BA Year 3 English Literary and Cultural Studies
Module 2:
The Statue of Liberty and the American Dream
The Statue of Liberty and the American Dream
LEARNING ACTIVITIES, LINKS, AND FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TASKS
Part I
Part I
- Download the Statue of Liberty Handout for this class. Download the file HERE.
- Read the short entry about the “American Dream” in the online Encyclopedia of American Studies: http://www.eas-ref.press.jhu.edu/
- Browse the National Park Service website, “Statue of Liberty National Monument”: http://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm and follow the virtual tour at http://www.nps.gov/featurecontent/stli/eTour.htm, then complete the review questions on your Handout as a self-check for learning.
Part II
Read from the Handout Emma Lazarus' poem “The New Colossus” (1883), which is engraved on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/liberty/lazaruspoem.html and listen to the reading of the poem in the video below. Then answer the questions in the Handout as a self-check of learning.
Read from the Handout Emma Lazarus' poem “The New Colossus” (1883), which is engraved on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/liberty/lazaruspoem.html and listen to the reading of the poem in the video below. Then answer the questions in the Handout as a self-check of learning.
You may find the close reading of "The New Colossus" in the following video helpful when completing the questions in the Handout.
Part III
Follow the “Interactive Tour of Ellis Island,” and explore the links, at http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/ and watch the “Virtual Field Trip to Ellis Island” at http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/webcast.htm. Then answer the questions in the Handout as a self-check of learning.
Formative Assessment Tasks
- Take the module quiz, which can be found in our learning management system under "Reading Digital Media: Tests." This quiz will be automatically graded. You are allowed three attempts at the quiz, and your best score will be counted, but the hard deadline for your final attempt is Friday at 12 noon.
- Participate in the module discussion forum. This forum can be found by clicking the button "Forums" at the top of this page; the forum is named "Module 2." I have opened three discussion threads for you to join, based on the following prompts: How can we establish relations of meaning between the symbols in Emma Lazarus' poem and the visual images represented by the Statue of Liberty? To what extent do shared American values, principles and beliefs endure in public representations of immigrant experience like the Statue of Liberty? What visual and textual symbols promote the values of the American Dream? How are these values assumed to be transformed into lived practices by US citizens? What is the significance of the extensive digital "presence" of public monuments like the Statue of Liberty? Your forum participation will be graded using our discussion forum rubric (rubric sample #3 at http://www.mtsu.edu/ltanditc/docs/Discussion_Board_Rubrics.pdf). You are required this week to start at least two new discussion threads and respond to at least three posts by commenting.
- Use the discussion forum to plan your collaborative work on the class Newsletter. Download the Project Plan template HERE and be sure to complete it by the end of the week. The Plan must be posted to the discussion forum by your group leader before Friday at 12 noon. Late submissions will only be accepted with the written permission of Professor Hicks. If you have a good reason to ask for more time, your group leader should make a request before the deadline. Remember that the digital newsletter will form the summative assessment for this unit.
- Write an analytical blog post that addresses the following prompt: how does one of the symbols represented by the Statue of Liberty communicate concepts associated with the American Dream? In your analysis, address the relationship between literal and figurative forms of communication. In what other contexts does your chosen symbol appear in digital media? Please post links to a few examples and explain why you think the wide dissemination of this symbol on the Internet might be significant. Your post is due by Friday at 12 noon. Remember that the blog posts will form the material for your collaborative digital newsletter.
REMINDERS!
The quality of your written expression in your posts to the discussion forum and the unit blog need to meet the criteria of level C2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/education/elp/elpreg/Source/Key_reference/EAQUALSBank_levels_EN.pdf). Do use the spell and grammar check functions of your word-processing program to revise your texts before you post.
Late submission of your assessed work will be permitted only with the written permission of Professor Hicks. If you have a good reason to ask for more time, send your request before the deadline.
In all communications you are expected to be courteous and respectful. If you are unsure about your wording, do not use it!
The quality of your written expression in your posts to the discussion forum and the unit blog need to meet the criteria of level C2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/education/elp/elpreg/Source/Key_reference/EAQUALSBank_levels_EN.pdf). Do use the spell and grammar check functions of your word-processing program to revise your texts before you post.
Late submission of your assessed work will be permitted only with the written permission of Professor Hicks. If you have a good reason to ask for more time, send your request before the deadline.
In all communications you are expected to be courteous and respectful. If you are unsure about your wording, do not use it!