A CULTURAL MANUAL IN ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS FROM IRAN

摘要

This study incorporates the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) with the teaching of American culture, since linguistic knowledge alone is not sufficient to prepare non-natives for the many cultural differences they encounter upon arrival in the United States. It is designed for prospective Persian teachers of EFL at advanced levels in Iran, for teachers of EFL with a similar background, and for curriculum developers for whom it can serve as a guide for technique. It is also a base for the construction of additional units for the development of an extended curriculum.;The major emphasis is on showing the cultural component of the elements and the skills of language. The teaching of reading and writing to foreign students differs from the teaching of reading and writing to natives. The bases for this difference derive from the socio-cultural context within which the rhetoric of each group of people is embedded. Hence, contrastive rhetoric is one of the primary techniques of this study.;At the heart of the manual are selected articles written by Americans from different walks of life. The selections clearly reveal similarities and differences in American thought. Based on these readings, varied exercises are designed in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. The progression of these exercises is from simple to complex, concrete to abstract, specific to general, and controlled to independent and creative use of the written and spoken language.;The unifying theme of this study is "individual freedom" in the American culture as presented through the foundation of the "Role of Women" in American society. This theme is the main cultural organizing principle around which the manual is constructed.;Five separate units comprise this study, each presenting women in different roles. The units are divided into sections which include exercises and questions for the development of the operational skills and the elements of language. Throughout the manual, linguistic questions are used to help strengthen and clarify linguistic and lexical issues; non-linguistic questions cover four areas: direct reference, indirect reference, suppositional, and evaluation.