A Report on Teaching American Culture to College Students

教授大學生美國文化之報告

10.6372/JEFLL.200706.0114

戴桂芬(Kuei-Fen Tai)

美國文化 ； 道地素材 ； 大學英語教學 ； American Culture ； Authentic Materials ； College ESL/EFL Education

教育暨外國語文學報

5期（2007 / 06 / 01）

114 - 124

英文

在現在這個全球化的時代中，英語無疑地是全世界共通的溝通語言。如Hung在2002年所指出：「全球化乃爲美國文化的全球化」，又如Tang 1999年所稱：「語言和文化是緊密結合的」，因此，文化的課程，尤其是美國文化的介紹目前已在英語教學界逐漸受到重視。基於以上所述，本文作者開設了「美國文化與生活」這門課，先是在中華大學外文系開爲選修課，後是開在全校的通識英文，作爲學生們ESP課程中的一個選擇。 本篇文章的主旨爲報告「美國文化與生活」這門課的課程設計和學生對此課程的反應。內容希望能提供給英語教師們在教授文化課程時的一些參考。

In this era of globalization, English is unquestionably the dominant communication language all over the world. As Hung (2002, cited in Kuo 2004) has highlighted that ”globalization is the globalization of American culture” and as Tang suggested in 1999 that ”language and culture are inextricably linked”, the introduction of culture, especially the American culture, has been increasingly gaining importance in ESL/EFL education. Based on these notions, the present author has offered the course ”American Culture and Life Styles” first as an optional course for English majors and then as a choice of ESP courses for non-English majors in Chung Hua University. This paper is a report on the course design and students' reactions and reflections for the course. Findings are hoped to provide ESL/EFL teaching professionals some references when teaching the fifth important language skill, namely cultural understanding. Future research directions are suggested in the final part of the paper.

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