Honors World Literature and Composition
Summer Assignment
Welcome to Honors World Literature and Composition! This course is intended to educate students on
a more global society by exploring literature and events around the world and throughout time. In order for this
to occur, students need to be open to finding similarities and celebrating differences between cultures.
Throughout the year, students will learn about different religions, cultural practices, types of literature, and
governments that have shaped the current global atmosphere.
The summer assignment is meant to encourage students to begin thinking about other cultures and
reading literature they might not otherwise explore. There are several components to this project that must be
completed BEFORE classes commence in the fall. Students must select a country they wish to explore
throughout the year and during this assignment. Choose a country that interests you and about which you
would like to learn.
Your Summer Assignment has 2 Parts:
Part 1 - Reading Requirement:
-Students will create a Goodreads account (see page below this one on how to create an account
and what is necessary).
‐ Students must “friend” me (I’m Ariel Uppstrom) so that I may view your updates.
‐ Students will select a book written about your selected country. It can be a biography, a historical
fiction, a fiction, or a non‐ fiction text. It would be best NOT to choose any of the following texts as they
may be taught throughout the course: The Good Earth, All But My Life, The Kite Runner, The Power of
One, Things Fall Apart, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Canterbury Tales, Memoirs of Geisha, A
Long Way Gone, When I Was Puerto Rican, In The Time of Butterflies, The Poisonwood Bible, and The
Red Scarf Girl.
‐ You will need to update your progress while reading the book at least 4 times. These updates should
do the following:
‐ Update your page number progress.
‐ Include a comment regarding 1 culturally interesting point you’ve learned thus far in the book.
‐ Include a comment on how the characters are facing conflicts and what you think about them.
‐ Once you finish the book, you will need to review it by answering the following questions:
‐ What is the summary of the text? Give an overview of events in the text.
‐ What is different culturally from American culture?
‐ What was the author’s purpose in writing this text? What evidence do you have to
support this conclusion?
‐ What is the theme of the text? What evidence do you have to support this conclusion?
‐ Would you recommend this text? What makes you recommend or not recommend the
text?
Be careful when selecting a country. Some countries do not have many publications and therefore you might
be wise to choose a new country.
Part 2 - News Article Requirement:
-Collect three news articles about your country throughout the summer. These articles must be from
reputable sites (CNN, NY Times, Chicago Times, newspapers from the country). Not reputable sites
would be FOXNEWS, Colbert Report, The Daily Show, or any pundit shows.
‐ Print out a copy of the news articles and type a response to each one that includes the following
information:
‐ A summary of the events discussed in the article.
‐ Make a connection to America, yourself, or how the events discussed could affect America.
‐ What surprises you about the information in the article?
Once school begins, your first project will be the following, so begin thinking about it.
Presentation Requirement:
‐ You will conclude your exploration of your country with a presentation during the first few days of
school.
‐ Your overall goal is to answer the following question:
‐ How has your country’s history impacted its current standing in the world and what does this
mean for the citizens of that country?
‐ You will need to include researched information about your country that answers all of the following:
‐ When did the country gain independence?
‐ From whom did they gain independence?
‐ How did they gain independence?
‐ What is their current government?
‐ How progressive is their human rights? Do certain groups lack rights? Why? Are people
currently fighting for their rights? Why?
‐ What is their economy? Is it growing, struggling, or nonexistent? Do people struggle to meet
their daily needs?
‐ What interesting cultural practices exist?
‐ What types of religions exist in the country? Is there religious persecution? Why? How?
‐ What is their relationship with America? Good/Bad? Why?
‐ From your news articles, what current issues are occurring?
‐ You will be given a day or two to construct your presentation via PowerPoint before presenting
to the class. You will also include a short review of the book you read about your country.
Feel free to contact me throughout the summer with questions – uppstrar@delawarecityschools.net
‐ You can begin practicing with googledocs by accessing your assigned email and allowing me to view
your documents and sending emails through this site.