Chapter 3: Violence and Racism 9 / 11 in the EFL classroom session 7 June 26 th, 2014. Developing intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has become one of the main goals of foreign language learning. Students should be able to become an "intercultural speaker who crosses frontiers, and who is to some extent a specialist in the transit of cultural property and symbolic values"
Chapter 3: Violence and Racism 9 / 11 in the EFL classroom session 7 June 26 th, 2014. Developing intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has become one of the main goals of foreign language learning. Students should be able to become an "intercultural speaker who crosses frontiers, and who is to some extent a specialist in the transit of cultural property and symbolic values"
Chapter 3: Violence and Racism 9 / 11 in the EFL classroom session 7 June 26 th, 2014. Developing intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has become one of the main goals of foreign language learning. Students should be able to become an "intercultural speaker who crosses frontiers, and who is to some extent a specialist in the transit of cultural property and symbolic values"
session 7 June 26 th , 2014 1. Introduction 2. Overview: Maria Eisenmann - Terror und Traumatisierung nach 9/11: Jonathan Safran Foers Roman Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Alexandra) 3. Overview: Michael Szczekalla Die literarische Verarbeitung des Schreckens in 9/11-Romanen (Jonas) 4. Mini-lesson
written by Maria Eisenmann In recent years, developing intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has become one of the main goals of foreign language learning Michael Byrams model has had significant influence on the Common European framework (CEF) Students should all be able to become an intercultural speaker who crosses frontiers, and who is to some extent a specialist in the transit of cultural property and symbolic values (Byram/Zarate) The different terms are often not clearly defined Intercultural learning vs. ICC vs. Fremdverstehen (intercultural understanding; empathy) Diverse definitions of the word culture A popular model to illustrate the broad scope of the term culture is the iceberg model However, this model still treats cultures as more or less homogenous entities
Cultures are not separate entities (anymore) Globalization and immigration continuous exchange between different cultures No clear distinction between self and otherness New challenge for the EFL classroom
First culture Other culture Third place The September 11 attacks deeply traumatized the United States as well as the entire world Terrorism became an immediate threat Political turning point
However, the new generation of students is too young to remember 9/11 they treat it as an historical event It is a very controversial topic but talking about it is necessary in order to understand other events in recent US history There is no uniform opinion about the attacks students can contrast and compare different viewpoints and engage in interesting discussions
HOW? There is a large variety of literary texts that deal with the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath (documentary and fictional, objective and sympathetic, and textual modes of representation [Dwes 2007: 517]) Three major perspectives
Another distinction can be made depending on the role of the 9/11 attacks within the text:
Are the attacks used as a symbol?
Do they serve as a trigger for a characters personal crisis/development?
A novel by Jonathan Safran Foer
The genre of 9/11 novels: stories enframed by or (indirectly) dealing with the terrorist attacks and depicting its significance for the American society.
1. Falling Man (2007) by Don DeLillo 2. The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007) by Mohsin Hamid 3.Terrorist (2006) by John Updike
9/11 novels as a new genre with content much different from others, complying approaches necessary to grasp findings and implement it successfully
Can traditional approaches/literature-didactic meet the challenge?
Do they enable learners to capture the relevant content?
Do they allow an activation of intercultural- competence?
Avoid: initial adoption of perspective as in (traditional didactics), as well as the attempt/intent to remain impartial and avoid any opinion on content or characters.
The goal: to achieve/gain in competence of critical interpretation (ref.ICC) through discussion and examination of otherness in literature.
Thesis: Literature i.e. the three novels depict reality and inhibit a truth claim that has to be explored
How to perform this task of approximation in EFL classes?
Teaching from the microcosm: starting with a close reading of text-passages that inhibit central points of the entire novel and give established clue on the plot and characters
Initiation of an adequate perspective on the text
Reading the entire novel:
An approach should be based on students question concerning the text, its content or perspective: serve as a framework Further examination can be encouraged with the help of factual texts on terrorism
Remaining central question: To what extent and by what means does the novel depict reality and/or give clue about terrorism itself and its cause and effect on modern society?
Falling Man, Don DeLillo (2007)
American society in a free fall
-fragmentary narration: numerous dialogues, episodes and motives dealing more or less with 9/11
Fragments are enframed by first and last chapter illustrating the fall of the twin towers in minutest detail
-free indirect speech: enables to capture an additional perspective and thoughts in absolute detail and immediate closeness combined perspective
Not about the change and the impact 9/11 had/has on society An interpretation is rather concerned with to what extent the way of narration and implementation of rhetoric strategies represented free fall
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
(Dramatic) monologue held by the protagonist about himself, Changez, a Pakistani, who lived in the US but decided to go back to Pakistan his live and story, America and nostalgia after 9/11, and public attitude towards people of Arabic heritage conflict of identities
-high narrative pace -limited and detailed perspective
Novel allows an immediate exploration of Otherness Muslim Perspective
Terrorist, John Updike (2007) The story of Ahmad, son of an Egyptian and his Irish wife, almost committing a suicide attack but is stopped before a tragedy can occur
Direct examination of terrorism, depiction the American society through the perspective of protagonist Illustration of the allurement that religious fundamentalism inhibits and the motivation to commit an attack
Conflict of identity: Irish vs. Egyptian
problems concerning authenticity, because one can argue that Ahmad does not use the language of adolescent omniscient narration can conflict with perspective
Very complex in plot and character In order to answer the central question To what extent and by what means does the novel depict reality and/or give clue about terrorism itself and its cause and effect on modern society?
dependence on perspective, determines the way how otherness is experienced
therefore: the narrative perspective has to be examined and taken into account, as well as the overall rigour and conjunction of narrative elements, fragments and chapters
To successfully implement 9/11novels in EFL class, the student perspective and their questions should function as the guiding force and platform of interpretation Initiation of productive discussion
In this regard critical interpretive competence as well as intercultural communicative competence can be fortified