writers. New York: Mentor, 1974.
This first Asian American literature anthology was a seminal book in Asian American and multicultural literary history.

Circle of Stories
http://www.pbs.org/circleofstories/
This Web site contains information about storytelling traditions, including material from N. Scott Momaday.

Francis, Lee. Native Time: A Historical Time Line of Native America. New York: St Martin's Griffin, 1996.
This cross-referenced timeline deals with the history, literature, religion, and politics of Native Americans.

Hubbard, Jim (ed). Shooting Back From the Reservation: A Photographic View of Life by Native American Youth. New Press, 1994.
This collection of photographs evolved out of a project that gave Native American adolescents cameras to take interpretive photos of their environment.

Index of Native American Resources on the Web
http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources/indices/NAhistory.html
This Web site offers handy links to sites about Native American history and culture.

Kim, Elaine H. Asian American Literature; An Introduction to the Writings and Their Social Context. Philadelphia: Temple University, 1982.
This general introduction to Asian American literature also supplies classroom teaching tips.

Lee, Robert A. "Imagined Cities of China: Timothy Mo's London, Sky Lee's Vancouver, Fae Myenne Ng's San Francisco and Gish Jen's New York." Critical Mass, 4:1 (Fall 1996).
http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~critmass/v4n1/lee1.html
This article compares Russell Leong's poetry to the work of other contemporary Asian writers.

Lim, Shirley Geok-lin and Amy Ling (eds). Reading the Literature of Asian America. Philadelphia: Temple University, 1992.
This guide contains tips for teaching Asian-American literature.

Ling, Amy. "Teaching Asian-American Literature." From Heath Anthology Newsletter. Georgetown University: 1996.
http://www.georgetown.edu/tamlit/essays/asian_am.html
This essay offers analysis and strategies for bringing Asian American texts into the classroom.

Masden, Deborah L (ed). Post-Colonial Literatures: Expanding the Canon. London: Pluto Press, 1999.
This collection of essays explores multicultural American literature from a post-colonial lens.

Native Americans - Searching for Knowledge and Understanding
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/lessons/native_americans/ index.html
This Web site offers lesson plans for middle school classes about history and culture.

Native American Storytelling
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/lessons/native_story/index.html
This Web site offers lesson plans about Native American storytelling for elementary level classes.

Oliver, Eileen. Crossing the Mainstream: Multicultural Perspectives in Teaching Literature. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1994.
This book focuses on curriculum development, teaching strategies, and literary questions for multicultural texts.

Takaki, Ronald. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Back Bay Books, 1993.
Takaki examines of the multicultural history of the United States.

Takaki, Ronald. Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans. New York: Penguin, 1989.
This historical overview draws on letters, journals, newspaper ads, and other historic artifacts to tell a broad story of Asian American history.

Willis, Arlette Ingram. Teaching and Using Multicultural Literature in Grades 9-12. Norwood, NJ: Christopher Gordon Publishers, 1998.
This guide to teaching multicultural literature focuses on instruction in high school classrooms.

Wong, Sau-Ling Cynthia. Reading Asian American Literature: From Necessity to Extravagance. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1993.
This text focuses on the inclusion of Asian American literature in the classroom.

Yang, Jeff, et al. Eastern Standard Time: A Guide to Asian Influence on American Culture From Astro Boy to Zen Buddhism. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
This very visual and sometimes humorous book explores the influence of the East on Western culture.

The Expanding Canon: Teaching Multicultural Literature