MATERIALS FOR TEACHING CULTURE: LITERATURE, NEWSPAPERS, TV

Abstract

The topic of teaching and learning culture has been a matter of considerable
interest to language educators and much has been written about the role of culture in
foreign language instruction over the past two decades. ESL students whose success in
a new environment is conditioned not only by their mastery of the new language, but
also, and especially, by their ability to negotiate the new culture. Media sources
significantly affect students’ of attitudes and dispositions towards themselves, other
people and society especially in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. Building
on the argument that learning a second language cannot be separated from the
acquisition of the culture that it embodies, this paper argues that the design and
adaptation of written media should reflect multiple perspectives and avoid prejudices
in order to engage students in a process of uncovering and confronting cultural biases
and facilitate cultural learning. The paper presents prejudices and other cultural biases
learners have about target culture and discusses the positive effects of media on
students. The paper suggests that media sources should be integrated into ESL
curriculum in order to avoid prejudices, to enhance students’ critical thinking and
language skills and cultural biases, and to have a better understanding of new culture.