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Who is in my group?

  • In this unit we will examine who we are and how we see ourselves. This unit will begin with who we are as individuals, starting with naming practices, and then expand to how we situate ourselves in our environment.

    Background information

    The Midrash Tanchuma is a traditional collection of stories and legal discussions that comment on portions of the Torah, the Jewish Bible. The collection dates to somewhere between the years 500-800 of the Common Era. Rabbi Tanchuma is one of the people quoted in this collection, but it records the thoughts of many people.

    Bolz, J. (1994). Brit Kedusha. in F. Moskowitz (Ed.), Her face in the mirror: Jewish women on mothers and daughters (p. 3).

    You can access Her face in the mirror here if you would like to see more writings.

    Judy Bolz is a poet, editor of poetry magazines, and teacher of creative writing. 

    The poem "Dying with the Wrong Name" by Sam Hamod appears in G. Olfalea and S. Almusa (Eds.) Grape leaves: A century of Arab – American poetry (pp. 169-72).

    You can access Grape leaves here if you would like to see additional poems.

    Sam Hamod (1936-2021) was born in Indiana, USA. He is of Lebanese descent. He often wrote about issues of culture and identity. For additional information about Hamod, look here.

    Evelyn Alsultany is an associate professor in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. Prior to her appointment at USC, she taught at the University of Michigan for 13 years where she co-founded and served as the director of the Arab and Muslim American Studies program within the Department of American Culture.  She served as the guest curator for the Arab American National Museum's online exhibit, “Reclaiming Identity: Dismantling Arab Stereotypes,” that can be viewed at www.arabstereotypes.org. She is currently a Luce/ACLS Fellow in Religion, Journalism & International Affairs. For more information, see http://evelynalsultany.com/.

    Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian-American writer of short stories and novels. Her TED talk on the single story and an additional video on feminism have garnered a great deal of attention. For additional information, see http://www.cerep.ulg.ac.be/adichie/cnabio.html

    • Penpal letter Assignment
      Due: Saturday, 24 October 2026, 11:59 PM
      Students must
      Make a submission

      Dear Students, 

      In this introductory assignment, you must write a letter to someone from another college who will be in your working group. (You will also be receiving a letter from a group member.) How would you like to introduce yourself to someone?

      It has to be in an informal letter (Greetings- Dear X,  Opening- I would like to, Closing- Yours….BUT do NOT write your name at the end).

      Guidelines
      Be sure to include:

      • Three fun facts you would like to share 
      • A goal that you have for yourself
      • Two things you don’t like
      • Explain why you want to be an English teacher 
      • 2 open-ended questions you would like to know about the other person (NOT yes/no questions) 

      Submit your letter no later than Saturday, October 24, at 24:00! Please MAKE SURE not to include your name. The submission is to be copied/pasted into the text box (not uploaded as a file or linked to a Google doc) but we suggest that you save a copy for yourself as a Word or Google doc.

    • Penpal response Assignment
      Due: Monday, 2 November 2026, 11:59 PM
      Students must
      Make a submission

      Please answer your pen pal's letter here, including responding to the two questions your pen pal asked. Respond by Monday night.

    • Midrash Tanchuma Assignment
      Due: Monday, 2 November 2026, 11:59 PM
      Students must
      Make a submission

      Read this short text about names from the Midrash Tanchuma, and answer the question here. The Midrash Tanchuma is a traditional Jewish collection of commentaries and legal discussions that dates to the years 500-800 of the Common Era.

      In life, you discover that people are called by three names: 

      One is the name the person is called by his father and mother;

      one is the name people call him;

      and one is the name he acquires for himself.

      The best one is the one he acquires for himself.

       

      Tanchuma, Vayak’heil 1

      In the text box explain the meaning of the three categories of name:
      a.“called by his father and mother”
      b.“the name people call him”
      c.“the name he acquires  for himself”
    • "DYING WITH THE WRONG NAME" by Sam Hamod File
Documents and Tutorials
Who is in my group?