| In this study I examine several aspects of teaching historically-situated literature, focusing on a special-topics introductory course on Vietnam War literature for my examination. I then extend the discussion to focus on how assignments and pedagogical approaches can be applied to other classroom situations where historically-contextualized texts are taught.;In the specific course under study, I found that students were lacking in the historical facts of the Vietnam War and that this lack of knowledge severely impeded students' reading and understanding of representative texts about the Vietnam War, including personal narratives, novels, and films. Because of this struggle, students also found the specific pedagogical approach of the class a challenge. They were unable to assume any control of the course and guide the direction of discussions as I had originally intended.;The challenge then became to find activities and assignments that could allow students to interact productively with the texts despite their lack of historical knowledge. With certain types of activities, such as assignments that asked students to locate their own materials that related to the primary course texts, and with certain types of texts, like film, students were able to interact productively with both the texts of the course. |
