Res. Assist. Burcu KOÇ

The present course aims to teach the students how to relate the two independent braches, namely literature and language teaching, to each other by manifesting the commonalities, presenting the methods and approaches along with their assumptions, asking them to have a critical look at practice samples, and requiring them to test the theory through micro teachings they are supposed to coduct at regular intervals. Throughout the semester, it has been manifested and proved that literary pieces can be an effective source of language teaching to appeal to diverse groups of learners with different levels and needs by showing the primary features of various genres and supporting the view that literature is a significant contributor to raising language awareness. The validity of distinctive approaches to using literature in the process has been questioned through an analysis of their foregrounding assumptions. Towards the end of the semester, the students are expected to appreciate the value of literature in the domain of language teaching, comprehend the characteristics that serve multiple purposes of language learning and teching, functionalize the theory by testing it through practice, and develop a fresh view of language teaching by means of literature.

ELT305 is designed to raise an awareness of various approaches to the integration of literary texts into EFL/ESL contexts. The course departs from a close analysis of different definitions of the term “literature,” moves on to an exploration of the preliminary terms, notions and concepts, and turns to a discussion of the pros and cons of utilizing literature for the purpose of teaching language. The process encourages you to debunk the myth that defines the language of literature as “literary,” an adjective which divorces the language of literature from other uses –particularly from everyday language- and definitely it invites you to rebut the misconception that the language barrier in the literary materials makes it accessible only to the advanced learners. Through an examination of numerous teaching activities to be conducted at all levels and first-hand experiences you gain by means of micro-teachings, you construct a new understanding of not only “literary language” but also the place of literature in the field of ELT.
Following the presentation of the introductory remarks, the course focuses on each genre separately and introduces its distinctive features in terms of language uses. As you further you sharpen your wits and become favorably disposed towards making use of literary pieces in the field since you will definitely appreciate that they present authentic uses of the language, a blend of various registers on a single tissue, certain deviations from the formal use of English and many sorts of second-hand experiences which generate enthusiasm and motivation for learning the language.