Rethinking Literature Courses with Difference: Teaching English Literature in Taiwan

Abstract

Although research and criticisms of English literature has been flourishing in Taiwan over the decades, very little effort has been made to reflect on the values, goals, and pedagogy of the literature courses offered to English majors. The renewed emphasis on research as a major criterion in faculty assessment further removes the literature faculty from the concerns of teaching. Moreover, the increasing demands of language courses for practical purposes in recent years leads to the overemphasis on English departments as language-training centers and further marginalization of literature courses and literary studies. It is therefore imperative to reassess the underlying assumptions of English literature curriculum, redefine its objectives, and modify our teaching strategies accordingly. This paper argues that teaching English literature in a non-English culture, such as in Taiwan, readily involves a comparative perspective. Bringing the awareness of difference to the fore in the classroom will enable students to better appreciate foreignness in the English texts while making connections with their own cultural experience. To manifest cultural difference(s) in a literature classroom, this paper explores several pedagogical possibilities: cultural analogy & comparison, translating & translations, personal journal & online discussion forum, and impersonation & adaptation.