News Release
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April 13, 2005
Boise State English Students Distribute Books To Nampa High
Title One Students
Boise State has been buzzing about a special topics literature course that
takes Service-Learning to a whole new literary level. With the State Farm
Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant from Youth Service America, professor
Jacqueline O’Connor’s Chicano Literature class has purchased 200 books to
distribute to Nampa High School Title One Reading Program students on
Thursday and Friday, April 14-15. O’Connor and eight of her students will
attend four Title One classes and provide presentations on issues brought up
within the books such as family, heritage, folklore and gender roles. Each
Title One student will receive two books and the remainder will be donated
to the program for future use.
“The (Boise State) English Department has an ongoing mission to diversify
its curriculum to meet the needs of our students and to reflect the growing
diversity of the Treasure Valley,” O’Connor says. That’s why she designed
the Chicano Literature course two years ago. Her students have studied
several works by Chicano/a authors, such as Rudolpho Anaya, Sandra Cisneros
and Ana Castillo, with the purpose of introducing them to Nampa High School
students. Some of O’Connor’s students have already presented works to
Junior-level English classes at the high school, with great results. Patri
Thompson, graduate assistant for the course, is excited about giving high
school students an awareness of a “body of literature (that) is so rich and
has contributed so much to American literature.”
O’Connor’s application for the State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning
Grant, offered by Youth Service America, was one of the 100 chosen out of
650 applications to receive $1,000 in grant funds for use during National
Youth Service Day, April 15-17. National Youth Service Day is a public
awareness and education campaign highlighting the contributions that
millions of young people make to their communities. The day is dedicated to
allow young people to design and lead service-learning projects in areas
ranging from literacy and the environment to healthcare, hunger, and help
for the elderly. It is the largest service event in the world, drawing
together a remarkable consortium of local, regional and national partners,
while supporting youth on a life-long path of service and civic engagement.
“There has been a lot of talk about ‘civic engagement’ at this university,”
Thompson says. “This class ties into the ‘civic engagement’ push and
encourages students to engage in literature that represents the demographics
that surround them in the community.”
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Contact: Jacqueline O’Connor, English Department, (208) 426-1608.
Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, communications and marketing, (208) 426-3275.
The Office of Communications and Marketing
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Boise State University
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Education Building, #726 -
Boise Idaho 83725-1030
208-426-1577
(fax)208-426-4001
email newservices@boisestate.edu
Last reviewed on Thursday, December 22, 2005