Université Larbi Ben M'hidi Oum El Bouaghi

COURSE: TEACHING CULTURE IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASS

SEMESTER: S3 / Master II

SPECIALTY: Literature and Civilisation

INSTRUCTOR: Prof. S. Merrouche

EMAIL : saramerrouche@gmail.com

DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE

This course is intended for students of ‘literature and civilization’ at the Master level, third semester. It aims to raise students’ (or prospective teachers’) awareness of the importance of integrating culture in the foreign language class. More importantly, it argues for a systematic approach to teach the cultural component, attempting to answer questions as: What principles underlie culture teaching in the foreign language class? What are the cultural aims / objectives to be pursued in the foreign language class? How much culture to teach? What should be taught in the name of culture? What is the appropriate time to introduce culture? And what methods and techniques are used to teach culture? An important part of the course is also devoted to highlighting the way language and culture are interlocked, particularly in patterns of communication. 

OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Define the complex concept of culture;

2. Demonstrate the way language and culture interrelate;

3. Argue for / against including the cultural component in the foreign language course;

4. Develop awareness of a systematic approach to teach culture in the foreign language class;

5. Design some culture-geared activities as culture capsules and critical incidents. 

Presentation skills and strategies are essential for the students' personal and professional life. Importantly, the content of this course provides Master Two students (Literature /Civilisation) with some tips on preparing and organizing a successful oral presentation in English. The course also offers some necessary techniques of public speaking skills.  Additionally, helping students overcome stage fright and boosting their self-confidence are also dealt with.  The students are also taught the essential elements to successfully present at conferences.  Additionally, further tips on how to defend their Master dissertations effectively are covered too. 

By clarifying concepts and mechanisms, this course aims at enhancing students' understanding of the policy-making process in the UK and in the USA. It aims also at promoting their analytical thinking so as to be able to make projections.

In the first semester,  Research methodology Seminar aims at helping M2 students of Literature and Civilization to realize their master's final project for graduation. It provides them with the main tools and tips a researcher needs to conduct their research from topic selection and definition to the edition of the whole work. It starts with the main steps to follow in writing a research proposal that should cover the following items: The What, the Why, the How, the literature review, and the outline. Overall, it teaches them dissertation skills that show them how to frame their questions and constructing their content. Moreover, this course introduces the MLA style-- 7th edition- that helps students to correctly cite the sources and materials they will rely on in their research and to respect the rules and ethics of doing a research. The seminar in research methodology accompanies the students to show them the main strategies and techniques that might help them complete their research successfully, and more importantly it teaches them to be as critical as they can.