Joshua Alma Enslen University of Georgia - Department of Romance Languages |
Teaching Philosophy As João Guimarães Rosa depicts the epic battles of outlaws populating his amorphous and mythical Grande sertão: veredas, the Brazilian hinterland is transformed from a national geographic reality into a metaphor for the entire world: “O sertão é do tamanho do mundo.” The wars waged between Rosa's outlaws in his fictional sertão parallel not only the historical battles between law and lawlessness that have taken place in the real sertão, but also, on a philosophical plane, project the conflicts each of us may encounter at the borders of self and other. For this reason, just as the question of Riobaldo's identity is central to an understanding of Guimarães Rosa’s novel, cross-cultural dialogue through the study of language and literature is helpful to students as they endeavor to define their own identities and veredas. My main objective in the classroom is to engender communication between students, cultures, languages and literatures. One of the first Portuguese verbs I teach in the classroom is the verb ser which translated means "to be." As students discover how being in Brazil, Portugal, Lusophone Africa or East Timor may signify something different from what being means in their own culture and language, an understanding of who você é ("you are") becomes for them directly related to an understanding of who eu sou ("I am"). Whether linguistic, literary and/or cultural, dialogue should be an important component of each class and assignment. As we perform activities in each of the four areas of foreign language learning -- writing, reading, listening and speaking -- even the very basic levels of foreign language instruction can incorporate the study of literature and culture. In their assignments, I ask students to ponder questions which can provoke meaningful comparisons and relationships between theirs and other cultures, as they complete compositions and group projects in the target language centered on historical and geopolitical research, readings of Luso-Brazilian literature and/or viewings of foreign films. I also often require students to present situational dialogues, engaging one another in settings in which to discuss topics apropos of their personal and cultural experiences. Creating a dynamic learning environment in which all elements of communication are equally stressed requires engaging students in various types of communication. In connection with dialogue, the use of music and media, LCD technology, and the good old-fashioned pen and paper, help to transform the classroom into a dynamic learning environment. The study of foreign languages and literatures prompts students to place their own concepts of self within a more global context,helping them to better understanding themselves while learning to better understand others. Throught the study of Portuguese and Lusophone literature, students may not only enrich their own lives, but may also be guided towards choosing a career path that will promote, in a communal sense, greater understanding, independent of the area in which they may ultimately choose to work. |
