This study has been prompted by a concern that the term intercultural understanding (IU) has appeared in English curriculum policy texts in order to address macro issues with scant pedagogical attention to its effective implementation at the micro level in the modern foreign languages (MFL) classroom. The article investigates pupils' perceptions…

This article presents an approach to literary texts that develops students' language proficiency, content knowledge, and analytical skills through the interweaving of three content areas--literary analysis, stylistics, and culture--at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of the foreign language curriculum. Consistent with…

Eight recent monographs and collections on area and culture study in foreign language teaching are discussed and compared. The focus is on the various authors' definitions of the topic (culture, civilization, realia, etc.). Mentioned also is the function of area study in the course. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Suggests guidelines for the teaching of culture and presents a possible classroom vehicle. It is emphasized that while refinements of civilization should not be ignored, culture as perceived by the man on the street should be of central concern, particularly in early states of language study. (EJS)

The desirability of learning the foreign civilization in conjunction with learning a foreign language is discussed, and an approach to civilization study to be incorporated in foreign language study is set out. (RM)

Describes pilot classes in culture-oriented French and Spanish instruction conducted over a two-year period. (KM)

Recommendations are made for a curriculum in first year language introductory courses in New South Wales high schools which would place greater emphasis on cultural understanding than on language itself. A sample course outline is given and suggestions for group and individual activity given. (RM)

Argues that literature should have a place in the foreign language classroom even at the beginning level. It aids in clarifying vocabulary, grammatical structures and certain cultural idiosyncracies. (Text is in German.) (TL)

Literature-dominated foreign language courses, and their failure to develop cross-cultural understanding, are discussed. Changes in language syllabuses to include other aspects of the foreign culture are suggested. (RM)

Discusses the necessity of incorporating cultural themes in the German curriculum of American colleges from the beginning level on. These themes should be contemporary, should help the student contrast the foreign culture with his own and help him see language as a system of symbols. (Text is in German.) (TL)

The decline in foreign language study in New South Wales is described, and suggestions are made for change in course content and organization to make foreign language study interesting and helpful to a larger number of students. (RM)

The primary task of teacher educators must be to offer foreign language teachers the means to better conceptualize and carry out their task and thus to regain confidence. The present situation is assessed; needs are analysed in terms of teachers, students, the culture and society; and conclusions are drawn. (AMH)

Although English is a colonial heritage in Fiji, it links the country's different ethnic groups and is the language of instruction for formal education. This paper examines pedagogical and cultural implications of the present primary English curriculum, based on findings from an empirical study of primary English teaching in Fiji. It reviews the…

Discusses the teaching of French language, literature, and culture in light of the experiences and observations of Gustave Lanson, a professor of French at the University of Paris who taught as a visiting professor at Columbia University in 1911. It is argued that French studies as a discipline needs to emphasize the pluralistic, multicultural…

The teaching of Spanish in American schools and colleges to native speakers of Spanish has its origin in two main factors: the need for acceptance by the teaching profession of maintenance and development of the Spanish spoken natively in the United States, and the need for cultural determination by the nation's native Spanish speakers. In light…