Event

Passport or Excess Baggage? Current Concerns in Socio-Cultural Training

Thursday, November 27th, 2003, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Speaker: Simon Greenall

This talk will examine what and how to teach a socio-cultural syllabus strand in a multi-syllabus course design, and why. It will focus on socio-cultural training:

• at lower levels,
• in monocultural groups,
• to develop an awareness of the learner's own cultural identity.

Three types of topics will be covered:

1. Social conventions and rituals, such as forms of greeting, making introductions, personal space etc.
2. Customs and traditions, such as weddings, festivals, gift giving, dating customs, etc.
3. Attitudes and beliefs, such as superstition, networking, face, time etc.

The talk will suggest that socio-cultural training is not an optional extra, or excess baggage, but an essential component of a language course, and the passport to effective communication.

Organization: Okayama Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (Okayama JALT)

Cost: free

Venue: Okayama University, Department of Education

Location: Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Contact Okayama JALT

Scott Gardner