Ancestral Identities : Recognizing Your Cultural Heritage

 

Ancestral Cultures : Heritage Recognition        

Who am I? Why am I me? are  questions that most people ask of themselves but frequently go unanswered.  This program will start with the question “What ancestry am I and how does it affect my daily life”?  and  will explore the cultural ramifications of what it means to be of  specific ancestries and how those ancestral ties affect our current awareness.

Fall Quarter:  Students will study insights provided by researchers in the cultural ways of Britain and in researching their own genealogical “roots”. 

Winter Quarter: Students will spend this quarter researching the culture of a chosen ancestry.

Spring Quarter: Students will complete a psychological profile of themselves based on their knowledge of their ancestry and the culture/s from which they have sprung.

  The program will publish a bibliography of works on American’s  ancestral influences for inclusion in the TESC library.

Students will learn oral history techniques and  be introduced to primary document research theory and practices early on in the program.  They will learn how to identify potential resources and what tools currently exist for locating primary and secondary sources they may need to complete their final projects.

Potential credits in:

• Social Science
• History
• Library and Information Science
• Cultural Anthropology

 

First Quarter Readings : British Ancestry and Culture

Fischer, David Hackett. Albion's Seed.Oxford University Press; (March 1991) ISBN: 0195069056

This book will be used to examine technical aspects of cultural research that one scholar has successfully used to expound on cultural influences on modern Americans.   Student’s will locate similar types of materials for their own research both during Winter and Spring quarters.

Herman, Arthur. How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It. Three Rivers Press; (September 24, 2002) ISBN: 0609809997

Cahill, Thomas. How the Irish Saved Civilization. Anchor; (February 1, 1996) ISBN: 0385418493

Storry, Mike and Childs, Peter, eds. British Cultural Identities. Routledge; 2nd edition (September 2002)
ISBN: 0415278619

Harvey, David, Jones,Phys, McInroy,Neil, Milligan,Christine and Jones, Rhys, eds. Celtic Geographies: Old Cultures, New Times (Critical Geographies)
Routledge; (November 1, 2001) ISBN: 0415223970

Second Quarter : Discover your Heritage