Teaching History & Literature in High School

My freshman year of high school the teachers did an interesting thing where they tried to connect the literature we were reading with the same period of US history that we were learning.  They tried something similar during sophomore year with world history, but it was less successful.  I've been reminded recently of this curriculum organization while taking a course in American literature at the university level.  Context is incredibly important to understand references, themes, and writing style.  Although, one issue with teaching in this format during freshmen year is that the earlier period is significantly more difficult.  I had a rough time reading some 17th and 18th century literature due partly with mythological and biblical references.  I felt like I needed to take a theology and mythology class in order to fully comprehend the works.  Any-who, I am going to try to recall what I read that year: Grapes of Wrath, A Raisin in the Sun, Romeo & Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Of Mice & Men.  I can't remember what else we read.  I would like to make some suggestions for a similar curriculum (but better in my opinion).  [I'm only basing this off of what I have read or what I know other freshmen classes read.  I would like recommendations for major works by minority authors throughout American history.]

Scarlett Letter [Puritans]
Declaration of Independence [Revolution]
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn/ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass [Slavery]
'Gettysburg Address'/ Cold Mountain [Civil War]
The Great Gatsby [Roaring 20s]
Quicksand & Passing / various music & poetry [Harlem Renaissance] 
Of Mice & Men [Great Depression]
Catch-22 / Slaughterhouse-Five [WWII]
A Raisin in the Sun/ 'I Have A Dream' [Civil Rights Movement]

My biggest complaint about my US history class is that we didn't get very far.  We ended our studies after the Vietnam War, and we didn't spend much time on it either.  I wasn't alive during the Korean War and I was born around the time of Black Hawk Down.  Therefore, there are a lot of significant events in US history that I had to learn about on my own.  For this reason I don't think the literature class needs to touch on everything that the history class does.  If there are multiple novels for one period they can split the students up into reading circles.  This lets the students have some choice in which work they read.  Plus, they can have group presentations on the themes of said piece. 

Japanese Women, Under Utilized Members of the Labor Market: A Human Resources Perspective

The Demographic Issue
Let's begin be reviewing Japan's population distribution situation.  Japan's population is changing drastically, in a negative way.  A healthy population should be in the shape of a triangle.  Japan's population is gradually turning into an upside down triangle, where there are more elderly than young people.  The birth rate is only 1.37 per woman, while 2.1 is the necessary rate to keep population stable.  According to government forecasts, within 50 years the population will drop by almost a third.  One in three Japanese people will be over 65.  United Nations recommended that, in order to have the same working-age population as they did in 1995, Japan needs 33.5 million immigrant from 1995 to 205o.  An average of 609,000 immigrants per year.  However, the majority of Japanese people oppose this.  So what else can help alleviate this crisis for the Japanese economy?

My Japan Trip II: Hiroshima, Miyajima, & Tokyo

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

This is a continuation, as you can see from the title, of my trip with family around the main island of Japan.  I included general tips about transportation in the previous post.  Feel free to ask questions.  I might add places and restaurants that I visited on different trips.   

General Tip: A lot of shopping areas and sightseeing spots close around 5/6pm, so plan ahead.  If you are mostly sightseeing and running around shopping then just wake up and go to bed early.  On the other hand, if you want to party like it is 1999 then you need to figure out when is the last train/ bus/tram you need to catch in order to get back to your hotel.  Taxis can be expensive depending on the city, so I use them as an emergency option.  Although, if you want an experience plan to go clubbing until late and then either head to a 24hour family restaurant (Dennys) or a karaoke spot to either sleep or go for an all-nighter.  The trick to doing karaoke all night (after eating at a bar then clubbing) is to bring caffeine.  You'll probably lose your voice early on, but that'll just make things funnier.