The Internship And The Final Project Education Essay Example
The Internship And The Final Project Education Essay Example

The Internship And The Final Project Education Essay Example

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  • Pages: 13 (3451 words)
  • Published: August 13, 2017
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Sections big and small in colleges and universities are reaching out to secondary schools to counter negative assumptions about disciplinary individuality and answerability. Many institutions are considering implementing plans that use language, thought, and content relation. Examples include the MLA Sessions on classes that use double text translations or evaluations of translations in their cultural context, using various media to teach culture, exploring new interdisciplinary programs, and incorporating textual dimensions into cultural studies through analyzing language's role in knowledge construction. Scholars with expertise in French intellectual history and culture, who also have a strong command of the French language, could provide a classroom discussion that better understands what is specifically French in the writings of these theorists. This aspect is often lost in translating their writings to Anglophone academic contexts. Additionally, foreign literature sch

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olars could contribute their expertise to world literature programs and postcolonial studies courses that are typically taught in English departments.

However, the opportunities for conversation with these scholars, which could lay the foundation for future exchanges, collaborative teaching projects, and interdepartmental class sharing, have never been officially or even informally initiated. As a result, any possibility for envisioning new forms in which cross-departmental collaboration could occur is effectively closed off. Finding innovative ways to establish these discussions and exchanges, where students can be exposed to a broader range of national, international, and multinational literary cultures, would greatly help in breaking down the barriers that have so far prevented this kind of dialogue from taking place. In SLA research, we have been relying on coauthorship for some time now. For example, in The Modern Language Journal, which I edited for 14 years, it i

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now more common to find joint authors or multiple-author teams rather than articles by individual authors.

The tendency of emphasizing a student-centered, communicative classroom environment in foreign language acquisition and teaching methods has gradually developed during my editorship, aligning with the growing interdisciplinary nature of research. Since the early 1980s, it has been recognized that students should be encouraged to explore the target language and its associated cultural phenomena in a meaningful way. In the field of foreign language acquisition theory and practice, traditional exercises focused solely on grammar and translation have become obsolete. Instead, the language classroom now provides a space where linguistic production is influenced by students' individual perspectives, which are shaped by their interpersonal interactions with others and exposure to different cultures (Lee and VanPatten 5).The sociocognitive position of second language acquisition is evident in reading research, which recognizes that each reader interprets a text differently based on their cultural background. The declining interest in literature classes can be attributed to its outdated reputation in today's fast-paced, consumer-driven world. As a result, many programs have reduced their literature offerings in favor of foreign language classes for specific purposes or have completely eliminated literature in favor of interdisciplinary cultural studies classes.

The individuality of literature as an outcast in the late 20th century is clearly shown in a rubric for a session at the 1998 ACTFL meeting titled "Alternatives to Literature: Multidisciplinary Language Courses for Changing Student Populations." The session aims to demonstrate how to plan language and culture classes that connect with various academic subjects for diverse student populations. The session highlights the importance of adhering to the Five Cs standards, engaging students through

relevant topics, developing professional communication skills, and encouraging students to enroll in traditional literature classes. The profession's restlessness has led to welcome initiatives by various literary studies associations to create dedicated sessions on literature instruction at their annual meetings. Personally, my own teaching has greatly benefited from discussions on teaching strategies and technologies organized by prominent organizations dedicated to seventeenth-century French literature in the United States, such as the North American Society for Seventeenth-Century French Literature, Society for Interdisciplinary French Seventeenth-Century Studies, and MLA Division of Seventeenth-Century French Literature.I want to acknowledge the debt I owe to my fellow dix-septiemistes, especially Deborah Steinberger, who delivered an excellent presentation on salon diversion at the 1997 meeting of the Society for Interdisciplinary French Seventeenth-Century Studies. In this paper, I aim to explore how the teaching of foreign language literature can incorporate the concepts of reader-response and sociolinguistic proficiency emphasized in the Standards. However, it is important to remember that the primary focus of study should always be on the literary text itself.

So many

In the multicultural land floor of foreign language sections, language study is gaining importance and keeping its own in the intellectual landscape of the arts. However, there seems to be a divide between fields such as literary and cultural studies, SLA research, and foreign language methodology. Is there a way to have a common conversation about language, literature, and culture? The interdisciplinary field of applied linguistics has been suggested as a way to find common ground. According to a Stanford proposal for a PhD in applied linguistics, this field examines language in relation to teaching, learning, translation, instruction, and language policies. Applied linguists aim

to bridge the gap between theory and practice in all aspects of everyday life where language is involved, including foreign language classrooms.The function of the subject is different from what was known as linguistics. Linguistics used to bridge the gap between linguistic communication and literature in scholarly exegesis, but the subject serves a different purpose in this regard.

In foreign language instruction, applied linguists not only develop SLA theories and design pedagogical practices but also investigate how students acquire a foreign language and make it their own. How do students progress from learning the grammar and vocabulary rules in the textbook to achieving fluency in real-life communication? How do they apply stylistic and literary analysis to understand their own written works? How do they relate their knowledge of a foreign culture to understanding their own culture? Academic challenges arise when bridging theory and practice. Discussing concepts like hybridity, heteroglossia, transitional surfaces, boundaries, and multilingualism is considered scholarly, but implementing these theories in practice is not. Applied linguistics examines and theorizes the boundaries in its research agenda, but in practice, students must experience the boundary before they can reflect on it. Methodological challenges arise when crossing disciplinary research approaches. Interdisciplinary research comes with costs in terms of complexity and the establishment of legitimate areas of knowledge.

The extent to which literary scholars can utilize various disciplinary discourses outside the humanities, like the social sciences, and the extent to which social scientists can incorporate discourses from the humanities is a topic of concern. Increasing the diversity of knowledge sources necessitates the multicultural academic openness demonstrated by graduate students mentioned earlier in this paper. Language departments face pressure from college

decision-makers and curriculum committees to allocate their human resources, typically junior faculty members, to a multitude of inter- and cross-disciplinary programs such as freshman seminars, writing-intensive seminars, arts core courses, women's or gender studies, comparative literature programs, international studies, etc. Colleagues are either enthusiastic about embracing these interdisciplinary opportunities (preferring to teach a literary studies seminar over Russian 101) or actively avoid them (happily teaching multiple courses on 18th-century French drama). Navigating between these conflicting curriculum expectations is akin to walking through a minefield.Add that some of these plans not only consume faculty resources but also large budgets, and it is easy to understand why colleagues are not eager to become chairs of foreign language departments. Many of these changes may be easier to implement at Middlebury, where foreign language study is seamlessly integrated into the overall curriculum and there is support for interdisciplinary projects that involve foreign language faculty. However, I am confident that even in places with more rigid disciplinary boundaries than Middlebury, colleagues from other fields will appreciate demonstrated interest in participating in interdisciplinary projects related to global or intercultural studies.

Prioritizing linguistic communication communication demands and strategies to engage and retain students is contingent upon establishing a presence in the curriculum. The current stage of interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative curriculum design provides an opportunity to regain lost ground by demonstrating to colleagues and students that foreign language departments possess local knowledge and cultural expertise, thereby offering valuable insights to avoid expensive cross-cultural mistakes. The authoritative narrative on foreign cultures is authored by foreign language departments, not in English. By reclaiming the cultural expertise that we have relinquished to other areas of the

curriculum, foreign language departments nationwide can help prevent a global freeze and other bleak scenarios. Once we have moved away from the historical period standard and embraced various models associated with the broader field of cultural studies, where canonized and non-canonical literature could play a pivotal role, where should we turn? There is certainly no shortage of examples of new "routing mechanisms" to enrich French and Francophone culture. In my department, for instance, the specialist in eighteenth-century literature teaches a course that analyzes the heterotaxy of eighteenth-century novels to twentieth-century film.Our cinema specialist offers a class that examines the work of francophone movie directors in comparison to their French counterparts on the Continent.

Two of our twentieth-century specializers have created an interdisciplinary program called Normandy Scholars. This program involves faculty members from the fields of history, political science, and sociology. Normandy Scholars focuses on studying World War II, including its precipitating events and lasting effects, as well as its "culture." The program is highly organized and includes a comprehensive semester-long curriculum followed by a three-week study tour of Normandy. Asian American literature combines history, politics, and literature to explore changing group and individual identities. Topics covered include aesthetics, colonialism, immigration, transnationalism, globalization, gender, and sexuality. The program also examines how the transition from the Middle Ages to the early modern world, along with advancements in mathematical understanding and science, challenged previous notions of space, art forms, selfhood, politics, divinity, and the physical universe at the dawn of the modern era.

The text showcases various interdisciplinary approaches to reading texts, including the works of Aristotle, Dante, Chaucer (specifically Canterbury Tales), Christine de Pizan (Letters of Columbus), Machiavelli (The

Prince), Luther, Montaigne, Marlowe (Doctor Faustus), Wroth, Galileo, Donne, and Shakespeare (specifically Othello). It also mentions the significance of art and music in this context. Additionally, graphic novels are highlighted as an interdisciplinary medium. The text further explores the evolution, implications, signifier, conventions, possibilities, and future of the graphic novel genre. It emphasizes the collaborative nature of creating a graphic novel through the participation of authors, illustrators, and designers. The prerequisite for this study is obtaining the teacher's consent.

In addition to focusing on close reading, different methods of instruction can be utilized. These methods can include presentations on specific topics given by experts in various fields of study. The presentations could be delivered by one person or by a group of lecturers, depending on the amount of time available and the different perspectives that can be studied. The success of this approach relies on being open to new approaches. To further enhance learning, feedback from students can be collected through various forms such as scholarly writing or creative journalism (26).

In this pattern, a parallel survey can be made between the high and "uncultivated civilization produced by the web of different manners of composing in the emerging capitalist market place". As Leavis described it, a true literary interest involves man, society, and civilization, without restrictive boundaries.

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching Literature

There are numerous programs in universities (such as Stanford University) that offer interdisciplinary classes to interested students, including those not majoring in literature but pursuing other fields in the arts. These courses are considered essential for literature students, aligning with their personal lives and intellectual goals.

In these classes, the focus is on a loosely defined literary

subject, period, genre, subject, or job with an interdisciplinary plan of classes relevant to that inquiry. These interdisciplinary fields can be chosen from among anthropology, arts, classics, comparative literature, European or other literature, feminist studies, history, modern thought and literature, philosophy, political science, and African American studies which should primarily focus on the class chosen by the students. Throughout the class, the students must hand out interdisciplinary papers as well. To understand what is meant by the term, one should go back to the root 'discipline' in the first place and the special perspectives towards it which has resulted in the emergence of 'interdisciplinarity.'

According to Michel Foucault, disciplines are constructed by restricting knowledge, defining boundaries, and controlling speech. These restrictions only allow certain speakers to communicate certain ideas in specific contexts (Scullion). However, the boundaries imposed by various subjects cannot align with the postmodern/poststructuralist nature of knowledge in today's scientific realm. F.R. Leavis contends that the central issue with the modern university mirrors a societal problem: the division of labor into separate units within a technological and Benthamite culture (qtd.).

According to Moran (28), various scientific fields such as biochemistry, nanotechnology, medical technology, and geophysical sciences have shown to be more accepting and open to interdisciplinary approaches compared to the humanities. This lack of interest in the humanities has been attributed to the tendency of humanities practitioners to preserve their idiosyncrasies. However, this trend has also made its way into the world of humanities since the post-War era.

Originally, the fields of Foucault and Bourdieu provided the basis for interdisciplinary studies. Nowadays, various subjects such as anthropology, literature and literary theories, sociology, depth psychology, historiography, linguistics and

semiologies, human ecology, political relations and cultural studies, and film studies have come together to create a network of subjects. This network allows for a better understanding of different topics from various perspectives. Lacan's contributions to post-Freudian psychology were influenced by Claude Levi-Strauss's anthropological theories, which were in turn influenced by Saussure's linguistic theories. Roland Barthes extended his semiotic analysis to cultural and political theories. It is well-known that film and the film industry have been greatly influenced by literature, especially through adaptations of literary works. The semiotic theories of scholars like Christian Metz also originated from this connection. Derrida argues that the basis of interdisciplinarity is the concept of 'gift', which allows for a departure from strict economic reasoning and traditional economism (Derrida in Wortham).

The complex and intellectual nature of gift (especially in the fields of or related to humanities) results in the violation of traditional disciplinary boundaries and the merging of different forms of reasoning. This merging, known as "a force that a critical discourse of civilization would look to consequence as a status of its response (to the call of the gift)"* (same source), is particularly prevalent in cultural studies. Among all these disciplines, literary theorists appreciate cultural studies as an interdisciplinary field because it can incorporate distinct aspects of real life that are shaped and supported by cultural concerns and beliefs. As a result, cultural studies will be examined in greater detail compared to the other disciplines mentioned.

* (ibid.) - It is referring to the aforementioned source

Literature and Law

The need for interdisciplinarity between literature and law is evident, as literary texts have long been included

in libraries alongside books on jurisprudence. Dunlop introduces the concepts of "Law in Literature" and "Law as Literature". The former involves analyzing fictional portrayals of the legal system across various literary genres, with notable authors such as Shakespeare, Kafka, Camus, Dickens, and Melville being frequently found in law libraries. The latter, on the other hand, draws insights from literary criticism and theory to aid in the interpretation and understanding of legal texts, particularly judicial decisions (Dunlop).

Many authors, starting from Aeschylus, have examined the topic in a way that changes the reader's perspective on the parties involved in legal cases. For example, Dickens' Bleak House sheds light on the issue of Chancery jury members being a major problem in the 19th century court system. Orwell's 1984 depicts a dystopian image of a legal system without law, echoing Kafka's portrayal of an eternal and futile process in his work "Before the Law." The scene involving Portia's legal argument in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice is fascinating to both law and literature students. Incorporating literary texts into the study of law challenges the "reason and rule of law," as focusing solely on rule-bound boundaries neglects certain aspects of life (ibid.).

What remains as a job lies in the command of the 2nd subject.

Literature and Medicine

Medical impressions have appeared in literary plants since the clip of Homer. Shelly's Frankenstein, Huxley's Brave New World, Camus's Plague, Perkins's The Yellow Wallpaper, and Kasey's One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest are few illustrations of the kind. It is believed that such scientific issues in literary plants are to the benefit of both English, and scientific discipline pupils, assisting them have a better apprehension of the

up-to-date issues of the twenty-first century. One Flew over Cuckoo's Nest was published in the clip "when diabolic causing ('The Satan made me make it') could no longer explicate deviant behavior of psychotic patients"; neither could moral motions command the environment (Stripling).

The text discusses a power battle between the staff and patients in a mental institution. The film depicted different treatments for patients, such as talk therapy and drugs, which replaced electroconvulsive therapy. This ultimately decreased hospitalization rates for those deemed abnormal. Additionally, the connection between literature and music has been recognized since ancient times. The uncertainty associated with music is now considered part of language.

Wittgenstein argues that understanding a sentence is more similar to understanding a subject in music than one might think. This implies that the significance of music is primarily a cultural matter. Peter Dayan also highlights the crucial role of music in Derrida's theory of textuality, serving as the perfect metaphor for his concept of the original unknowable 'trace'. Some areas of interest include approaches to word and song, music and text in ritual context, and musical narratives. A notable example is the interdisciplinary study of Milton's Samson Agonistes and Handel's cantata Samson, which provides a platform for learning about literary and musical genres, the Biblical tradition, performance, audience response, and more.

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Drawbacks

After all, there are significant and inevitable concerns that prevent interdisciplinarity from being fully embraced. These include the challenge of determining who has authority to speak on a particular subject, the difficulty of language barriers in foreign language and literature departments (which aim to prioritize linguistic and cultural authenticity), where to position interdisciplinary studies in the curriculum, and limited funding

allocated to non-disciplinary matters. Stanley Fish refers to this as the "War on higher education." Other scholars, such as Henry Higgins, view the growing trend of interdisciplinarity as a consequence of consumerism and argue that it will ultimately diminish the value of "good" literature (Bloom qtd.)

In McCarthy's opinion, it is necessary to fully understand literature in order to release the spirit. He warns against underestimating its importance, despite the challenges posed by consumerism, philistinism, and the entertainment industry (McCarthy).

Interdisciplinary Future

Despite resistance, the advantages of interdisciplinary studies outweigh the drawbacks. This approach encourages collaboration among faculty members and helps students broaden their understanding of the world beyond their own majors.

Furthermore, it is determined that the current era necessitates the interdisciplinarity of seemingly opposing fields of thought and practice, regardless of their advantages or disadvantages.

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