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Dear Member of the Class of 2013,
All first year students participate in the First Year Reading Program. One of the goals of the program is to help students become more aware of global issues and develop an understanding of the nature and value of human diversity.
As your first academic experience at Adelphi, we’d like you to read the book The Unheard: A Memoir of Deafness and Africa by Josh Swiller. We chose this book because, as a first person account of a young Deaf white American’s experiences in a remote corner of Zambia, it provides an excellent entrée into discussions of human differences and commonalities.
As you read this book and you prepare for your first semester at Adelphi, we’d like you to think about the following questions and prepare to discuss them.
- Identity is a set of different characteristics of a person that taken together make her or him unique. Mr. Swiller is Deaf, but that’s only one isn't the only aspect of his identity. When you first meet someone with a disability, how does that aspect at affect your impression of them? Can you think of any individuals with disabilities who are known (either personally or generally) for achievements in arts, academics, politics, sports, etc, that reveal other aspects of their identity? Do you have friends or acquaintances with disabilities whose disabilities do not define their identity to you?
- Many Deaf people go to schools for the Deaf, learn sign language, and become part of the Deaf community, but Swiller grew up in the "hearing world." He realizes that he is different, and does not feel comfortable in either the hearing world or the Deaf community. Most people have sought a group to belong to, or have had doubts about belonging (in school or church, for example). If this has happened to you, how did it feel? If it hasn’t, how do you think it would feel. When you chose to come to Adelphi, what made you think that you would belong here?
- Africa is for Swiller "a place beyond deafness,", where the cultural differences between him and the people he works with overshadow the difference thatof his deafness had always caused. What does he learn about himself? What did you learn from the book about the differences among in all people?
Writing Assignment
For your first writing assignment at Adelphi, craft a letter to the author, addressing the statement on the Essay Contest. It is your choice if you would like to participate in the contest, however, this assignment must be completed by Matriculation Day, August 28. On this date, you will be meeting with your Freshman Seminar class for the first time to discuss the book and hand in your assignment. It is an exciting time as this will be your first class at Adelphi.
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