英语国家文化课程教学大纲

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: Introduction

Teaching 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 Intelligences

Teaching Aims: To introduce the “Left Brain/Right Brain” theory and Howard Gardner’s “Multiple Intelligences” theory.

Students Should Know: The two theories and how t hey 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 w ays. Each individual has intellectual strengths and weaknesses, and they play off of each other. In addition, a person’s strengths and/or weaknesses can and do change as time goes by.

Class 3( 2 Hours )

Teaching Contents: American Education PPT

Teaching 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 world’s 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, Discussion

Teaching 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 PPT

Teaching Aims: Prese ntation 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: Baseball