Module 2: A Diversity of Literary Voices

In module two, you will encounter writers with whom you are probably unfamiliar. You will explore the voices of Indigenous peoples, African Americans, and women writers. We will be examining their comments on contemporary American society as expressed in narratives, speeches, and poetry. You will gain an understanding of the variety of voices that go beyond the traditional “canonical” writers in American literature and contribute to our appreciation of the factors that continue to shape American culture and society.

In particular, these authors exemplify groups not given the same rights as the majority, and they write about what that means to them as individuals and members of a larger, yet underrepresented, segment of American society. Activities in this module also connect themes raised by the writers to more recent events and movements in the United States.