Lausanne Collegiate School
2017 summer reading for I.B. HL English Literature and SL English Literature
Wandering Falcon: Jamil Ahmad
Please come to class with a writing journal, as you will be doing a lot of in-class
writing. Please also come to class with pens, not pencils. We will begin the
school term with a class discussion of Jamil Ahmad’s Wandering Falcon, and you
will be assigned an in-class essay that will be given at the completion of the novel.
While we will probably spend a week discussing this novel, you nevertheless
should come to class having read the book in its entirety. You should also be
prepared to share and discuss research you have done on three of the following
topics:
1. Afghani pre-Soviet monarchy
2. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
3. Religion of Afghanistan: what type of Islam do they practice, and is
everyone a Muslim?
4. Afghani tribal culture
5. The culture of the Northwest Territories of Afghanistan
6. Afghani ancient history
7. Women of Afghanistan
8. The Taliban
9. Afghanistan’s role in World War 1 and World War 2
10. Afghanistan’s relationship with Pakistan
Again: you must choose three topics from above to research and discuss in class.
While I won’t be requiring you to hand in your research, I will be checking to see
that you’ve done it, and I will expect you to each to participate in the class
discussions. You can write your research in your journal, or you can create a word
document, but either way I need to see your research.
Mirrors: Stories of Almost Everyone: Eduardo Galeano
For this novel, you must choose fifteen stories to read, and you must list
specifically which stories you chose, with the title and page number of each one.
On our first day of class, please come with a 500 word essay you have written
on three of the themes you find presented within Galeano’s stories. If you feel
strongly about one theme in particular, you may also write 500 hundred words on
that specific theme/story, rather than writing on three separate themes.
Some things to consider for your short essay:
1. Galeono’s intention is to get you to think about history and culture in ways
you perhaps haven’t done before; as such, he often provokes the reader,
and leaves his vignettes deliberately open-ended.
2. Keeping the above in mind, his intention is to likewise compel you into
seeking further questions on your own.
When writing your 500 essay, things not to write:
“I thought Galeano’s writing was an exuberant exploration of alternative
views of history.” –
You don’t write “I” in academic papers, and you are also not writing
a New York Times book review; forgo lofty adjectives and instead analyze
what specifically you find so “alternative” in his perspective.
“I thought Galeano’s book was weird, and I also don’t like his criticism of
the Catholic Church.”
Again, you don’t write “I’ in academic papers, and if you disagree
with his viewpoint, then analyze his perspective, and present a counter-analysis.
As stated, this 500 word essay will be collected at the start of the first day of
class.