英语国家文化课程教学大纲.doc

课程教学大纲英语国家文化教学大纲课程编号 适用专业 英语 学时数 36 学分数 2 执笔人及编写日期 审核人及审核日期 系（部） 外语系 教研室 编印日期 一、课程性质和教学目的：1.课程性质该课程是英语语言文学专业知识必修课程，在英语专业三年级上学期开设。该课程主要介绍英语国家（英国、美国、澳大利亚、新西兰和加拿大）的社会文化背景知识，如地理概况、政体、经济、历史、文学、风俗习惯、教育体制、社会生活、外事、媒体、文化生活、体育艺术等等。旨在帮助学生了解英语国家的社会文化概貌，提高学生对文化差异的敏感性、宽容性和处理文化差异的灵活性，达到提高英语水平，增强跨文化交际能力的目的。同时，该课程还能提高学生的学习兴趣，扩大知识面，为其他专业课程的学习提供帮助。2.课程教学内容(36hours)：Class 1 ( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: IntroductionTeaching Aims: To prepare the students for the fall 2010 Western Culture class.Students Should Know: Grading policy, attendance policy, how marks will be calculated.Students Should Comprehend: The Western Culture class will be a multi-media exploration of Western, more specifically American, culture. The topics covered will be diverse, and the class formats will be interactive.Students Should Master: Grades will be comprised of: attendance, a mid-term exam, and a final presentation. The attendance policy is; 3 missed classes will result in a 0; frequent lateness will result in a 0. The Western Culture class is designed for participation by the students, and the students will be regularly asked to contribute.Class 2( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: Left Brain vs. Right Brain, Multiple IntelligencesTeaching Aims: To introduce the “Left Brain/Right Brain” theory and Howard Gardners “Multiple Intelligences” theory.Students Should Know: The two theories and how they were developed, what it means to be “Left Brained” or “Right Brained,” to know and understand the different sorts of intelligences theorized by Gardner.Students Should Comprehend: Students Should Master: All people are intelligent, but in different ways. Each individual has intellectual strengths and weaknesses, and they play off of each other. In addition, a persons strengths and/or weaknesses can and do change as time goes by.Class 3( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: American Education PPTTeaching Aims: To present the facts regarding all levels of education in the U.S.Students Should Know: The areas of emphasis of instruction at the four levels of education (primary, middle, secondary, and university) in the U.S. Students Should Comprehend: Primary school in the U.S. is focused on teaching children reading, writing, and arithmetic through creative exercises. Middle school is a transition period between primary and secondary school, and so a great deal of emphasis is placed on refining the skills of primary school. In addition, middle school is when American students are introduced to extra-curricular activities. Secondary school is the time to prepare American students for their future paths, be it university or the working world. In secondary school all Americans take the national college entrance exams. Secondary schools prepare students for life as an adult, and so the students choose some of their own courses. Life as an American university student is very different from what an Asian university student experiences.Students Should Master: The American education system is the worlds best simply because it is student-centered. American students get personal attention, are recognized as individuals, and are allowed the freedom to be creative.Class 4( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: Movie- Napoleon Dynamite, DiscussionTeaching Aims: To present the life of an American high-school student.Students Should Know: How student government elections are carried out in the U.S., what an American high-school prom is, how Americans of different races and ethnicities interact, the relationship American students have with teachers and administrators.Students Should Comprehend: American schools place a heavy emphasis on extra-curricular activities. Even at the average U.S. high-school, a myriad of choices exist. Students Should Master: The American high-school experience is full of freedom, fun, and room for creativity. Class 5( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: Individualism vs. Collectivism PPTTeaching Aims: Presentation and analysis of the characteristics of “individualistic” and “collectivistic” societies. Students Should Know: The definition of “individual” and “individualistic”; the definition of “collective” and “collectivistic.” Students Should Comprehend: The U.S. is generally thought of as an “individualistic” society, and it is true to a certain extent. China is generally thought of as a “collectivistic” country, and that too is true to a certain extent. But, now, in the 21st century, those labels are out-dated and hardly even accurate. Our world has become one global community, and the balance of “individualism” and “collectivism” has evened out. The differences between the modern American and modern Chinese civilization are virtually imperceptible. Students Should Master: No matter how a country or society officially aligns itself, individualistic or collectivistic, people are people. The groups we accept as the most individualistic, because they claim to be, may actually be far less so than we suppose. And so it is with those groups that claim to be the most collectivistic. All humankind feels the same joy and pain, the same need for community service, the same desire to live in safety and comfort. The labels “individualistic” and collectivistic” serve only to further divide people.Class 6( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: BaseballTeaching Aims: Teach the students to play baseball.Students Should Know: Baseball is the “national past-time” in the United States. A majority of American boys learn to play, usually in organized leagues. The game permeates American life.Students Should Comprehend: the rules of the game, how to hold and swing a bat, how to hold and throw a baseball, how the game is played.Students Should Master: Professional baseball in the U.S. is an international game; there are players from all over the world, including Asia. Baseball is a not only a game, but a business; the professional game, on all levels, generates billions of dollars per year. Baseball is the most demanding and beautiful sport on Earth.Class 7( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: The United KingdomTeaching Aims: A multi-media presentation, designed to give the students a clear picture of life in todays U.K.Students Should Know: How the U.K. was formed, how the U.K. government functions, what is U.K. cuisine, what is U.K. music, what is U.K. humor, what is U.K. film/TV.Students Should Comprehend: The size of the population, the GNP, the make-up of the U.K., major imports and exports, what is Parliamentary government, what is the EU and what role does the U.K. play in it, famous people, significant natural and man-made features.Students Should Master: Although cultural differences can seem vast, people are people, regardless of where they live.Class 8( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: American Food PPTTeaching Aims: To introduce American cuisine; to address the stereotypes of American cuisine; to discuss the origins of American cuisine.Students Should Know: The foods associated with “American cuisine” did not originate in the U.S. Many of the foods enjoyed around the world did originate in U.S. Students Should Comprehend: The Americans who are overweight are not so because American cuisine is unhealthy, but because they are unable or unwilling to moderate their diets, as is the case in every country.Students Should Master: American food is diverse and delicious. The melding of international cuisines and the attention Americans pay to detail makes the U.S the culinary capital of the world. The stereotype that all American food is unhealthy is not only false, but born of ignorance and envy. Every country has its own deadly foods.Class 9( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: MidtermTeaching Aims: To execute a mid-term examination, covering the materials presented in the first half of the semester.Students Should Know: All materials covered during the first half of the semester.Students Should Comprehend: All materials covered during the first half of the semester.Students Should Master: All materials covered during the first half of the semester.Class 10( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: American TV from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960sTeaching Aims: To present American television “sitcoms,” using them to illustrate the changes in American society.Students Should Know: In the 40s TV was in its infancy, and so the technical quality of sitcoms from that era is quite poor. In addition, the content material of 1940s sitcoms reflected what was acceptable. Technology improved in the 1950s, thus did production of TV. The content of 1950s TV was significantly different from that of the 1940s. Color TV was introduced in the 1960s, and technology again improved. In the 1960s TV took on a didactic tone, to mixed review.Students Should Comprehend: TV does not set societal norms; it serves as a record of the growth of civilization.Students Should Master: Human art, in all its forms, is a reflection of all the aspects and facets that make up our society. As American society goes, American TV goes.Class 11( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: American TV from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990sTeaching Aims: To present American television “sitcoms,” using them to illustrate the changes in American society.Students Should Know: In the 1970s African-Americans broke the TV “color barrier.” By the end of the decade we saw sitcoms whose casts were primarily, if not entirely, black. The 1980s were marked by severe economic downturn in the U.S., and the sitcoms of the time reflect the fears generated by that depression. The 1990s saw the introduction of animated and CGI sitcoms for adults, reflecting the technology boom of the era.Students Should Comprehend: TV does not set societal norms; it serves as a record of the growth of civilization.Students Should Master: Human art, in all its forms, is a reflection of all the aspects and facets that make up our society. As American society goes, American TV goes.Class 12( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: Movie- Lean on Me, DiscussionTeaching Aims: To show students that though todays American schools of all levels offer the worlds best education, it was a difficult road to this point. Students Should Know: For an education system to reach the highest level students, educators, and administrators must not become overly fixated on rules and regulations. Education must be treated as a living organism, meaning that it needs the space and the freedom to grow, to experiment, and to adapt to conditions which may be beyond its control. As far as education goes, stubbornness, pride, and blind devotion to the past are destructive.Students Should Comprehend: The 1980s was a time of economic depression in the U.S., and due to the strained conditions hard drugs exploded onto the national scene. As a result of the spread of hard drugs, conditions in many schools located in poor neighborhoods of urban centers became distressed, and in some cases dangerous. In spite of that fact, some dedicated educators of the 1980s were able to achieve unprecedented success by working outside of the system.Students Should Master: American schools and the American education system has some serious problems, which is the case in every country in the world.Class 13( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: Lecture- The Birth of the English LanguageTeaching Aims: To show students where (geographically) English came from, how it developed, and how it changed over the millennia through multi-media presentation.Students Should Know: English began as Germanic; when those Germanic people invaded Britannia, the Latin-Celtic-Gaelic amalgam languages were blended; centuries later, the Nordic people invaded and their language was introduced into the mix; shortly thereafter, the Norman invasion added French to the “melting pot.” From this combination emerged the English language. Finally, in 1415 Henry V made English the official language of the British Isles. Students Should Comprehend: Almost every European country played some role in the development of English, and perhaps that is why English has become the “international language.” English is a “mutually intelligible” language, meaning that English words are standard, regardless of where they are spoken. This too was a factor in English ascending to international status. Furthermore, the English language allows for an infinite number of words, and so it stands to reason that English would be chosen as the international language.Students Should Master: The linguistic history of English. Class 14( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: Individual Meetings in Preparation for Final PresentationsTeaching Aims: To assist students with the preparations for their final presentation.Students Should Know: The minimum and maximum time, the proper format for the proposal and the presentation, using media in presentations.Students Should Comprehend: Planning and presentation techniques, body-language and public-speaking points, Microsoft Power Point and Word, lesson-planning formats.Students Should Master: All aspects of presentation for their final.Class 15( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: GermanyTeaching Aims: A multi-media presentation, designed to give the students a clear picture of life in todays Germany.Students Should Know: How Germany was formed, how the German government functions, what is German cuisine, what is German music, what is German humor, what is German film/TV, what is the German language.Students Should Comprehend: The size of the population, the GNP, the make-up of Germany, major imports and exports, what is Parliamentary government, what is the EU and what role does Germany play in it, famous people, significant natural and man-made features.Students Should Master: Although cultural differences can seem vast, people are people, regardless of where they live.Class 16( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: FranceTeaching Aims: A multi-media presentation, designed to give the students a clear picture of life in todays France.Students Should Know: How France was formed, how the French government functions, what is French cuisine, what is French music, what is French humor, what is French film/TV, what is the French language.Students Should Comprehend: The size of the population, the GNP, the make-up of France, major imports and exports, what is Parliamentary government, what is the EU and what role does France play in it, famous people, significant natural and man-made features.Students Should Master: Although cultural differences can seem vast, people are people, regardless of where they live.Class 17( 2 Hours )Teaching Contents: ItalyTeaching Aims: A multi-media presentation, designed to give the students a clear picture of life in todays Italy.Students Should Know: How Italy was formed, how the Italian government functions, what is Italian cuisine, what is Italian music, what is Italian humor, what is Italian film/TV, what is the Italian language.Students Sh