How the Dickens Do I Become A Gentleman? Or How I Handeled My "Great" Expectations.

An interdisciplinary/ integrated thematic unit on Great Expectations. Everyone has "great expectations" for their lives, but at what price? We live in times when the quality of family life is diluted by the amount of time parents spend out of the home working to provide material comforts. The corporate bosses of the "me" generation earn salaries in the millions, while their companies file for bankruptcy or face investigation for false accounting. We need to teach personal ethics and priorities. This interdisciplinary unit integrates the history and social issues of mid-nineteenth century England into study of this novel, to help students address their own basic values, as they prepare for life in modern, increasingly materialistic society.