The Teaching of ESL/EFL Literature at the Undergraduate Level: Quo Vadis
Keywords:
Literature Curriculum, Literary Competence, ESL/EFL ClassroomAbstract
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of past practices and current status with regard to the teaching of English literature at the undergraduate level, especially to Literature major students. It is argued that there has been very little change in the ways in which English literature has been presented to ESL/EFL students and their learning assessed. Teachers have been largely using the transmission mode to provide a biographical account of the writer and explicate the texts, even dictating notes to students. As such, students have not been involved in the process of grappling with the texts on their own. The paper establishes the urgent need for re-examining the situation and suggests future directions for the whole exercise to become relevant and meaningful to students as well as teachers.
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