There are a lot of authentic materials available for the Korean students to learn English in the Korean society these days. Students can improve their English if they are motivated to learn English even though they do not go to the English speaking countries. The best of way to learn the foreign language is to live and study in the target country. Many Korean students go to the English speaking countries to improve their English. Studying in the English speaking countries is helpful to understand the foreign culture and language. However, it is too expensive for the most of the students. Even thought they do not go to the English speaking countries, diligent students use the English learning environment.
영미문화 제7권 1호(2007 30) 한국영미문화학회 123-141 Understanding Western Culture Through 1) Films* Eun-mi Seo Ⅰ Introduction There are a lot of authentic materials available for the Korean students to learn English in the Korean society these days Students can improve their English if they are motivated to learn English even though they not go to the English speaking countries The best of way to learn the foreign language is to live and study in the target country Many Korean students go to the English speaking countries to improve their English Studying in the English speaking countries is helpful to understand the foreign culture and language However, it is too expensive for the most of the students Even thought they not go to the English speaking countries, diligent students use the English learning environment Various English programs on TV or on radio are available for the students who are motivated to learn English If they use these programs, they can accomplish their goal which is to improve English proficiency Authentic materials such as English newspapers and movies will help the students There are many students who used movies to improve their English Some students watched same movies several times whenever they have time and they acquired * This paper was conducted by the 2006 Howon University Research Grant 124 Eun-mi Seo fluent English proficiency Movies reflect English which people use in the daily life situations and at the same time, people can have vicarious experience Students There are a lot of advantages using movies Movies reflect the culture of the target countries There is a close relationship between language and culture For example, Korean language reflects Korean culture which emphasizes on respecting senior citizens and the importance of intimate family relationship That is the reason why foreigners need to understand honorific expressions when they learn a Korean language English is different from Korean language since the western culture is a lot different from the Korean culture It is important to understand the history and culture of other countries for the people because we live in the global society By watching movies, students can be motived to research about history or culture of other countries Kilickaya (2004), “cultural content is a key to effective teaching and learning a language.” Teachers can create well balanced syllabus which will help students in the non-threatening environment In this paper, the researcher is going to suggest effective ways to use movies in the EFL classroom The researcher has been using different movies in the class to motivate students The students were enthusiastic to learn the history and culture other countries and at the same time they were motivated to learn English When the students use movies as a tool of learning English, that is the most effective way According to Stempleski & Tomalin (2001), movies shows the various life styles and students can have vicarious experiences Motives provide the opportunity for students to discuss a lot of topics so that movies can be excellent authentic materials which can be used in the classroom Students can learn expressions at the different situations which are more Understanding Western Culture Through Films 125 specific situations For example, if they want learn expressions about the court, they can watch movies which show the court scene If they want to learn scientific expression, they can watch movies such as Star Wars or The Matrix etc To use movies in the classroom, teachers should have prepared throughly The teachers’ role is the most important factor to lead successful classroom Teachers need to create non-threatening atmosphere which will make students feel comfortable When students have low affective filter, they can learn better In this way, students will have more confidence Students can download scripts in the internet free of charge which is also advantage using movies When students read the movie scripts after they watch movies, they can understand the content of the movies better They also can learn different expressions by reading scripts Teachers can use integrated approach using movies and students can improve four language skills at the same time Ⅱ Literature-Based and Content-Based Instruction When students use language as a tool to learn specific contents, they can learn the foreign language effectively It is a contentbased language instruction Most Korean students try to memorize the idiomatic expressions mechanically or grammatical rules out of the context Even though they memorize the sentences, they are frustrated when they not know how to put them in the context Understanding content helps to acquire the language Content based instruction is very ideal since students can learn the foreign language and the content at the same time When students have enough knowledge about different topics, they can understand content easily even though the language is difficult The more 126 Eun-mi Seo information they have about the world, the better they can command a foreign language It is related to the schema theory which explains the importance of the background knowledge about the world in learning foreign languages By using films or videos in the classroom, teachers can provide the a lot of useful contents to the students When students have read well-known literature in their mother tongue, they may understand the content well even though it is written in English There are good quality movies which are based on well known literature Richard-Amato (1996) suggests that literature helps students to acquire the foreign language The various characters in the literature experience conflicts and adventure and the readers can learn from the literature Whenever the students use the well-known literature as a tool, they can learn the foreign language effectively Collie & Slater (1987) suggest the advantages of using literature in the language classroom Literature will be helpful to the students in terms of cultural enrichment, language enrichment, and personal involvement They introduce different methods and activities using literature in the language classroom Lazar (1993) examined the reasons why teachers use literature The reasons are the following: motivating material, access to cultural background, encouraging language acquisition, expanding students’ language awareness, developing students’ interpretative abilities and educating the whole person Ⅲ Related Literature The researcher is going to review some related literature regarding using movies in the EFL classroom There are researches conducted using various movies to help students in the EFL context Understanding Western Culture Through Films 127 Various movies can be used to motivate students in the Korean classroom Choi, & You (2004) observed the possibilities for English education through movies They found out that structures and grammatical elements were considerably basic They concluded that English education through movies would be feasible in the Korean context Kim (2003) says that teachers should choose movies based on the students’ interest Kim suggests that teachers have to use movies and scripts as many as possible Eken1 (2003) used film You’ve got Mail in the English classroom as a film workshop format Ekenl found out that stuents gained confidence in speaking in front of an audience and they have improved their presentation skill Ryan (1999) used the same movies different ways in the basic English class At first, students who were in the beginner’s level watched movies with subtitles and then they watched without subtitles Students were supposed to choose the most impressive scene and they did a role play Ryan said that students were able to improve English proficiency Scacco (2007) used To Kill a Mocking Bird which is the well-known novel written by Harper Lee Harper Lee wrote a semi-autobiographical novel of her small town Southern life This movie deals with the racial conflicts and prejudice, violence, moral tolerance and dignified courage in 1930s’ The college students in Morocco were highly motivated to learn the language and the historical background through this film Scacco used three activities such as pre-watching activity, while watching and post-watching activity Scacco also used the internet activity after post-watching activity Heffeman (2005) used movie trailers in the internet Watching a whole movie takes time in the classroom Movie trailers are short but contain all the important information about the film Students can learn useful expressions even in the trailers which are available in the 128 Eun-mi Seo internet The internet provides a lot of educational resources Students can expect satisfactory outcome through film trailers According to Bicknell (1999), when teachers use film trailers, students can improve four language skills Students can watch trailers in the internet several times since they are short and attracts attention Cummins (1998) argues that students can learn useful English expressions through computer There are message board and chat room or e-mail among the web-based activities Healy (2000) also suggests that students can have immediate communication through web-based activities There are a lot of advantages using computer activities since even shy students can participate in the web-based activities (Warschauer 1997) Ⅳ Understand Western Culture Via Films In this section, the researcher is going to suggest some movies which teachers can use in the classroom The researcher has been using films for several semesters To use films, the researcher provided the questions about the movies Students were supposed to research about the questions since the researcher put the questions in the online classroom Students have enough information about the movies before they watch movies In the classroom, the researcher elicited students’ response and lead the discussion session Korean students not like to talk about their opinion but when they have something to share, they did not hesitate to present their opinion The following activities are recommended to use when the teachers use films in the classroom Pre-watching activity * Provide the background information about the movie Upload in Understanding Western Culture Through Films 129 the online classroom before students attend the class * Encourage students to watch trailer to get glimpse of the movie before they attend the class * Let the students download film script in the internet to study important expressions While-watching activity * Let the students watch the movies with Korean subtitle * Provide discussion topics and let them think about while they are watching movies Post-watching activity * Discuss the main characters in the film Through the adventure or experience of the main characters, students may have vicarious experience They can learn valuable lessons which they can apply in the real life situations * Try to discuss symbols in the specific movies * If the movie contains well-known songs, try to sing together Songs can motivate students to study English in the nonthreatening atmosphere Music reduces anxiety and inhibition in second-language students Furthermore it is a great motivator in that its lyrics are often fraught with meaningful input Music can break down barriers among those who share its rhythms and meaning Its unifying effect can extend across time, nations, races and individuals When a song is presented in class, it is usually a good idea to let the students just listen to the song first as it is played on the CD Then hand out the words and play the song again The third time the song is played, the students will no doubt sing along with you and the recording (Richard-Amato, 1996:162) Eun-mi Seo 130 The researcher has used four different movies in the first semester, 2007 This is the tentative schedule which can be changed depending upon the students’ interest The researcher chose movies which reflect culture and history of the western countries There are also various films dealing with the Asian countries or African countries but western films were more accessible in the Korean context It will be ideal to discuss with the students when choosing films but because of the time factor, the researcher chose by herself The four movies are the following: 1) The Wizard of Oz 2) Pride and Prejudice 3) Les Miserable 4) Amadeus These movies can be summarized in the following table Table Films used in this study Title Setting Background Author Genre The Wizard of Oz Pride and Prejudice Les Miserable England 18th C Jane Austin Drama France 19th C Victor Hugo Drama/ Musical Amadeus Austria 18th C US 19th Century Frank Baum Musical/ Drama Drama/Music 4.1 The Wizard of Oz The Wizard of Oz was written by Frank Baum The Wizard of Oz’ is not only the children’s literature but also adults enjoy reading this novel There are a lot of symbols which are related Understanding Western Culture Through Films 131 with the political situation in America in 19th century Studying about important quotations in this movie “It’s a twister! It is a twister.” “Toto, I’ve a feeling we are not in Kansas anymore We must be over the rainbow.” “morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably, and reliably dead!” “I keep forgetting I am not in Kansas any more.” “My! People come and go so quickly here!”1) “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.”2) “We are off to see the Wizard.” “Do you think if I went with you, this Wizard would me some brains?” Discussion topics 1) What are the main characters names in this movie? 2) The four main characters want to achieve their goals by visiting the Emerald city where the great Wizard lives What are those goals? 3) Who is the writer of “The Wizard of Oz”? 4) What is the most famous song in this movie? Try to learn by heart this song 5) Try to memorize the famous quotes in this movie What is the advantages of memorizing these famous lines? Have you heard about these lines? 6) Write down what you have learned through this movie (Free 1) Dorothy was surprised by the Munchkins who were very short compared to the other people She saw them for the first time They lived in the Munchkin land 2) “The Wizard of Oz symbolizes the populist movement in the late 19th century Dorothy was to follow yellow brick road which symbolizes the gold standard People in the Emerald City were forced to look at everything through green glasses”(Hansen, 2002) Greenback symbolizes American dollars Eun-mi Seo 132 writing which students are supposed to write whatever comes to their mind) 7) What is the name of Dorothy’s dog? 8) With whom did Dorothy live with in Kansas? 9) What you think about The Wizard of Oz who lives in the Emerald city? Do you think he has a great power? 10) Write down the friendship between the main characters in this movie Sing along “Over the Rainbow” “Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high There’s a land that I’ve heard of, once in a lullaby Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue And the dreams that you dare to dream Really come true some day I’ll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far behind me Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That’s where you’ll find me Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly Birds fly over the rainbow Why they, oh why, can’t I? If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow” 4.2 Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice is written by British novelist Jane Austin (1775-1817)) It is one of the most famous novel in 18th century Understanding Western Culture Through Films 133 Jane Austin also wrote “Sense and Sensibility” and “Emma” In the novel “Pride and Prejudice, ”readers can understand the courtship between young lovers Studying about important quotations in this novel “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; “You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me.” Discussion topics 1) Where is the setting of this movie? 2) Who is the author of the novel Pride and Prejudice? 3) How many daughters does Mr Bennet have? Who is his favoriate daughter? 4) Mr Darcy represents “Pride” in this movie Write down your opinion about Mr Darcy 5) Miss Elizabeth Bennet happened to have prejudice about Mr Fitzwilliams Darcy Why does she have prejudice about Mr Darcy? When does she begin to love Mr Darcy and why? 6) Write down about Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s characters 7) Mrs Bennet has five daughters What is Mrs Bennets’ ultimate goal to pursue her daughters’ happiness? 8) What is the relationship between Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy 9) What is the relationship between Jane Bennet and Mr Charles Bingley? 10) What is the reason why does Mr Darcy did not like Mr Eun-mi Seo 134 Bingley get married to Jane Bennet? 11) Who is Mr Collins? Why did he visit Mr Bennet’s house? Write down your opinion about his character 12) Why does Mr Darcy hate Mr Wickham? What kind of personality does Mr Wickham have? 13) What is the relationship between Lady Catherine and Mr Darcy? 14) What is the most impressive scene in this movie? 15) Do you think young people might have the possiblity to have pride and prejudice in the human relationship? 4.3 Les Miserable Les Miserable was written by Victor Hugo and it portrays the historical background in 19th century in France There was a big gap between the rich and the poor in the French society Discussion topics 1) Who is the author of this novel? 2) What is the background of this novel? 3) What is the name of the main character in this movie and what was the reason why the main character had to go to the prison? How long did he stay in the prison? 4) What is his number in prison? 5) What made him to be a innocent person? 6) What is another novel written by the same author? 7) What is the name of the person who chases the main character until he suicides? What you think about him? 8) Write down the main characters in this movie and write down their characters Understanding Western Culture Through Films 135 9) What kinds of lessons can you learn in this movie? 10) This novel was made into musical Try to listen to the famous songs and learn by heart the famous songs Sing along Here is one famous song from the musical version Les Miserable It is a song about revolution of the French students against the emperor To use the song in the classroom, students will listen to the song and figure out what is the situation in this song Then the teacher should distribute the handout and ask the students to fill in the blanks while they are listening to the song “Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of _ men? It is the _ of a people who will not be again! When the beating of your Echoes the beating of the _ There is a life about to start when comes! Will you join in our _? Who will be strong and stand with me? Beyond the Is there a world you long to see? Then join in the that will give you the right to be Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of _ men? It is the _ of a people who will not be again! When the beating of your Echoes the beating of the There is a life about to start when comes! Eun-mi Seo 136 Will you give all you can give So that our _ may advance Some will fall and some will _ Will you stand up and take your ? The of the martyrs Will _ the meadows of France! Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of _ men? It is the _ of a people who will not be again! When the beating of your Echoes the beating of the _ There is a life about to start when comes!” 4.4 Amadeus This movie is about a genius musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Salieri envies Mozart since he cannot compete with Mozart even though he tries his best Salieri thinks God gave Mozart magnificent talent That is the reason why Salieri hates Mozart and tries to revenge all his life He does not understand why God loves Mozart even though Mozart is not humble person Through this movie, students can learn about the historical background in Austria and the world of musicians in 18th century Discussion topics 1) Where is the capital city in Austria? 2) What are the famous works by Mozart? 3) What is the relationship between Salieri and Mozart? 4) What is the meaning of requiem? 5) What you think about Mozart who represents genius? Understanding Western Culture Through Films 137 6) What you think about Salieri who represents ordinary people? Can you understand why Salieri envies Mozart? What would you if you are in Salieri’s shoes? Important quotes “From now on we are enemies, You and I Because You choose for Your instrument a boastful, lustful, smutty, infantile boy and give me for reward only the ability to recognize the incarnation Because You are unjust, unfair, unkind, I will block You, I swear it I will hinder and harm Your creature on earth as far as I am able.” Ⅴ Conclusion and Implication Movies can be used an excellent tool to improve students’ English There are various genres in movies Students can learn valuable lessons through movies since they reflect some aspects of human life The advantages of using films are that students can watch the same movies several times Film trailers are also can be used in the classroom since they are short to watch and study English expressions In this research, the researcher showed how to use films in the EFL classroom She chose four western movies which reflect the historical background and cultural aspects These films will help students to understand western culture and history As long as the students have interest in the culture and history, they will be motivated to learn English It is recommended that teachers need to prepare for the classes thoroughly if they are going to use films in the classroom It is also recommended that more teachers use the good quality films which have valuable educational effects In further study, the researcher is going to evaluate students’ responses regarding the Eun-mi Seo 138 effects of using films This paper is work in progress There are a lot of factors to be considered to implement methods how to use films in the classroom (Howon University) Works Cited Kim, S Y “How to Make Lesson Plan with Movie; Nothing Hill.” STEM Journal 4.2: (2003): 85-100 Choi, Y J & You, M K “English Education Via Movies.” STEM Journal 4.1 (2004): 199-221 Baum, L F The Wizard of Oz New York North-South Books 2003 Bicknell, J “Promoting Writing and Computer Literacy Skill Through Student Authored Webpages.” TESOL Journal (1999): 20-26 Collie, Joanne & Slater, Stephen Literature in the Language Classroom Cambridge University Press 2003 Cummins, J “E-lective Language Learning: Design of a Computer-Assisted Text-based ESL/EFL Learning System.” TESOL Journal, 7.3 (1998): 18-21 Ekenl, A N “You’ve Got Mail: A Film Workshop.” ELT Journal 57.1 (2003): 51-59 Kilickaya, F Authentic Materials and Cultural Content in EFL Classrooms The Internet TESL Journal 10 (2004) (Web Journal: http://itseli.org/Techniques/Kilickaya-AuthenticMaterial.html) Hansen, Bradley A “The Fable of the Allegory: The Wizard of Oz in Economics.” Journal of Economic Education (2002): 254-264 Healy D “Computer technology: Is it worthwhile in TESOL?” TESOL Journal 9.1 (2000): 44-45 Heffernan, Neil “Watching Movie Trailers in the ESL Class.” The Internet TESL Journal 11 (2005) (Web Journal: http://itselj.org/Articles/Heffernan-Movie.html) Understanding Western Culture Through Films 139 Lazar, Gillian Literature and Language Teaching Cambridge University Press 1993 Liversidge, G “What Do EFL Students See in Introductory Sequences of Movies.” The Internet TESL Journal 6.3 (2000) (Web Journal: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Liversidege-Video.html) Rha, Kyeong-Hee “Literature-Based Instruction: The Role of Children’s Literature in Teaching of Reading.” English Language & Literature Teaching (2002): 55-68 Richard-Amato, P.A Making It Happen: Interaction in the Second Language Classroom Longman, 1996 Ryan, Stephen “Using Films to Develop Learner Motivation.” The Internet TESL Journal (1999) (Web Journal: http://itselj.org/Articles/Ryan-Films.html) Scacco, John Beyond Film: Exploring the Content of Movies English Teaching Forum 45.1 (2007): 10-15 Stempleski, Susan & Tomalin, Barry Film Oxford University Press 2001 Bassnett, Susan & Grundy, Peter Language Through Literature Longman 1993 Warschauer, M “Comparing face-to-face and electronic discussion in the second language classroom.” CALICO Journal 13 & (1997): 7-25, http://www.teachwithmovies.org/samples/wizard-of-oz.html#benefits http://www.filmsite.org/wiza2.html http://www.greatestfilms.org http://www.filmsite.org/toki.html 140 Eun-mi Seo Abstract Understanding Western Culture Through Films Eun-mi Seo (Howon University) This study is to investigate the advantages of using different movies in the EFL classroom Korean students have all different kinds of input to learn English in the daily life situations There are various English TV programs and radio programs, DVD movies are available in the library Using different movies is one of the authentic ways to learn language and culture of the other countries Movies can be used an excellent tool to improve students’ English There are various genres in movies Students can learn valuable lessons through movies since they reflect some aspects of human life The advantages of using films are that students can watch the same movies several times Film trailers are also can be used in the classroom since they are short to watch and study English expressions Language and culture is closely related Students can learn useful expressions and valuable lessons about the various types of life through watching movies from the other foreign countries Movies are authentic materials which can be used as a tool of learning English in the EFL contexts When teachers use movies in the classroom, students may have low affective filter which will help them to learn better English More teachers are recommended to use western films as a way of understand of the western culture and language In further study, the researcher is going to evaluate Understanding Western Culture Through Films 141 students’ responses regarding the effects of using films Key words : culture, movies, low affective filter, authentic materials