Bridging Difference through Classroom Misunderstandings
Journal Title: English Studies at NBU - Year 2018, Vol 4, Issue 1
Abstract
Cultural misunderstandings often arise because of the unstated assumptions or “background books” that each of us has. In the classroom, such misunderstandings can make for uncomfortable moments, but they can also lead to fruitful teaching experiences for teacher and student alike. Using a variety of examples that arose while teaching a module called “Canadian Culture” at a Slovenian university, I argue that such moments – such as when students seem not to have heard what I think was a clear message or bit of information – the resulting cultural misunderstanding can be educationally rewarding. They force us to break out of the question-and-answer routine that is often a part of the teaching process.
Authors and Affiliations
Jason Blake
Byron’s and Shelley’s Revolutionary Ideas in Literature
Abstract The paper explores the revolutionary spirit of literary works of two Romantic poets: George Gordon Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. In the period of conservative early 19th century English society that held high...
Female 'Weight' in the Nigerian Fiction: Iyayi's ‘Violence’ and Ibezute's ‘Dance of Horror’
This article is a masculinist examination of Festus Iyayi’s Violence and Chukwuma Ibezute’s Dance of Horror. The article despises the ideological stance of some feminists – that women are unfairly treated in society and...
Is there an illocutionary act of assertion?
This contribution analyzes Cappelen’s No-Assertion view arguing that, although appealing, the No-Assertion view is based on a questionable premise, namely, that assertions are sayings. Austin’s notions of locution and sa...
Особенности типов субъектов в переводческой перспективе (Subject types and their characteristics in translation)
The paper focuses on the category of semantic subject and its syntactical representation. The concept of subject is shaped by extra-linguistic knowledge and personal experiences as well as by people’s linguistic knowledg...
The American Civil War as a social revolution: the Enlightenment, providential consciousness and changes in moral perception
This article analyses Enlightenment ideas and nation-making practices in the American Civil War and pre-War civil societies. It analyses African American mobilization and the abolitionist movement, and Lincoln’s role in...