Pamuk
Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk will attend the ninth annual Great World Texts student conference Dec. 2 on the UW-Madison campus.
The Turkish novelist will speak with high school students from across Wisconsin and respond to the work they present — to him and to one another — in response to his novel Snow. Approximately 700 high school students and 45 teachers will be in attendance as part of the Great World Texts program, an outreach initiative of UW-Madison's Center for the Humanities.
Snow is a novel rich in character, themes, and historical and political complexity. It opens doors to interdisciplinary study like few other contemporary novels. Pamuk's work invites dialogue and reflection on the boundaries of culture, identity, gender, religion, and modernity. His books, which reflect intensively on his native Turkey, have been translated into more than 60 languages.
While at the student conference, Pamuk, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 2006, will deliver a keynote address at 11 a.m. In addition, Pamuk will give a free, public talk at 7:30 p.m. in the Varsity Hall of Union South. A book signing will follow, with select works available for purchase. Guests are advised to arrive early to ensure that they find a seat.
This year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction adopted the Great World Texts teaching materials as a model for how teachers can maintain flexibility and creativity in the classroom while meeting the goals of Common Core State Standards that are now mandated in Wisconsin and 44 other states nationwide.
All Wisconsin high school teachers are eligible to apply for the program. Participating teachers receive books, support materials and lesson plans, as well as stipends for material and travel to attend on-campus workshops with UW-Madison faculty on the cultural and historical contexts of the text.
Participating students from urban centers to small rural towns across the state gather in Madison for the annual student conference, where they have the opportunity to enter into thoughtful, critical dialogue with one another and with serious scholars of the work they have read. In some cases — like this year — they will meet and interact with the author.
More information on the Great World Texts program, including a list of prior texts, teaching materials, and information on how to participate is available on the Center for the Humanities' website. A complete set of resources can be made available to out-of-state teachers on request.
Story by Megan Katz, Center for the Humanities