Southwestern American Indian Literature : In the Classroom and Beyond (American Indian Studies .17) (2007. VIII, 118 S. 23 cm)

Southwestern American Indian Literature: In the Classroom and Beyond addresses several challenges that teaching Southwestern American Indian literature presents, and suggests innovative ways of teaching the material. Drawing on the author’s experiences teaching literature – both in the classroom and in the canyons of the Southwest – the book covers works ranging from the famous (Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony) to the underappreciated (George Webb’s A Pima Remembers). One chapter discusses teaching Sherman Alexie’s Smoke Signals along with Silko’s «Yellow Woman» as world literature; another functions as a guide to organizing a travel seminar that will enable students to experience American Indian literature and culture in potentially life-changing ways. This book provides a practical approach to the teaching of Southwestern American Indian literature without simplifying its inherent challenges.