Making “The Study of Literature” more valuable and learnable for non-English-major students Nguyen Thu Huong Foreign Trade University

Main contents The situation: Co-operative program and The Study of Literature. The challenges: faced by students and the instructor. How changes have been implemented.

The situation : Co-operative education program between FTU and Colorado State University. ‘Import’ the whole curriculum from CSU – “American Accredited Curriculum Undergraduate Program” - The Study of Literature is a subject.  Conflict btw Ss’ expectations and the course.

The Study of Literature ECC140 introduces the study of literature as a mode of discourse for defining, exploring, and expressing human experience. Focuses on learning the skills of reading and writing about literature. Covers fictions, poetry, and drama. (Course Introduction)

The challenges The original syllabus is too ‘rich,’ containing much of literary ‘classics’ >< Ss’ knowledge of the system and use of English is so limited. No sequence: Ss’ formal training of Vietnamese literature >< literature in English. No formal training for the instructor. (Widdowson, 1975)

Literature as a Discipline or Subject? Literature as a subject  Purpose: The development of the capacity for individual response to language use (Widdowson, 1975) Other purposes can include: – Valuable authentic material. – Cultural enrichment. – Language enrichment. – Personal involvement. (Collie & Slater, 1987)

Stylistic Approach Resorts to discourse analysis  Can develop a sharper awareness of English in Ss. Criteria for selection are pedagogic and have to do with whether the works can be used to develop sensitivity to language in the most effective way. (Widdowson, 1975) However, it was criticized as having treated the Literature subject as a ‘clinical analysis’ (Gowner, 1986)

Other Approaches Using a variety of student-centered activities. Supplementing the printed page. Tapping students’ knowledge and experience. Helping students explore their own responses to literature. Using the target language. Integrating language and literature. (Collie & Slater, 1987)

Classroom Procedure Pre-reading activities The first reading Encouraging individual responses Sharing and developing responses Assessment and evaluation Possible final readings or presentations (Protherough, 1983)

‘Studentizing’ the Literature Syllabus

Literature Non-major students Their previous experiences Their expectations Their English proficiency Course’s aims Pedagogic Implications for Teaching Literature

The ‘Studentized’ Menu Smaller scope Fictions, not poetry or drama. Less ambitious but more practical and relevant aims Improve interpretation skills – to know why a literary work (a story, a movie) is interesting. Improve language sensitivity through stylistic approach. Improve Ss’ communicative competence.

Teaching content Provide instruction on formal elements of fictions (Plot, Character, Setting, Narrator, Symbol, Style, and Theme) because Ss can only respond to literature as a result of guidance (Widdownson, 1975). Material selection Integrate different sources of materials to enhance the atmosphere: Short stories. Meaningful Pixar short cartoons. Part of a novel (1-2 pages) and movie (Gone with The Wind, Pride & Prejudice, etc.).

Teaching approach Student-centered activities. Stylistic approach of discourse analysis by providing students with a variety of exposure to different genres. Avoid metalanguage of criticism. Connect with students’ previous experiences and knowledge of Vietnamese literature. Increase students’ reflection between what they read and their life experiences.

Extra curriculum activities Organize field trip to American Centre in US embassy for movie show and arrange a discussion after the show with a native representative. Assessment scheme Portfolios Group projects Group presentations NO mid-term or final exam

References Bock, S. (1993) Developing materials for the study of literature. English Teaching Forum (31) 3. Retrieved from /docs/ b.pdf /docs/ b.pdf Collie, J & Slater, S. (1987) Literature in The Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press. Gower, R. (1986) Can stylistic analysis help the EFL learner to read literature? English Language Teaching Journal, 40, 2, pp Protherough, R. (1983) Developing Reponses to Fictions. Open University Press. Short, M.H. (1988) Reading, Analyzing and Teaching Literature. Essex: Longman. Widdowson, H.G. (1975) Stylistics and The Teaching of Literature. Longman.

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