Where is Home?

Module 1: Where is Home?

Download lesson here.

For diasporic peoples, such as Filipinx in Canada, the idea of home conjures up many feelings, memories, and experiences. Contemporary artists and writers have used their diasporic experiences to inspire meaningful creative works that explore vexed emotions, hybridity, and complex and rich renderings of home. In this interdisciplinary module, you will investigate the notion of “home” through the images and words of astounding Filipinx diasporic artists and writers. The lessons here will establish the foundation for the skills and concepts the students will demonstrate in the culminating task. Students first explore the concept of home by exploring its aspects as abstract, subjective, a constructed reality, as well as a place for self-discovery. They will be introduced to the concept of “diaspora” and “third culture kids” to deepen their understandings of “home”. Through poetry, students will look at a variety of ways that home is represented by Filipinx authors in diaspora. You will have the opportunity to model and guide students through the Critical Analysis Process (CAP) for responding, understanding, and evaluating art work. The final class introduces students to the key visual art piece Rea Lynn de Guzman’s Ulterior Wish (2010), which highlights the displacement of being in diaspora while remaining connected to a physical homeland. Combining word and images, this art piece serves as the model for the unit’s culminating task.