Disciplines/Subjects: Chinese Language Arts, Sociology
Key Themes: Immigration literature, new immigrants, mentality
Homesickness is a small stamp.
I'm over here,
Mother is over there.
Since 1978, batches of intellectual elites have chosen to cross the ocean to study in the US. Compared to the earliest group of Chinese labor immigrants who came to the US for "gold mining", the name "new immigrants" has emerged due to the huge changes in their knowledge background and immigration purposes. As intellectuals who are "new immigrants", some of them choose to return to China for development after achieving success in the US, while others choose to continue to realize their "US dream" and become residents. Over time, the social structure of Chinese immigrants in the US has gradually become richer and more complete.
With the increasing diversity of Chinese immigrant society, "New Immigrant Literature" has gradually prospered. Nowadays, a group of new immigrant writers not only express their frustrations and feelings directly through narrative descriptions of life but also learn to dig out the insights of different groups and cultures on life and the examination of human nature from the complex details of life.
Learners will determine the theme they want to explore about the living conditions faced by new immigrants based on personal experiences/interviews with Chinese people who have lived overseas, search for relevant information, and write a paper combining their understanding and analysis of new immigrant literary works (novels) related to the theme to explore the inner strength that can support the mentality of new immigrants.
All the papers written by the learners will be compiled into a handbook that explores the living conditions and mindset themes of new immigrants. This not only examines the learners' understanding and interpretation, analysis and evaluation, focus and organization, and language abilities but also provides a better guide for learners who are about to study abroad to "take root".
Habits of mind: Curiosity, Empathy, Growth Mindset
Cognitive skills:
Textual Analysis：Theme/Central Idea, Point of View/Purpose, Development, Structure, Word Choice
Content Knowledge:
Appreciate Chinese immigrant literature (novels)
Feel and experience the beauty of language, image, and emotion in literary works
Appreciate, identify, and evaluate immigrant literary works of different eras and styles
Reading and analyzing papers related to the reasons and survival methods of Chinese immigrants overseas
Understanding the differences between Chinese and Western cultures and thought patterns