Ramblers have a new, exciting opportunity: a brand-new English elective is now available for seniors!
Honors Native American Literature combines history, culture, and literature to form this unique class.
Mrs. Whelan, a longtime English teacher here at Loyola, is teaching the class. Right now, there’s only one section of the class, but she has hopes to expand the class and eventually turn it into a Service Learning course. She was inspired to start the class after a former student shared her experiences while volunteering on a reservation.
The class is deeply rooted in social justice. “There is a need for a less flawed history of Native Americans and their culture,” Mrs. Whelan says. “To accurately tell the stories of Native Americans is the one way I can try to advocate and inform people about this conversation.”
Similar to British Literature and American Literature, Native American Literature solely focuses on the experiences of Indigenous people. However, the class is not just about reading and writing.
“It could be considered a theology class in many ways,” Mrs. Whelan says. “The backbone of it is the primary voices that drive this class. Everything we read is by a Native voice.”
The class has already covered common misconceptions about Native Americans, their culture, and how their stories interact with American history as a whole. Future topics include Native American art, literature, how Native Americans are portrayed in media, artifacts, and the experiences of boarding schools.
“I don’t want this to just be a tale of trauma and catastrophe for Native Americans. I think it’s important we find the celebrations too,” Mrs. Whelan said.
Unlike other English classes, Native American Literature will not have a final at the end of the year. Instead, students will do a Capstone project on a topic of their choice. Mrs. Whelan chose to do this to place an emphasis on advocacy and engagement with Native American culture and communities.
“This is the inaugural class. This is uncharted waters. The kids who chose to take it literally said, ‘I’ll try it!’ and, to me, having that spirit of wonder, curiosity, passion, and the willingness to try something speaks to who these people are, so I hit the jackpot,” Mrs. Whelan says.
When class registration comes around, be sure to consider this class. It is a truly unique and wonderful class to take.
