Departmental Colloquium, 2 nd in the series "How Language and Literature Are Related."

Location: French House, 633 N. Frances St

INFO Regarding the event: Please note the reports mentioned are attached.

How Literature and Language are Related

The Foreign Language and Higher Education:  New Structures for
a Changed World" (2007) and the MLA Report to the Teagle Foundation
on the Undergraduate Major in Language and Literature (2009) have
stressed that the role of literature needs to be emphasized in the
study of language and that language should continue to be taught in
literature courses.  That is, language and literature courses need to
be brought more closely together.

These two reports may be found at:

http://www.mla.org/fireport and
http://www.mla.org/teaglereport_page

The study of works of literature in their original language can
aid in language acquisition and cultural literacy, as well as enhance
analytical skills through critical reading and thinking, and
synthesizing complex ideas skills at the core of a liberal arts
education. Teaching literary works also leads students to understand
that meanings are not one-to-one correspondences between word and
thing,  or between a word in the target language and another in the
student's native language.  Becoming aware of figurative meanings, the
multiple interpretations of statements, or the appreciation of the
sounds of sentences helps students use the target language more
meaningfully.  It also leads them to abandon a superficial
understanding of the culture(s) in which that language is used. ?

How can we demystify a prejudice that considers language and
literature as separate spheres?  Can a language  literature divide be
overcome by focusing, in all courses, on developing critical thinking,
on creating courses around functional language structures, and by
promoting enjoyment through study?  How can these ideals be pursued in
all levels of language and literature teaching?

A panel of two graduate students and two professors will discuss
these issues.  Each speaker will end their 10-minute presentation with
a question directed to the audience, so that after the four
presentations audience members can ask questions or express their
opinions during an open discussion period lasting 45 minutes.

Presenters: Isabella Drewellow, Sandra Simmons, Professor Sally Magnan, Professor Steven Winspur

Sandra Simmons: First, I will summarize the findings in the "Report to the Teagle Foundation on the Undergraduate Major in Language and Literature". Then, I will demonstrate how using a short poem with undergraduates can benefit both their learning and enjoyment of language.

Steven Winspur: After mentioning that language and literature courses in French have been closely linked in the dept. during the past three decades, I will offer some thoughts on why teaching communication skills in a target language closely resembles the teaching of literature.  Techniques used in the latter type of teaching enhance those used in the former.

Bios:

Isabelle Drewelow has a PhD in Second Language Acquisition with a specialization in French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is currently  a lecturer in French at UW-Madison.

Sandra Simmons is a doctoral candidate in French and is currently teaching an undergraduate course called Introduction to Literary Analysis.

Sally Magnan is Professor of French; Director, Language Institute; and Co-Chair, Doctoral Program in Second Language Acquisition.  She has served on several national task forces about departments structures for language teaching and TA development.

Professor Steven Winspur has taught French language and literature in the Department of French and Italian since 1989.  Currently a professor of French, his most recent book is entitled “La Poesie du lieu : Segalen, Thoreau, Guillevic, Ponge” (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2006).