Studying Culture Through Texts: A Thousand Splendid Suns (Novel Study)
In this 7-week class, we will read and discuss this contemporary fiction work by Khaled Hosseini book club-style in order to better understand Afghan culture through the lives of 2 female protagonists - perfect for World Literature studies.
Victoria Atkinson, M.A.
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(123)
What's included
7 live meetings
5 hrs 50 mins in-class hoursHomework
2-4 hours per week. Students will need to read assigned chapters before each meeting. The novel itself is broken up into 4 parts, with a total of 51 chapters. I know most students get intimidated by the number of chapters required, but rest assured, this is a quick and easy read. In my experience, most students have a hard time stopping at the end of the assigned chapters because they want to read on to see what happens next.Assessment
There will be a post-meeting discussion post at the end of each class where students are highly encouraged to reflect on what they learned, as well as discuss thoughts that came up along the way. This is a great way to continue the discussion outside of class.Class Experience
US Grade 10 - 12
Literature, especially realistic fiction, has the ability to teach us so much about the world around us. Although the characters are not real, they portray real events and lives that people actually lead. More importantly, though, it gives us new perspectives and an appreciation for people that look or believe differently than we do. It also helps us build empathy and an understanding that we may not have had before. In this interdisciplinary class that combines world literature with cultural geography and history, students will learn through book club-style discussions. Students will need to read and annotate to prepare for each class (an annotation guide will be given to you upon enrollment), and then during class time, I will facilitate a discussion of the assigned material. Towards the end of the class time, I will fill in any gaps that the students may have left open in the discussion, as well as make final conclusions. Here are the following chapters we will discuss each class meeting (NOTE: Each chapter is relatively short and most of my past students have had a hard time stopping at the end of the assigned sections): Meeting #1 - Introduction to the Book Meeting #2 - Chapters 1-15 Meeting #3 - Chapters 16-20 Meeting #4 - Chapters 21-26 Meeting #5 - Chapters 27-34 Meeting #6 - Chapters 35-42 Meeting #7 - Chapters 43-51
Learning Goals
Students will learn about Afghan and Middle Eastern culture through the experiences of two female protagonists, Mariam and Laila. Each discussion will examine how Afghan and Middle Eastern culture attributes to the protagonists’ character development and overall themes. Students will also examine how Muslim culture changed over the course of Afghanistan’s history, from the 1960s to the early 2000s. This will give students a chance to practice their literary analysis skills while also learning more about a culture either unlike or the same as their own.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
I recommend that only high school students take this course. This book contains some material that younger audiences may not be able to handle, such as suicide, domestic violence, war-related violence, and mild sexual content. All instances are written tastefully and are not gratuitous in nature. I generally teach this in my 12th grade AP Literature class, but I have had more mature students in lower high school grades read it on their own as well.
Supply List
Students will need to purchase a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
1 file available upon enrollment
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined April, 2020
4.9
123reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
South Carolina Teaching Certificate in Social Studies/History
I took a class on world religions as part of my undergraduate degree. I was objectively taught about all religions and have respect for all religions and cultures. Plus, I was taught about various world religions in classes I took at other various points in my life. I have also taught this book numerous times and never portray Islam in a negative light. We just look at cultural customs. Lastly, I have been approved by the College Board as an AP English Literature and Composition teacher to teach this novel.Reviews
Live Group Class
$18
weekly1x per week, 7 weeks
50 min
Completed by 2 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 15-18
2-10 learners per class
