THE CULTURAL SYLLABUS

By John Ariza

OVERVIEW

1. Concept of Culture 2. Brooks ´Concept 3. Chastain´s List 4. Nostrand´s Emergent Model 5. Hammerly´s Classification 6. Language and Culture/Society 7. Cultural Goals 8. Content of Culture Teaching 9. Techniques of Culture teaching 10. Cultural Syllabus Design 11. Summary

CONCEPT OF CULTURE

Historically Prior to World War I/Inter War Years)

Systematic understanding of the country and people

Useful background and complement (language and literature) History, geography, institutions. Accomplishments in arts, music, drama,

scientific discovery, sports, other. (National Heritage)

After World War II Anthropological studies of tribal cultures/applied

to West ¨Way of life/Life Style¨ of a community

Typical daily behavior /shared social fabric

CONCEPT OF CULTURE

1950s Component of Language teaching Knowledge of a country

Emphasize way of life culture 1960s Theorists recognize both concepts as

legitimate Traditional Concept (Cultural achievements,

artistic pursuits) Brooks terms ¨formal culture¨ ¨Culture with a capital C¨

Way of life culture (Behavior in daily situations) Brooks terms ¨deep culture¨ ¨Culture with a ¨small c¨

CONCEPT OF CULTURE

Approaches Writers abandoned defining culture ¨a broad concept which embraces all aspects of

the life of man¨(Seelye 1984)

BROOKS´ CONCEPT Culture imparted as a consequence or

indispensable to the business of language learning (1964)

Sixty topics and questions (informal) Childhood Literature Discipline Pets Yards, Lawns and sidewalks

Everyday culture of young American based on:

Culture and values

SOURCE OF INFORMATION? Teacher supplies data?

CHASTAIN´S LIST Forty-four topics (1976)

Student activities and education Social and economic systems The press Good manners Women´s liberation Other general topics

Lists are not exhaustive Language learners at secondary school or

undergraduate courses

Information on topics/Teachers supply data

NOSTRAND´S EMERGENT MODEL Classifies observations under a few broad

headings (1978) Culture Society Conflicts Ecology and technology Individual Cross-cultural environment

Comprehensive and scholarly approach Headings place observation in context

Derive basic themes/characterize a society and give it unity (leads to understanding a culture)

HAMMERLY´S CLASSIFICATION Three fold classification (1982)

Information (or factual) culture Information/Facts

Society, geography and history, heroes and villains etc

Behavioral culture (most) Interpretation of way of life culture Typical/actual behavior (way of life) N Physical and Psychological needs (S)

Achievement or accomplishment culture Traditional (artistic & literary)

Combines (T) and (A) geared to learning SL

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE/SOCIETY

Studied sociolinguistically Specific contribution of cultural syllabus

Reality of people and places People who use the language The way they live What they do, think and dream

Culture teaching (Cultural Syllabus) Focus is people, places and actions Linguistic phenomena is peripheral

Language Syllabus Focus is on Linguistic phenomena People, places and actions are peripheral

CULTURAL GOALS Seelye´s 7 Culture Teaching (Skills) 1984

The sense, or functionality, of culturally conditioned behavior

Options society allows to satisfy physical and psychological needs

Interaction of language and social variables Age, sex, social class, place of residence

Conventional behavior in common situations (B) The role conventions plays in how people act in

mundane and crisis situations Cultural connotations of words and phrases

Culturally conditioned images associated with even the most common target words and phrases

CULTURAL GOALS Evaluating statements about a culture

Make, evaluate and refine generalities Researching another culture

Locate and organize (Library, mass media, people and personal observation)

Attitudes toward other societies (A) Intellectual curiosity about empathy towards its

people

COGNITIVE GOALS OF CULTURE LEARNING

CONTENT OF CULTURE TEACHING Six Aspects of culture teaching

Places (country, region etc) as perceived by Native speakers

Individual persons and way of life (personal contact with a Native speaker)

People and society in general (view themselves, class, religion, social, racial or regional prejudices)

History (significant historical developments, events, personalities, critical issues)

Institutions (government, social welfare, military and police, religion, political parties, media)

Art, Music, Literature and other major achievements (artists, musicians and writers and their works, figures)

TECHNIQUES OF CULTURE TEACHING Creating an Authentic Classroom

environment Providing Cultural information

Cultural context ( a song, news, culture capsule) The Concept of culture clusters

Related cultural capsules (then role play) Cultural Problem Solving

Situations (Manners, customs) Self Instructional program (Fielder, Mitchell and

Triandis (1971) Feedback explains right and wrong in context

Behavioral and affective aspects Audio-motor unit (TPR)/Role play/Mini

drama

CULTURAL SYLLABUS DESIGN Challenges of syllabus design

Culture taught as incidental not concerned with coherence/sequence in language program

Relationship between cultural syllabus within SL program and other curriculum areas may overlap

Importance to culture versus language Culture embedded in Language

Place for six topics (Content of Culture Teaching)

No universal answer (emphasize or minimize)

SUMMARY

1. Concept of Culture (Traditional and Anthropological)

2. Brooks ´Concept (Culture imparted as consequence)

3. Chastain´s List (Similar list of topics) 4. Nostrand´s Emergent Model (Overcome

fragments) 5. Hammerly´s Classification (Combines

Concepts/L2) 6. Language and Culture/Society (Reality, People,

Places) 7. Cultural Goals (Seelye´s 7 skills develop in

learners) 8. Content of Culture Teaching (6 Aspects) 9. Techniques of Culture teaching (class, info, role

play, mini drama) 10. Cultural Syllabus Design (Challenges, role)