Fall 2019 Faculty Adoption

Dear Millersville University Faculty,

Homegoing, written by Yaa Gyasi, is a thought-provoking novel that tells the story of two sisters separated at birth. Homegoing takes place in different villages in Africa, as well as, cities in America through the Civil War and contemporary times. Following the descendants of the two sisters, Gyasi explores stories of displacement due to slavery and the effects it has on families. In addition, the students will learn about the magnitude effects of the whites moving into Africa.

Homegoing can be used as a cross-curricular tool in many classrooms. Not only is it useful in literature and history classes, it is also beneficial in psychology and math classes. Use of literature in nonliterature, or liberal arts, classrooms, aids the instructor and students to use nontraditional material in support of effective and engaged learning. That is, using creativity and collaboration that is practiced through literature instruction is important in STEM classrooms because it helps students become well rounded in all aspects of their fields.

Additionally, it can help be the icebreaker for current events. Homegoing has many elements related to child displacement and becoming an orphan. These concepts are seen a lot in current events related to deportation, immigrants, and refugees and other social justice issues.

Using Homegoing in all classrooms can help connect the bridge to have an understanding classroom through current events and other cultural divides. The following are just some examples of how Homegoing relates to content across the curriculum:

Biology

  • Genealogy
  • Family mapping
  • Recognizing patterns in language and compare it to patterns in science

History classes

  • Pre-Civil War
  • Naturally freed slavery
    • Compare it to naturalized citizens
  • Harlem Renaissance
  • Colonization
  • Segregation

Political Science

  • Current events
  • Immigration (Current and in the past)
  • Racism
  • Gerrymandering

Psychology

  • Long-term psychological effects of displacement on families
  • Long-term psychological effects of physical abuse
  • Long-term psychological effects of emotional abuse

Social Work

  • Current events
  • Discussions of immigration,
  • Long-term effects of displacement on families

Writing classes

  • Literary Theory
    • Feminism
  • Patterns in themes and language
    • Why are two characters named Kojo?
    • What else do the scars represent?