The article examines a mainstream curricular unit on the Haitian Revolution, centered on a culminating role-play activity. Cultural studies, subaltern studies, and hermeneutics are applied as theoretical frameworks to read the curriculum unit and its activities. These theoretical lenses sharpen an understanding of what it means to experience…

English teaching and learning has taken an interesting shift in Hong Kong schools with the implementation of the New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum under the "334" education reform. Situating the paper within the broader considerations of the intersection of Cultural Studies and English teaching, this paper examines the challenges and…

This article documents a curriculum reform of the second-year German program at the Department of Germanic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. This curricular reform had two goals: (1) compressing two semesters of intermediate-level language instruction into a single semester; (2) incorporating a strategy-based approach to literary…

This article documents a curriculum reform of the second-year German program at the Department of Germanic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. This curricular reform had two goals: (1) compressing two semesters of intermediate-level language instruction into a single semester; (2) incorporating a strategy-based approach to literary…

Creativity, the ability to produce novel and appropriate work, is one of humanity's most important traits. The concept applies to historic novelty, generating ideas and artefacts that arise for the first time in human history, and to individual novelty; ideas and artefacts new to the person who creates them. Despite its importance, creativity is…

Characteristics to be considered in selecting instructional materials for cultural aspects of foreign language education are discussed, including expository vs. non-expository, interpretive vs. non-interpretive, allusive vs. explicit, and complex vs. simplistic. (MSE)

Presents results of a survey designed to determine the titles of books used in culture and literature instruction in Ontario secondary schools.

Local news media coverage of events is often ignored as a resource for language instruction. Local coverage is as varied as the national press, and it greatly enlarges the scope of materials available for classroom use. (MSE)

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' Proficiency Guidelines have implications for balancing the curriculum, building functional development, choosing instructional materials and teaching methods, developing distinct language modalities, assigning level designations, utilizing cultural instruction, and advancing student…

"Konichi-Wa" is designed to teach Japanese language and culture via a multimedia videodisc, a teacher's guide, and supplemental cultural materials. Its objectives are to provide a learning experience for children in grades K-6 with instruction from a regular classroom teacher who has little or no formal language instruction training in…

Growth of interest in teaching culture within English as a second language (ESL) instruction shows that the basic view of language is changing. However, development of a coherent conceptual framework for teaching culture in ESL has not kept pace with the production of culture-oriented materials. Culture learning is more complex than language…

Techniques for using France's Minitel, a general information network accessible by computer from the United States, for business French courses are outlined. The Minitel system is first described and hardware and software needs for accessing its services are noted. A variety of options for presenting Minitel material to students is presented,…

Because of the concern about declining German second language enrollments in the United States, there is a need for enhanced cultural education in the second language curriculum. Current global circumstances, including an increasingly multicultural society and widespread need for intercultural communicative competence, not just grammatical…

Acknowledging that the Suggestopedia approach is not very popular, this paper focuses on the use of Suggestopedia's distinctive features to promote awareness of the linguistic and cultural features of the target culture in a language class. The role of the classroom environment in this approach is also examined. The context considered here is a…

It is argued that a traditional, historically-oriented course in 17th- and 18th-century French civilization continues to be an appropriate and effective approach for undergraduate French study, in preparation for later, more sophisticated cultural analysis. Four course components are discussed: class lectures; literary text selection; textbook…