This Summer's Labor of Love

                                              

 

                               Immigrant Culture in the Chicago Area

                                                   

                                                      Instructor: Michael Casey

 

 

   Who are our own ones?  Explore ties that bind folks who have come here from other lands. View life through the portal of immigrant culture, including customs, traditions, music, literary expression, film and art.  Learn how to respect and appreciate the influences of ethnicity on families in the Chicago area. Time will be allowed for discussion and for sharing ancestral stories.

 

COURSE MATERIALS:   Writings by Gish Jen, Sherman Alexie, Aleksandar Hemon, W.H. Auden, Li-Young Lee, Emma Lazarus, and perhaps one or two others.   Readings will be completed in advance of our meetings, and each weekly session will consist of discussions of the readings and sharing some of our own ancestral stories.

 

 

 

 

 

                

 

                 CALENDAR OF MEETINGS AND READINGS

 

1st Meeting (7/11)   Introductions, Overview and Approach

 

·“The New Colossus” poem by Emma Lazarus

 

·“Say this city has ten million souls” poem by W. H. Auden           

 

·”Self-Help for Fellow Refugees poem by Li-Young Lee

 

·”Who’s Irish?” story by Gish Jen

 

 

2nd Meeting (7/18)

 

·”Breaking and Entering” story by Sherman Alexie

 

·non-fiction excerpt(s) from The Book Of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon

 

 

3rd Meeting (7/25)

 

·”The Cleaving” poem by Li-Young Lee

 

                 ·ancestral stories (your own)

 

 

FACILITATOR:  Michael Casey earned his B.A. and M.A. in English at Loyola University of Los Angeles, CA.  He has taught literature courses at the secondary, college and adult education levels for over 40 years. In 2009 he retired from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) where he taught English and served as an instructional facilitator for teachers new to the school.  Mike’s major academic interests are literature, theology, and Irish studies.

   His personal interests include sharing retirement freedom with Anita, his wife of 46 years; visiting with his two married daughters and grandchild who live in the area; exploring chess as a recreational player and as a student of the game’s culture; and frequenting the dog park with his imposing but irrepressible Saint Bernard.