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Education
Restructuring English studies courses
LITTLE IS being done to restructure courses in literature studies, when there are heated discussions on the rewriting of histories, redrawing of geographical maps and boundaries and restructuring of science courses. The term `English' itself has undergone a sea change and has come to refer to many inter-related ideas such as language, literature, people and culture. There is a widening gap between the purposes of learning literature from self-discovery or personal development, to greater awareness of political, psychological and social issues of the past, present and future.
In the consumer-oriented society, where product is valued for the process of studying, the study of literature and interest in English language should provide a link to social and professional opportunities. As English is prodigiously and increasingly becoming a resource for multimedia, mass-communication, IT and business, it becomes imperative for educationists to restructure and elevate the pedagogic principles of English literature and language learning and teaching, and broaden the basis for inter-related and inter-disciplinary studies.
Awareness of social needs, personal growth and personality development of the learners are the prime concerns of the teacher. The principle of coherence has become the target of "English education," where the language itself is now bound together by time, space and people. More than a debate about the usefulness and values of literature courses as being "timeless'' and "universal'', the time has come to set literature courses in actual contexts of time and place.
The skills, methods, strategies and techniques should be used judiciously and relevantly. Traditional values of learning and using English for employment, vocational training, cannons of great works and dominant cultural identity should be combined with more progressive ideas of flexible use of language that takes into account multi-cultural, multi-dimensional and inter-disciplinary differences. A reformulation of literary, cultural, communicative and media studies has to be brought about in a post-colonial, post-modern world of blurring national and international boundaries, folk, popular and classical culture. The focus has to be on the plurality and flexibility of approach in English studies, where models and methods could be devised for specific situation and purposes.
Thus, apart from providing fundamental training in effective writing, speech and presentation, creative writing with a thrust on critical and "re-creative writing'' like translation, documentary writing, advertisement as also poetry, plays and novels should be effected. Theories, methodologies and materials should be carefully chosen by talented, hardworking, enterprising and culturally and technologically sensitive teachers of English, to meet the demands of the new generation learners. Integrated motivation which aims to use language as a part of culture and society should be combined with instrumental motivation of the learners. The aim should be to use language for specific, communicative purposes and literature for `humanising and `utility' purposes. The need for super structuring the basic pedagogic principles of teaching with new audio-visual, computer-based materials therefore becomes imminent.
An effective English studies programme with interesting subject matter should be integrated and assimilated with useful learning points. When the teaching materials and methods are flexible to suit the learner's differing needs and abilities, English studies classroom would have active, interested and motivated learners. The time has come for serious rethinking and reconstitution of English studies courses to meet the global challenges and changes.
V.R. Bhavani Shankari
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