In the context of foreign language education, the importance of cultural and literary studies has grown continuously in our globalising world. Language educators and researchers are looking into ways in which inter- and transcultural awareness and competence can be developed so that learners become responsible global citizens. This volume invites the reader to engage in critical thinking while reflecting upon important theoretical concepts and their application in practice. The contributions deal with a wide variety of topics including antinomies that mark literary and cultural competence development, textbook analysis, Shakespeare, South Africa, India, and pop culture artefacts such as graphic novels and songs. Resources are presented to illustrate how theory can be related to practice.

This comprehensive introduction to literature learning in EFL contexts pays attention to both theoretical and practical concerns. It focuses on a wide range of literary genres, different age and ability groups, and gives suggestions for the future of the field. Its readership comprises language teachers, university students and academics.

The articles presented in this book bring together educatorsâ (TM) work and experiences from around the world (Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, and Australia) in the context of teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This publication, therefore, offers a richness and diversity of contexts and experiences to its readers. What sets this book apart is its balance between and explicit coverage of both research and the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching. This project has been prompted by the increasing split between the fields of linguistics, literatures and English language teaching, and will uniquely address this gap. Additionally, the volume gives practical applications on how to use theories of linguistics and literary texts in the classroom. This book provides undergraduate and graduate students, teacher-learners, practicing teachers, and teacher educators some theoretical and contextual knowledge of English language teaching practices and settings. Articles in this book can be used as supplementary texts for courses in the areas of English Language Teaching, pre-service and in-service teacher education, applied linguistics, literature, and language and culture studies.

A variety of imaginative techniques for integrating literature work with language learning.

This book is part of a series which is concerned with teaching techniques and problems at a practical level, providing teachers with guidance and assistance in the classroom. This volume examines the place of literature in the EFL classroom and contains suggestions for activities designed to stimulate an interest in literature among the students. Both beginners and advanced classes are catered for, and there is a section on the place of literature in the curriculum, and suggestions on the way in which texts should be chosen and courses structured in order to evoke the most positive and interested response from pupils. [abebooks]

"This book takes cultural knowledge in language learning not only as a necessary aspect of communicative competence, but as an educational objective in its own right. If the aim of foreign language education is to foster cross-cultural awareness and self-realization, language pedagogy needs to come to grips with a range of fundamental issues: what do we mean by cultural context? Can discourse practices be taught like rules of grammar? What role does literature play in the development of second language literacy? How can learners acquire both an insider's and an outsider's understanding of the foreign culture as expressed through its language? By exploring these and other issues, the book can help language teachers reflect on their profession and place it within its larger societal and educational context. In turn, they can help learners become not only skilful users of the language, but also active architects of a new cross-cultural world order.".

The chapters in this book all address the significance of the relationship between the aims and methods of language teaching and the contexts in which it takes place. Some consider the implications for the ways in which we research language teaching; others present the results of research and development work.

Literature and Language Teaching is for teachers and trainers who want to incorporate literature into the language classroom. It is suitable for teacher trainers, teacher development groups or teachers working on their own. This book contains tasks and activities which encourage reflection on some of the issues and debates involved in using literature in the language classroom and explore different approaches to using literature with teenage and adult learners at all levels. It suggests criteria for selecting and evaluating materials for classroom use and identifies some of the distinctive features of novels, short stories, poems and plays so that these can be successfully exploited in the classroom. A wide range of practical ideas and activities for developing materials is provided. Tasks also encourage the observation and assessment of lessons using literacy texts, and draw on English language material by a variety of authors from all over the world.

The importance of integrating the teaching and learning of language and culture has been widely recognised and emphasized. However, how to teach English as an International Language (EIL) and cultures in an integrative way in non-native English speaking countries remains problematic and has largely failed to enable language learners to meet local and global communication demands. Developing students’ intercultural competence is one of the key missions of teaching cultures. This book examines a range of well-established models and paradigms from both English-speaking and non-English speaking countries. Exploring questions of why, what, and how to best teach cultures, the authors propose an integrated model to suit non-native English contexts in the Asia Pacific. The chapters deal with other critical issues such as the relationship between language and power, the importance of power relations in communication, the relationship between teaching cultures and national interests, and balancing tradition and change in the era of globalisation. The book will be valuable to academics and students of foreign language education, particularly those teaching English as an international language in non-native English countries.