The television and internet, which enables permanent access to television shows, are two of the most popular media of our millennium and, thus, play a significant part in people´s private life as well as in the occupational area. Thus, a transition of industrial society into an information society has been fulfilled since the end of the 1960s and includes a digitalized and interconnected world for the greatest extend. Those changes affect the whole everyday reality; an increasing number of all ages spend their time in front of monitors inside a virtual reality.
The kind of learning has changed as well. For the young generation – the so called “digital natives” – the constant networking and opportunity of gaining knowledge easily became obvious. The digital learners should not “consume” rehashed knowledge anymore but need to be able to have the ability to use available knowledge and information, screen those usefully and thus, reach efficient learning outcomes. Hence, media literacy becomes a key qualification to participate in the information society.
The combination of both, the television as a part of our lives and new digital learning, enables absorption and participation in foreign cultures, values and perceptions by the digital learners. Especially American lifestyle is influencing us in our everyday life. We see films and series from America and we use American products; but students are not always aware of how they adapt to the American lifestyle through watching American films or series. “The Big Bang Theory” is a good example of how the Americans and foreigners who live in America present themselves and how we get prejudices against other cultures with different cultural background which are presented in episodes of the series.
In the course of lifelong learning and concomitant increasing compulsion to flexibility of learning, series as a form of e-learning can represent an efficient media to realize a new culture of teaching and learning about cultures. By considering the aspects of education and intercultural learning written in the scholastic standards, it is necessary to examine the series “The Big Bang Theory” concerning its features and potentials, possible applications in the English foreign language classroom.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. New Media in the English Foreign Language Classroom
3. Teaching about Stereotypes
4. Using TV Series in the EFLC
4.1 Benefits of Teaching TV-Series
4.1.1 Intercultural Communicative Competence
4.1.2 Text- and Media Literacy
4.1.3 Language Awareness
4.2 Challenges of TV-Series
4.3 Cultural Awareness through TV Series as a Key Competency
5. Teaching with “The Big Bang Theory”
5.1 Didactic Analysis – The Pilot
5.2 Didactic Analysis – The Maternal Capacitance and The Plimpton Stimulation – Gendering, Intelligence and Sexuality
5.3 Teaching Unit
5.3.1 The First Double Lesson
5.3.2 Second Double Lesson
5.3.3 Third Double Lesson
5.3.4 Fourth Double Lesson
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This work explores the pedagogical potential of using the popular television series "The Big Bang Theory" to promote intercultural communicative competence in an English foreign language classroom. The central research objective is to examine how authentic media can be utilized to identify, analyze, and counter social stereotypes, ultimately fostering a more nuanced understanding of foreign cultures among 12th-grade students.
- Integration of Web 2.0 and modern media in foreign language education.
- Development of intercultural communicative competence through critical analysis of character interactions.
- Pedagogical approaches to teaching about stereotypes and challenging gender-intelligence constructs.
- Practical implementation of a thematic teaching unit based on media literacy and critical perspective-taking.
Excerpt from the Book
5.2 Didactic Analysis – The Maternal Capacitance and The Plimpton Stimulation – Gendering, Intelligence and Sexuality
Intelligence is gendered masculine, and in popular thinking intelligent people often are male. Television representations of intelligence reinforce this gendering, and they reduce these intelligent characters to traits such as possessing multiple degrees, sprouting facts, pursuing scientific interests, highlighting their photographic, and overall acting socially awkward. Other characters affirm their intelligence through observations, admiration, and other comments. The sitcom The Big Bang Theory features both male and female characters who exhibit high intelligence and scientific accomplishment, which suggests the possibility for challenging these gendered constructions. One minor characters — Dr. Beverly Hofstadter demonstrates the extremes in these constructions, and their representations raise some further questions about gender, intelligence, and sexuality.
She wears business suits in muted colours and glasses, and she wears her hair in a demure style. She makes analytical statements, exhibits emotional detachment, and shows sexual repression. She speaks in a clinical way. In “The Maternal Capacitance,” for example, she casually tells Leonard about her carpal tunnel surgery, her divorcing Leonard’s father, and their dog dying, yet she fails to comprehend why Leonard gets so upset about these pieces of news. She says, “Excuse me, Leonard, I am the one getting a divorce, Mitzy is the one who is dead, why are you the one making a fuss?” Her detachment from the emotions and from her son shows her inability to connect with others on those levels (The Big Bang Theory 2007 – 2016: S02E15 10:08).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter highlights the relevance of digital media and television in modern life and argues for the necessity of integrating these tools into the foreign language classroom to foster media literacy and intercultural dialogue.
2. New Media in the English Foreign Language Classroom: The chapter explores the evolution of learning tools in the 21st century, focusing on the role of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and the necessity for educators to guide "digital natives."
3. Teaching about Stereotypes: This section defines stereotypes as mental representations and discusses the pedagogical importance of helping students identify and problematize them to facilitate interaction with other cultures.
4. Using TV Series in the EFLC: The chapter examines the specific benefits and challenges of teaching with TV series, emphasizing skills like intercultural communicative competence, language awareness, and media literacy.
5. Teaching with “The Big Bang Theory”: This core chapter provides a detailed didactic analysis of specific series episodes and outlines a structured, four-part teaching unit designed for 12th-grade students.
6. Conclusion: The concluding chapter summarizes the importance of fusing traditional pedagogy with web-based methods to cultivate responsible, interculturally aware learners in a media-influenced world.
Keywords
English Foreign Language Classroom, Web 2.0, Intercultural Communicative Competence, The Big Bang Theory, Stereotypes, Media Literacy, Didactic Analysis, Language Awareness, Digital Natives, Cultural Awareness, Gender Construction, EFL Pedagogy, Social Competence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
The work focuses on integrating popular media, specifically the TV series "The Big Bang Theory," into the English Foreign Language Classroom to develop students' intercultural competence and critical thinking regarding social stereotypes.
What are the central thematic areas?
The central themes include digital media literacy, the pedagogical function of television series in education, the deconstruction of stereotypes, and the analysis of gender and intelligence in media representations.
What is the core research objective?
The objective is to provide a theoretical and practical framework for using "The Big Bang Theory" to help 12th-grade students recognize, question, and overcome stereotypical thinking in an intercultural context.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The work utilizes a combination of pedagogical research, didactic analysis of television narrative structures, and the application of Michael Byram’s model of Intercultural Communicative Competence.
What content is covered in the main section?
The main section covers the theoretical justification for using new media in classrooms, a detailed didactic breakdown of specific series episodes (Pilot, Maternal Capacitance, and Plimpton Stimulation), and a comprehensive lesson plan.
How would you describe the key characteristics of this study?
The study is characterized by its focus on modern, authentic learning materials, a strong emphasis on social and media competence, and a practical approach for implementing these themes in high-school education.
Why is "The Big Bang Theory" considered a suitable subject for this analysis?
The series is chosen for its realistic language usage, diverse characters who represent various cultural and social backgrounds, and its ability to engage students through themes that resonate with their everyday lives.
What specific roles do the characters play in the proposed teaching unit?
Students are asked to analyze specific characters in groups to uncover stereotypical behaviors and traits, which serves as a starting point for discussions on individual perception and societal prejudice.
- Quote paper
- Olesja Yaniv (Author), 2016, Teaching "The Big Bang Theory". Countering Stereotypes about Foreign Cultures by Using TV Series as Part of Web 2.0 Cultures in the EFLC, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/341364
