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

1. Ken EckertWhy is an English Professor Here, And Can/Should Literature Be Taught? http://keneckert.com/kotesol

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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

6. 1. Why am I here at KOTESOL?

7. Where else can I go? Honorable mention: English Language and Literature Association of Korea (ELLAK)

8. Language and Content • Every educator, at some level, by teaching in English teaches English. How my last university saw the content professors How my last university saw the English “instructors”

9. 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)

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

12. 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?

13. The Basic Problem: Making them Read

16. English can be fun, damn it

17. 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

18. 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?

19. 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

20. Heavy on writing:

21. Activities & Evaluations • Website blog responses • Papers and presentations which make arguments or opinions • Reading quizzes

22. Activities & Evaluations Ideally, assignments stress questions involving higher-grade reasoning

23. 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?

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

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

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

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

28. Sure-Fire Hits: Shakespeare (Modernized) & Harry Potter • Cache (I’m reading Shakespeare!) • Strong emotions and plots • Harry Potter: Popularity and easier English

29. 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)

30. Trigger Warnings?

31. 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

32. 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

33. Poems • Poems work at any level

34. Poems: High Level Have students interpret and write a sonnet within Elizabethan/ Petrarchan formatting

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

36. Poems: Low Level Have students interpret and write a picture poem • Language-independent visual ideas

38. 8: Conclusions Literature opens the doors to another culture via language http://keneckert.com/kotesol