Between the lines: When culture, language and poetry meet in the classroom

Abstract

Teaching poetry in second language (L2) classrooms raises theoretical and practical questions about how best to treat literature when target language and culture is also being negotiated. Current pedagogy derives from disparate sources, including the experientially-driven practices of individual teachers, the quantitative and qualitative research methodologies of Second Language Acquisition, and the aesthetic, historical, and philosophical traditions of literature and cultural studies. This paper surveys the knowledge base that shapes literature pedagogy, examines the conceptual implications of two common approaches (close reading and genre-based treatments), and argues for new teaching objectives.

Using Film in the L2 Classroom: A Graduate Course in Film Pedagogy

“…An abundance of recent literature on language teaching (e.g., Byrnes, ; Kern, ; Magnan, ; Melin, ; MLA, ) has underscored the need not just for acquisition of proficiency in the L2, but the need to also be able to engage with L2 culture(s) through its texts (prose, poetry, and film). “The goal is to give students the chance to position themselves in relation to distinct viewpoints and distinct cultures and to make connections between language and other symbolic ways of making meaning, connections between languages and other disciplines, and connections between language and culture” (Kern, , p. 367).…”

“…Melin (), writing about teaching poetry in the L2 classroom, addressed the ways in which studying literature is linked to enhanced learning. Poetry, she suggested, elicits learner responses and gives students a chance to practice creative writing and explore culture.…”

“…Poetry, she suggested, elicits learner responses and gives students a chance to practice creative writing and explore culture. Magnan (, p. 95) noted that “texts provide input for language acquisition and serve as data for cultural comparison and critical reflection.” Films are narratives (like novels or poems) in a different modality, and as Melin () described, they elicit learner responses and give students a chance to practice meaningful language while exploring culture.…”

“…Given this high rate of graduate students staffing beginning courses, it is essential that they be provided with proper training in all facets of language teaching. If educators maintain that culture and literature (Byrnes, ; Kern, ; Magnan, ; Melin, ; MLA, ) and, by extension, film should be integral parts of first‐ and second‐year language instruction, then those doing the bulk of the teaching must be given adequate preparation to able to effectively include these facets of language learning. The course examined in this article was designed to provide such preparation.…”

Beyond the Language‐Content Divide: Research on Advanced Foreign Language Instruction at the Postsecondary Level

“…A second approach contemplated the question of how we “do” literature as a way of considering what literature teaching can add to FL pedagogy. Melin () looked specifically at poetry as a starting point for extending curricular and pedagogical innovations to other literary genres. She presented several arguments supporting the use of poetry in the advanced FL curriculum, including exploiting its linguistic features to help students understand literary conventions, developing students’ creative writing skills, and reflecting on the function of literature.…”