Ken EckertWhy is an English Professor Here, And Can/Should Literature Be Taught?

http://keneckert.com/kotesol

Ken EckertEnglish Language & CultureHanyang University (ERICA), Ansan Ph.D. Medieval English Literature, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2011) M.A. Old English Literature, Memorial University of Newfoundland (2001) B.A. English Literature, Concordia University of Edmonton, Canada (1990)

Ken Eckert Coursework English novel survey; British & U.S. literature survey; Modernism; Postmodernism; Graduate writing seminar Publications 14 publications (8 A&HCI) in medieval romance, literature and theology, satire, modern literature, and ESL composition 1 book, Middle English Romances in Translation

http://keneckert.com/resume

Outline

1. Why I’m here 2. Why you should teach literature 3. Why should students learn literature 4. How to set it up 5. High-level classes 6. Medium-level classes 7. Low-level classes

1. Why am I here at KOTESOL?

Where else can I go?

Honorable mention: English Language and Literature Association of Korea(ELLAK)

Every educator, at some level, by teaching in English teaches English.

Language and Content

How my last university saw the content professors

How my last university saw the English “instructors”

English as an academic discipline

English Literature (Period: Medieval, Renaissance, Victorian, Modern); (Subject: poetry, drama, literary criticism, feminist/Marxist/deconstructionist); creative writing

Composition & Rhetoric (Theories of persuasion from Greek to postmodern; logic of argumentation; citation; web composition; pedagogy of composition)

Linguistics (Grammar, phonology, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics); (Etymology and language history); (Translation)

Applied Linguistics & ESL (Language acquisition, second language acquisition, pedagogy: teaching English as a second / foreign language)

Two broad career routes•Teaching English Literature as a disciplinary subject•Teaching English Literature as a content subject for EFL/ESL

2. Why you should teach literature• “a degree and a pulse” vs. demographics / demand• Hogwan teaching: in decline• Conversation instruction in general English programs (Korea): in decline• Possible growth points: Compulsory composition / literature courses• Instead of MA-TESOL: MA Composition & Rhetoric?

The Basic Problem: Making them Read

English can be fun, damn it

3. Then why should students learn literature?

• Literature / composition classes require it• Content for discussion, presentations, and writing• Understand of literature improves critical thinking and problem solving skills• Korean translations: good enough is good enough?• Considering alternatives: some love it

4: How to Set it Up: Sticks & Carrots• Do your employers have your back?• Can you mandate reading in the class?• Is it doable within your course structure?• Do students have the English fluency for it?

5: High-Level Fluency (e.g. English Majors)• Novel-length works• Courses designed by concept (e.g. Modernism, British); genre; time period• Lecture + presentations + papers• Light on literary theory• Usually 3-4 long works a semester

Heavy on writing:

Activities & Evaluations

• Website blog responses• Papers and presentations which make arguments or opinions• Reading quizzes

Activities & Evaluations

Ideally, assignments stress questions involving higher-grade reasoning

James Joyce – “Araby”

Does the text successfully respond to political or allegorical readings?

How does the narrative arc relate to ones in other stories in the novel?

How does Joyce use the final scene where the lights dim to show disappointment?

What are some examples of imagery and symbolism?

Why does he want to go to the fair?

Who is the boy in love with?

Isn’t this more exciting than the session next door?

Choosing the Literature: Hits• Shorter novels work better• Strong emotions (love, survival, success, murder)

Choosing the Literature: Meh• Longer novels sometimes work• Some students will accept abstract concepts; some won’t

Choosing the Literature: Misses• Absurd or intellectual humor• Difficult plot structures or language

Sure-Fire Hits: Shakespeare (Modernized) & Harry Potter

• Cache (I’m reading Shakespeare!)• Strong emotions and plots• Harry Potter: Popularity and easier English

Won’t they cheat and just watch the movie, or read the Korean version?

• English will still be required in presentations and papers• Strategic quizzes (topics not in the movie)

Trigger Warnings?

6: Medium-Level Fluency (e.g. General English)• Can text be assigned, or read in class? Will students pay for texts?• Short stories, poems, novel excerpts• Scenes from Shakespeare• Single stories from Dubliners (e.g. Eveline)• Writing activities explaining or describing

7: Low-Level Fluency (or Motivation)• Text probably cannot be assigned; read in class• Very brief stories or poems• Simple writing activities about the story

Poems• Poems work at any level

Poems: High LevelHave students interpret and write a sonnet within Elizabethan/ Petrarchan formatting

Poems: Middle LevelHave students interpret and write a poem in rhyme structure (e.g. ABA, ABBA)

Poems: Low LevelHave students interpret and write a picture poem • Language-independent visual ideas

8: Conclusions

http://keneckert.com/kotesol

Literature opens the doors to another culture via language