Perspektiven Fremdsprachendidaktischer Forschung - Detailseite

In class we will explore the role whiteness plays in teaching in the EFL-classroom. This exploration will be part of a broader reflection of the categories race and class in the context of teaching English as a foreign language and teachers’ professionalization.

We will discuss seminal texts from critical whiteness theory by thinkers such as Richard Dyer and bell hooks. Primary sources such as the film Get Out (2017) will help us grasp the concepts discussed there. We will apply these readings to discussing in which ways whiteness is manifested and negotiated in the German EFL-classroom and reflect our own roles as teachers.

We will experiment with strategies of decentering whiteness in the classroom and devise our own set of actionables to contribute to an inclusive learning experience.

Participants will be expected to do extensive reading, group work and small presentations. The MAP (Modulabschlussprüfung) for this seminar will be a short term paper.

Notes: This class is open to all eligible students and particularly suitable for students who wish to explore and critically reflect their position as white teachers.

References:

• Dyer, Richard. “On the Matter of Whiteness.” White. New York: Routledge, 2005. 1-40.
• bell hooks. “Representations of Whiteness in the Black Imagination.” Black Looks: Race and Representation. New York and London: Routledge, 2015. 165-78