Aurora University is May Term

EDU3810-01-MT ST: Who Am I? — Who Are You? TheEvolution of Cultural Identity3 semester hoursThis course will be a hands-on and personalized explorationof how cultural identity changes through successivegenerations in one’s family. Given the increasing multiculturaldiversity present in today’s society it is increasinglyimportant to understand one’s own as well as other’s culturalheritage. “Who am I? Who are you?” features doingcultural heritage and genealogical research on one’s ownbackground as well as on a culturally different 5th grader.Students will learn and integrate use of technology such asPowerPoint and SMART Board, and construct/implementlesson plans to present findings at a culminating event attendedby the 5th graders families.An AU student will be paired with a Johnson ElementarySchool 5th grader to construct and implement lesson plansto have each research their cultural heritage and genealogicalhistory. The course will feature constructivist pedagogywhereby the instructor will establish objectives/tasks theAU student needs to fulfill and then guides AU students.Course assignments include defining identity/cultural identity,researching one’s genealogical and cultural backgroundusing primary sources, designing a questionnaire/interviewform, learning SMART Board technology, constructing lessonplans to have the 5th grader conduct his/her research,and discovering how cultural identity has changed throughsuccessive generations in the same family.Questions posed and answered will include: What isidentity? What is cultural identity? What is each (both AUand Johnson’s) student’s cultural and genealogical historysince coming to America? How have each student’s culturaltraditions — holiday celebrations, language, dress, food,religious practices, music, etc., changed with each successivegeneration? How does one keep aspects of theircultural identity as they become more and more assimilatedinto American culture? Which aspects? How is Americanculture itself changing with each successive generation ofnew immigrant (and we are all immigrants!) population?Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. This course will meetGeneral Education Knowing Ourselves and Others (A)requirement. Enrollment is limited to 15 participants. All enrolleeswill need to be fingerprinted, if they have not beenalready, by the Kane County Regional Office of Educationprior to the first day of class. Call 630-844-4572 to set thisup. There will be a $40 fee for this fingerprinting. By statelaw, fingerprinting is required for any individual working ina P–12 school.Instructor: Dr. Jim VarneyCourse Dates/Times: Meets May 10–29, 2010; Monday25