English students break stereotypes, improve their critical thinking with modern American literature

To create conditions for students to approach the deep movements of modern American literature, on May 25, the Faculty of English Language of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) organized a seminar on "American Literature since 1960s".
 
The speaker, Dr. Pham Thi Hong An - Lecturer of the Faculty of English Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities - VNU-HCM led students on a journey to explore literary waves since the 1960s, when American literature entered a new era: full of turmoil, multi-layered and deeply questioning. From a historical and social perspective, she analyzed the profound influences of the anti-war movement, civil rights struggles, feminism, as well as discourses on ethnicity and personal identity in the formation of a pluralistic and critical literature.
 

Dr. Pham Thi Hong An led students on a journey to discover literary waves.

Literature, according to Ms. Pham Thi Hong An, is not simply a reflection of reality, but a process of creating meaning when an author constantly dialogues with society, and readers cannot passively receive but needs to actively think, ask questions and doubt. With specific analyses of non-linear structures, symbolic images, the breaking of genre boundaries and the use of language as a questioning tool, she helped students re-evaluate the role of literature as a "living discourse" that is always moving in the flow of society.
 

She helps students re-evaluate the role of literature as a “living discourse” that is always moving in society.
 

Highlighting the role of authors like Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, Don DeLillo and Thomas Pynchon, who have shaken the “center” of American literature with marginalized voices, the speaker ignited students’ interest in cross-cultural thinking and open-ended reading. Each work, she said, is a “field of meaning” that needs to be approached from multiple angles: cultural context, history, gender, ethnicity and even modern critical theories.

The discussion took place in a lively atmosphere when students asked several questions about how to approach literary works through the lens of post-colonialism, feminism and racial criticism. The speaker not only answered, but also suggested more multi-dimensional reading directions, thereby encouraging students to form critical thinking and independent analysis skills. At the end of the workshop, Ms. Pham Thi Hong An left her mark with a profound message: “Literature is not only content, but also a dialogue between the reader and the times. Read with a critical spirit and an open heart to truly understand and spread the value of knowledge.”

The program received many heated discussions.

The seminar inspired academic inspiration and developed students' thinking.

The seminar “American Literature since 1960s” not only contributes to enriching the academic foundation for students of the English Department, but also opens up a space for reflection, where students are inspired to study, develop critical thinking and practice intellectual skills to confidently embark on the journey of global integration in the future.