Using Contemporary Subcontinental Literature in Language Class / Teaching Language: An Effective Way for the Learners (original) (raw)
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Pedagogical Value of Contemporary Subcontinental Literature in Language Class / Teaching Language
2013
The people of the Subcontinent have had exposure to English as the second language (L 2) since the sun of Stamford has risen in the East. However, now a days the sub continental writers, like writers of all colonized nations, are using English as a weapon to write back, if not curse back; a situation where, in Rushdie’s words the Empire is writing back to the centre. Sub continental writers are now attempting to celebrate local culture and give the foreign language a local color. Besides, contemporary sub-continental literature in English is a vibrant and a powerful mixture made out of the English language and local experience tuned to the sociopolitical changes. Therefore, sub continental literature can be vehicles of culture as well as communication helping the teacher create a congenial educational atmosphere which can help students overcome their constraints regarding foreign language learning. The literary piece which talks about our daily life will be able to create motivation...
Bridging the Gap between Language and Literature: Teaching English in Bangladesh at Tertiary Level
ELT Worldwide: Journal of English Language Teaching
Using literary material for developing language skills has gained new attention for both L1 and L2 learners in the last two decades. In my paper I would like to explore the possibilities and loopholes of teaching language through literature in Bangladesh at the tertiary level. Our language classes follow traditional lecture-based teaching techniques and use almost no literary materials for teaching language. Mostly ‘referential’ materials are taught by Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) method which are exclusively confined to everyday real-life situational use and does not engage learners’ imaginative faculties. Therefore, I have tried to demonstrate how literary texts or ‘representational texts’ can develop English proficiency, foster critical thinking and encourage creative language use. I have also critiqued our material selection; teaching approaches; evaluation; and rote learning during exam. As a result a gap has long been created between language and literature at the ter...
English Literature in English Medium Schools in Bangladesh: The Question of Post-colonial1 Pedagogy
asiatic.iium.edu.my
English literature has been part of the syllabus of English-medium schools from the early days of the British colonial encroachment in the South Asian region. In today"s Bangladesh from the late seventies, the O/A level or equivalent "international" systems started spreading, instead of the "national curriculum in English-medium" of the Pakistani era. The proliferation of English-medium schools after 1990, concurrent with the wholesale adoption of free market policies, the return of democracy in 1990, and globalisation, has meant that an ever-increasing number of Bangladeshi children and young adults are studying English literature as a compulsory subject until standard eight, or as an optional subject after that. However, they are doing this in an inchoate way, some if not many of them imbibing the inherent culture, values and worldviews of these texts. The students remain comparatively unaware of other non-western literatures, including to some extent, Bengali literature, due to the primacy of English language, literature and culture in these institutions. Thus, there is a need for a postcolonial pedagogic system for English literature at these institutions in order to offset the effects of neo-colonialism. This study tries to analyse the present teaching and learning practices, argues for a post-colonial pedagogy and suggests ways of formulating a revised pedagogy for teaching English literature at these schools.
English Literature and Composition Studies in Bangladesh: Conflict, Co- existence, and Globalization
English literature and Composition studies never mesh given their origins and foci. English literature is essentially British in most places outside of the United States. Composition is essentially North American. Literature explores written texts while Composition creates new texts. Composition studies has been a relatively new intellectual formation compared to the long history of English literature, which has been the parent discipline of English studies all over the world, including in Bangladesh. However, while Composition studies is acknowledged as a legitimate sub-field of English studies around the globe, it is not integral to English studies in Bangladesh until recently. English literature continues to define and dominate English studies in Bangladesh. In the context of Bangladesh, Composition is the ultimate Other. At the same time, English studies independent of composition is ineffective, incomplete. This article explores the ontological conflict between English literature and Composition studies in the context of Bangladesh. It, then, establishes the connection between English literature and Composition studies. Finally, it discusses the ramifications of globalization affecting English literature and Composition studies in the landscape of English studies in Bangladesh.
The Teaching of English Literature in the EFL class at Tertiary Level in Bangladesh
2018
DOI: 10.21276/sjahss.2018.6.11.16 Abstract: There has always been a sense of rivalry and at the time of animosity between literary pursuits and the study of language in linguistics today. Literature in English has been taught as an academic subject for almost a century at tertiary level in Bangladesh whereas, the study of language in linguistics as an academic subject has been introduced only a few decades ago. But since then these two branches are recognized to be sites of contestation and taught almost in isolation, without trying to set any kind of relation between them. The traditional study of literature in Bangladesh involves an approach to texts as aesthetically patterned artifacts with critical appreciation of the texts which in turns draws on historical, socio-cultural or biographical information about texts. This teacher centered approach to literature teaching for students is that they rely on teachers or books of literary criticism which serves the instrumental purpose o...
Introducing Bangladeshi Writing in English: Emergence to the Present
In postcolonial literary criticism, Bangladeshi writing in English has not received the scholarly attention or the recognition it deserves. However, there is an irony here because colonial Bengal was perhaps the first among the British colonies to embrace English education and its people had early working experiences with the British. Moreover, this literary tradition claims some of the earliest writers of literature written in English outside the British and American canons. In the present time, it has gained renewed vibrancy as writers both in Bangladesh and in the diaspora, especially in the UK, have produced English works both in the original and in translation. Considering the rich background, sophistication and huge potential of Bangladeshi writing in English, in this article we will provide a historical overview and the varying strands of this literary tradition. As editors of this special journal issue, we will also attempt a general outline of the articles included in it and consider the main themes they explicate.
Using Poems of Jibanananda Das and Rabindranath Tagore in the Language Classrooms of Bangladesh
Language in India
This paper underscores how the use of literature in a language classroom makes language learning easier and more entertaining. It focuses on the implications of using English literature for teaching English language and explores its advantages as well as challenges that both the language teacher and learners may come across. The paper specially shows how the areas of language learning can benefit when a literary text is used in a language classroom.
The implementation of the study of Bengali literature in the departments of English Language and Literature (ELL) in Bangladesh is to date a " to be or not to be " issue in most of the universities in general. Being a twice-born country, Bangladesh still seems to fail to liberate herself from the mental colonial legacy in many aspects of national life, including the university education. Taking a mixed-method approach, this paper examined the perceptions of different stakeholders within English studies-here, tertiary level teachers and students in ELL Department about the issues related to the integration of Bengali literature into English Studies at tertiary level. In doing so, we investigated: (a) learners' knowledge in English and Bengali literature, (b) the problems they face (if there is any) due to the limited Bengali practice at universities, (c) their perceptions of the potential benefits of studying Bengali at tertiary level, (d) their opinions regarding the inclusion of Bengali literature into English Studies and finally, (e) the linguistic medium in which Bengali literature can be presented to the learners at tertiary level. This paper might be one of the most important steps to decolonize the English Studies as it is argued here that in order to create intercultural awareness of the learners, their (learners') own socio-cultural and traditional values must be presented to them through native literature in original form. Keyw Keyw Keyw