merrikay boylan wrote:
> I was fortunate enough to get to see Mandela on his first
> trip to the US after he was relesed from prison.
I hope this doesn't come off as "one-upmanship", but a colleague of mine
was fortunate enough to have been at that soccer stadium celebration for his
release in South Africa. I'm extremely jealous.
> As part of my class requirements, my students write a paper regarding
> their own ethnic background, its beliefs and values about marriage,
> children, divorce, sexuality, etc. and their own agreement or
> disagreement with these ideas.
I have had good results by including rites of passage - age related
celebrations and the like. There is enough variation within ethnic groups
and cultures on this that the students who normally feel left out (because
they don't come from one of the "exotic" or "diverse" backgrounds) get to
tell some interesting stories. For example, many choose to talk about their
experiences as they became able to drive for the first time. Others talk
about parties held for various "special birthdays" (which may be the entry
into double digits at 10, the entry into the teens at 13, "sweet 16
parties", or of course 18th and 21st). Others talk about religious
celebrations such as confirmation or first communion.
Paul Smith
Alverno College
