The level of tolerance towards all types of Otherness has increased during the past years, there is still discrimination against anything other than heterosexuality. Especially in schools, sexual and gender differences are seldom addressed and if, they are presented as deviant sexual behaviour. Teachers often lack professional competences and they even resist to address LGBTQ issues. As a consequence, homophobia and heterosexism are present in many classrooms which can affect both learning and teaching negatively.
The problem of heterosexism is also related to the foreign language classroom. Both in coursebooks as well as in literature students are often confronted with heteronormative representations and characters. Placing emphasis on this problem, I will take the LGBTQ-themed young adult novel Will Grayson Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green into consideration and aim to prove that this novel is a good way to challenge students believes and perspectives about sexual and gender differences and to counter and normalize homophobia in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. To achieve this goal, I have organized my term paper into three main sections, each having two subsections.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Dealing with Otherness and Queer Perspectives in the EFL Classroom
2.1. Queer Theory in Foreign Language Teaching
2.2. LGBTQ-Themed Young Adult Literature in the EFL Classroom
3. David Levithan's and John Green's Will Grayson Will Grayson – Queer Potential?
3.1. The Characters
3.2. Teaching Implications
4. Applying Will Grayson Will Grayson to the EFL Classroom
4.1. Fremdverstehen through Creative Methods
4.2. Possible Tasks
5. Conclusion
6. List of Works Cited
Objectives and Core Themes
This paper examines how the young adult novel "Will Grayson Will Grayson" can be utilized in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom to challenge heteronormative perspectives, normalize LGBTQ identities, and combat homophobia through the application of creative, learner-centered teaching methods.
- Theoretical foundations of Queer Theory and its role in foreign language teaching.
- Evaluation of LGBTQ-themed young adult literature as a pedagogical resource.
- Analysis of character representations and their "queer potential" within the novel.
- Implementation of the "Fremdverstehen" concept using creative teaching tasks.
- Development of pre-, while-, and post-reading activities to promote intercultural awareness.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. The Characters
After having outlined the main theoretical framework of queer perspectives in the EFL classroom, I will now take David Levithan's and John Green's young adult novel Will Grayson Will Grayson into consideration and analyse how LGBTQ topics and characters are presented and dealt with in this novel. To begin with, I present the main characters, with special consideration of their attitudes towards sexuality, in order to then, analyse in how far they are appropriate to be used in the EFL classroom.
The first protagonist is Will Grayson. He is a calm and inconspicuous teenager who goes to a high school in Chicago. He dotes on a girl named Jane and he is the only straight member of the Gay-Straight Alliance at his high school (Levithan & Green 2010, 42-43) Will Grayson's best friend is named Tiny Cooper who is overtly homosexual. Although Will Grayson is completely heterosexual he accepts and loves Tiny and doesn't care that he is gay. He calls him his best friend, hangs around with him, helps him through all of his troubles and does not treat him like an 'Other' (Levithan & Green 3-4).
will grayson is a teenager from Naperville, who seems alone and depressed (Levithan & Green 2010, 22). He is homosexual and in love with a boy named Isaac whom he only knows from the internet (Levithan & Green 2010, 37). During the story, it turns out that Isaac was made up by will grayson's friend Maura (Levithan & Green 2010, 119-120). Throughout the novel it seems that will grayson is struggling with the fact that he is homosexual.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction outlines the persistence of homophobia in schools and proposes the novel "Will Grayson Will Grayson" as a tool for challenging heteronormativity in the EFL classroom.
2. Dealing with Otherness and Queer Perspectives in the EFL Classroom: This chapter establishes the theoretical groundwork by defining Queer Theory and discussing the role and criteria for selecting LGBTQ-themed young adult literature.
3. David Levithan's and John Green's Will Grayson Will Grayson – Queer Potential?: This section provides an analysis of the novel's characters, examining their identities and suitability for educational discourse.
4. Applying Will Grayson Will Grayson to the EFL Classroom: This chapter introduces the concept of "Fremdverstehen" and details practical, creative teaching tasks for different reading phases.
5. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the potential of the novel for the classroom and reflects on the necessity of including diverse representations of LGBTQ characters.
6. List of Works Cited: This section lists all academic sources and literature referenced throughout the term paper.
Key Terms
LGBTQ, Will Grayson Will Grayson, EFL classroom, Homophobia, Queer Theory, Heteronormativity, Fremdverstehen, Young Adult Literature, Otherness, Intercultural Learning, Identity, Coming-out, Creative Methods, Marginalization, Diversity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on using LGBTQ-themed young adult literature, specifically the novel "Will Grayson Will Grayson," to address sexual and gender diversity in the English as a Foreign Language classroom.
Which theoretical frameworks are used?
The author primarily draws on Queer Theory and the concept of "Fremdverstehen" (intercultural understanding) to analyze how literature can facilitate perspective-taking among students.
What is the core objective of the research?
The main goal is to demonstrate that reading the chosen novel can help students challenge their own heteronormative assumptions and actively combat homophobia.
Which teaching methodology is recommended?
The author advocates for a process-oriented approach utilizing creative methods, such as hypothetical character analysis and role-play, to foster empathy and critical reflection.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body analyzes the novel's characters—Will Grayson, will grayson, and Tiny Cooper—within the context of established heuristic models for LGBTQ literature.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include LGBTQ, EFL classroom, Queer Theory, homophobia, Fremdverstehen, and young adult literature.
Why are there two characters named Will Grayson?
The novel features two distinct protagonists with the same name, which the author differentiates by capitalization ("Will Grayson" vs. "will grayson") to reflect their different narrative paths and identities.
How does the author categorize the novel's LGBTQ content?
The paper classifies the novel according to Cart and Jenkins' heuristic model, noting that it contains elements of "queer consciousness/community," "gay assimilation," and "homosexual visibility."
What critique does the author offer at the end of the paper?
The author notes that while the novel is a valuable teaching tool, it lacks diversity in terms of transgender characters or LGBTQ characters of color, which would be important for a more comprehensive approach.
- Quote paper
- Inga Schräder (Author), 2018, LGBTQ-Themed Fiction in the EFL Classroom. The Young Adult Novel "Will Grayson Will Grayson" by John Green, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/437499
