This paper will investigate the advantages and difficulties of teaching International Studies in English from a Vietnamese teacher’s perspective. To do so, the paper will firstly present an overview on International Studies, then point out the factors that have impacts on teaching this major course in English, and then move on to the major advantages of teaching IS in English.
Chi n l c ngo i ng xu th h i nh p Tháng 11/2014 ĐÀO TẠO QUỐC TẾ HỌC BẰNG TIẾNG ANH: QUAN ĐIỂM CỦA GIẢNG VIÊN Lê H i Trường Đại học Hà Nội Tóm t t: Giảng dạy môn chuyên ngành Khả tiếp cận nguồn tài liệu, giáo trình tiếng Anh xu hướng trường ñại học tiếng Anh đơi cịn hạn chế điều kiện sở vật Việt Nam thời gian gần Trong xu đó, chất thư viện; Đòi hỏi sinh viên phải nỗ lực nhiều Quốc tế học, mơn học đa ngành, giảng ñể hiểu sâu, hiểu kỹ học Trên sở ñó, dạy tiếng Anh số trường ñại học Việt viết ñưa ñề xuất nhằm nâng cao hiệu giảng Nam thập niên vừa qua Tuy nhiên, Việt Nam dạy học tập Quốc tế học tiếng Anh Việt nay, chưa có nhiều cơng trình nghiên cứu đánh Nam, cụ thể bao gồm: Chuẩn bị tốt kỹ tiếng Anh giá thuận lợi khó khăn việc giảng dạy chuyên cho sinh viên trước bước vào học chuyên ngành; ngành tiếng Anh nói chung giảng dạy Quốc tế Thường xuyên nâng cao lực tiếng Anh cho giáo học tiếng Anh nói riêng Bài viết nỗ lực bước viên; Cải thiện hệ thống thư viện, tài liệu, sở vật ñầu giảng viên trực tiếp giảng dạy môn chất cho sinh viên giáo viên; Chuẩn bị cho sinh viên thuộc chuyên ngành Quốc tế tiếng Anh nhằm kỹ để làm quen với hình thức học tập đánh giá thuận lợi khó khăn việc giảng giảng dạy (khác với cách học tiếng Việt); dạy chuyên ngành tiếng Anh so với phương Đẩy mạnh hợp tác quốc tế, giúp giáo viên sinh viên pháp giảng dạy truyền thống tiếng Việt Bài viết có điều kiện giao lưu, cập nhật bổ sung kiến thức bắt ñầu việc cung cấp nhìn tổng quan chuyên mơn trình độ tiếng Anh, theo kịp với tiêu chuyên ngành Quốc tế học gì, thường bao gồm chuẩn quốc tế khu vực môn học nào, quan niệm nước Anh, Abstract: Teaching major courses in English is a Mỹ, Úc, Singapore chuyên ngành này, xu new trend in Vietnamese universities and this has việc giảng dạy học tập chuyên ngành many advantages as well as difficulties over the giới Trước phân tích thuận lợi khó khăn traditional way of teaching and learning in Vietnamese việc giảng dạy chuyên ngành Quốc tế học mother tongue International Studies (IS), an inter- tiếng Anh, viết nêu nhân tố có ảnh disciplinary major course, has been delivered in hưởng tới việc giảng dạy môn chuyên ngành English at some universities in Vietnam over the last tiếng Anh nói chung Bài viết thuận lợi decade, but there is still lack of research to evaluate việc giảng dạy chuyên ngành Quốc tế học the program of teaching this major course in English tiếng Anh bao gồm: Có nhiều tài liệu tham khảo This paper will investigate the advantages and cho giáo viên sinh viên; Giúp khơi dậy phát huy suy nghĩ ñộc lập tư phản biện cho sinh viên; Nâng cao lực tiếng Anh cho giáo viên sinh viên; Khả cập nhật kiến thức nhanh chóng, hiệu dễ dàng hơn; Tạo điều kiện thuận lợi cho chương trình hợp tác quốc tế Sau đó, viết khó khăn việc giảng dạy difficulties of teaching International Studies in English from a Vietnamese teacher’s perspective To so, the paper will firstly present an overview on International Studies, then point out the factors that have impacts on teaching this major course in English, and then move on to the major advantages of teaching IS in English The paper also discusses the difficulties that teachers may encounter when delivering the subjects of IS in chuyên ngành Quốc tế học tiếng Anh bao gồm: English Việc giảng dạy tiếng Anh địi hỏi khả sử recommendations to improve the quality of teaching dụng tiếng Anh tốt giáo viên sinh viên; major courses in English in Vietnamese universities From that, the paper will make 329 Ti u ban 2: Đào t o chuyên ngành b ng ngo i ng TEACHING INTERNATIONAL STUDIES IN ENGLISH: A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE Overview on International Studies The term “International Studies” can be considered as “the contemporary and historical understanding of global societies, cultures, languages and systems of government and of the complex relationships between them that shape the world we live in’ International Studies also refers to the specific university degrees and courses which relates to the study of the major political, economic, social, and cultural issues in international arena? International Studies, as a field of studies, is closely related to International Relations (IR); however, International Relations focus more directly on the relationship between and among countries, whereas International Studies can encompass “all phenomena which are globally oriented” The discipline of International Studies shares its history with the discipline of International Relations, which enjoy its surge after the World War I, when academics around the world, fed up with fighting, tried to look for way to promote peace in international arena However, in 20th century when the world became increasingly complex and globalization got its momentum, International Studies gradually emerged as a separate entity A big development of the study of International Studies is the establishment of the International Studies Association in 1959 by a group of academics and practitioners’ with the aim of ‘seeking to pursue mutual interests in world affairs through the organization of a professional association’2 institutions which promote International Studies The Centre for Strategic & International Studies is a foreign policy think tank founded in 1962, which “has become one of the world’s preeminent international policy institutions focused on defense and security; regional stability; and transnational challenges ranging from energy and climate to global development and economic integration” The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University “is a university-wide research and education institution at Stanford devoted to understanding the problems, policies, and processes that cross international borders and affect lives around the world”4 In the United Kingdom, International Studies is often related to or attached to the study in International Relations At the University of Oxford, the Centre for International Studies "exists to promote and advance research in International Relations" In Australia, the study of the International Studies discipline occurs mostly within universities and generally approaches the subject as a holistic study of international affairs and phenomena The two most popular units offered in International Studies are ‘Global issues and conflicts’ and ‘International Relations’ In Singapore, The S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nangyang Technological University states clearly its mission: i) Provide a rigorous professional graduate education with a strong practical emphasis; ii) Conduct policy-relevant research in In the United States, there exist a number of Flinders University (2010) Bachelor of International Studies View 17/10/2014 at http://www.flinders.edu.au/courses/undergrad/bis/ International Studies Association.(2010) History and Purpose Viewed 17/10/2014 < http://www.isanet.org/history_purpose/2007/12/historyof-isa.html 330 Centre for Strategic and International Studies, viewed at 22/10/2014 http://csis.org/about-us Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University Viewed 22/10/2014 http://fsi.stanford.edu/ Centre for International Studies, University of Oxford Viewed 22/10/2014 http://cis.politics.ox.ac.uk/about/index.asp Chi n l c ngo i ng xu th h i nh p Tháng 11/2014 defence, national security, international relations, strategic studies and diplomacy; iii) Foster a global network of like-minded professional schools6 The advantage and difficulties of teaching International Studies in English over the traditional way of teaching and learning this major in Vietnamese In Vietnam, the Faculty of International Studies, Hanoi University has four main specializations: International Economics; International Relations; Development Studies and Public Management At the University of Social Sciences & Humanities, Faculty of International Studies offered three specializations: International Relations, European Studies, and American Studies with such subjects as Theory and History of International Relations; Area studies; International laws; International Economics… 2.1 Factors that influence on teaching major courses in English Recently, many education institutions worldwide developed International Studies degrees both undergraduate and postgraduate as these institutions understand that the discipline is becoming increasingly relevant and necessary in the context of the 21st century Justification for the popularity of the degree in international studies is the increasing demand for understanding of international phenomena and issues in the employment market Under the degree of International Studies, a very broad range of subjects are offered However, some areas of study which are regularly offered include: the political, social, economic and cultural relationships within the international system; foreign policy, diplomacy and other modes of interaction between the countries of the world; the significance of foreign societies, cultures and systems of government; the international movement of people as immigrants, refugees, workers, students, tourists and investors; the role of international organizations; the globalization of the world economy; foreign languages; history S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nangyang Technological University, viewed 22/10/2014 at http://www.rsis.edu.sg/aboutrsis/introduction/#.VEe85_nF_Ls In Vietnam, at the beginning of 21st century, after nearly 20 years of renovation, Vietnamese foreign relations were highly promoted and Vietnam is integrated more comprehensively in the region as well as the world In that context, education has been one of the most prominent areas of international cooperation Each year, the number of Vietnamese students goes to study abroad is increasing At the same time, more and more foreign universities and education institutions come into Vietnam to seek opportunities for cooperation and investment Realising the potential of international cooperation and integration, many universities in Vietnam launched programs to teach major courses in English and Hanoi University is one of them Now this becomes a popular trend in Vietnamese education and more and more universities implement these programs of teaching major courses in English However, there are still lack of research on the advantages and difficulties of teaching and learning major course sin English for Vietnamese lecturers and students One of the researches is of Professor Nguyen Van Toan, from Hue University on “The capability and measures to teaching major courses in foreign languages” In his research, professor Nguyen Van Toan points out the factors that influence the teaching and learning major course in English To understand about the advantages and disadvantages of teaching International Studies in English, we should first put it in context of teaching major courses in English and understand the factors that influence on this new way of teaching and learning in Vietnam 331 Ti u ban 2: Đào t o chuyên ngành b ng ngo i ng According to Nguyen Van Toan’s research, the English ability of teachers, the English ability of learners, the education programs, the textbooks and other reading materials, and the education environments are the main factors that influence teaching and learning major courses in English While the general of context of politics, legal mechanism, education regulations and the ability to adaptation of learners are less important So that, the research draws conclusions that universities specifically and education institutions generally should focus on preparation of English capability for teachers and more importantly for learners Besides, the program developments, preparation of textbooks and reading materials and facilities to teach are also very important to the quality of teaching and learning in foreign languages At the same time, students should also be prepared for the adaptation to new way of learning and encouraged to participate in learning major courses in foreign languages 2.2 The advantages of teaching IS in English * Teaching IS in English have more sources of reference/reading materials One of the most prominent advantages of teaching major course in English generally and teaching IS in English specifically is that it has more sources of reference than traditional way of teaching in mother tongue In any subject, reading materials play extremely important role in the quality of teaching and learning One cannot say that he or she can teach well without reading materials With various sources of references in English, teacher can have more information, thus he or she can make the lecture more interesting Nowadays, a large percentage of human Vietnam Institute of Education Science (2014) The capability and measures to teaching major courses in foreign languages Viewed 18/10/2014 at http://vnies.edu.vn/detail-thread-view-1-25-281_khanang-va-bien-phap-thuc-hien-giang-day-chuyen-monbang-ngoai-ngu.html 332 knowledge is stored in English, so having access to English sources of reference means that access to a large storage of human knowledge One can argue that teaching major courses in Vietnamese we can still access to English reading materials as long as teacher have high level of English Yes, that is true However, in classes teaching in Vietnamese, the motivation for reference in English is usually low Teachers may assign reading materials in English, but students generally prefer to read in their mother tongue more Not to mention that in class taught in Vietnamese, English level of student is usually not enough to read and understand in English Not only the reading materials in English are more abundant, but also the slides and other audio-visual materials in English are also more widely available than in Vietnamese Nowadays, using slides in teaching and learning at university level is very popular In internet, there are sites that slides of famous lecturers all over the world are shared They are good sources for lecturers to refer to while preparing their lectures Also, using audio-visual method in teaching makes lectures more interesting Teaching international studies is teaching about global phenomena and issues In the internet, there are documentaries, short movie clips about issues in the world and of course, these documentaries are widely in English So if we teach in English, we can make use of these great sources of slides shares and audio-visual materials in English which are not often available in Vietnamese More sources of references are important to a multi-disciplinary subject such as International Studies International Studies relates to other fields of studies such as history, philosophy, laws, culture studies…To have good lecture in International Studies, lecturers need to prepare well by reading wide range of literature At the same time, for a student in IS to understand well, Chi n l c ngo i ng xu th h i nh p he or she also needs to read more widely So widely available sources of references and reading materials are important to the quality of teaching and learning IS at university * Teaching IS in English encourages students’ critical thinking Critical thinking is very important to any student and it needs to be nurtured and encouraged At high school level, the most important objective for Vietnamese students arguably is to be able to get in to university Due to this way of thinking, students at high school focus most of their time and resources to learn what they are assigned and there is little room for questioning, for critical thinking At university level, students should be encouraged to develop critical thinking, which enable students to think and act independently in their real life Teaching major courses in English is very good way to inspire student’s critical thinking Students, learning in English, will be required to read the writings of many authors with different perspectives As reading materials in English are more widely available, students can access to more reading resources When reading materials from various perspectives, students expose themselves to various arguments on one issue At first they would find it is difficult to ascertain whose arguments are “right” and “wrong” But then gradually, their critical thinking skills are developed, they can think independently and then put forward their own arguments Thus, students can learn the arguments of different authors and find whose is more persuasive * Teaching IS in English helps to improve the English skills of learners as well as lecturers Learning IS in English would help students to master both their general English and their English for specialization They can improve all four skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking Especially, right after the period of learning general English, students have their Tháng 11/2014 chance to learn their specialized major in English, so they will think in English, learn and understand all the new concepts of their majors in English This will make their English more natural, just like native English speakers And also it will be easier for students to communicate, discuss and make arguments about their specialized major in English When the students, having learnt their specialized major courses in English, go to study abroad, it will be easier for them to get used to the new environments For example, there are many students from Faculty of International Studies, Hanoi University participating in exchange programs with foreign university partners, where they learn just one semester there, but the students can adapt to the new academic environment very quickly * Teaching IS in English would help to update knowledge quicker and easier International studies involves the study about global issues and phenomena, thus the knowledge on this subject needs to be updated constantly Everyday, event stakes place all over the world, these events can be the subject of study for the course of international study A majority of information about these developments is in English With a huge amount of knowledge in English, lecturers and students can update their knowledge more easily It is easier to find information in English than in any other languages Moreover, when teaching and learning IS in English, both students and lecturers need to have a substantial level of English And with their constant exposure to English, they are used to getting information in English So with their ability to understand global issues and phenomena in English languages, it would help them to update their knowledge constantly * Teaching IS in English creates favourable condition for international cooperation English is the most popular language in the world nowadays Not only universities in English 333 Ti u ban 2: Đào t o chuyên ngành b ng ngo i ng speaking countries teach in English, but also universities from countries where English is not the mother tongue teach major courses in English as well In the circle of academics now, it is hard to imagine that a lecturer at university level in any country does not know English All the subjects of the major international studies are delivered in English at Faculty of International Studies, Hanoi University The Faculty has syllabus of all the subjects in English This is very helpful in promoting international cooperation program of the faculty A foreign university partner can look at the faculty’s curriculum and they will understand what subjects are taught and generally how it is taught at the faculty 2.3 The difficulties of teaching International Studies in English * Teaching IS in English requires high level of English from both teachers and learners International Studies is an inter-disciplinary course It needs wide range of knowledge in such fields as history, laws, economic, culture… Thus it is a difficult specialization even if it is taught in Vietnamese To teach and learn IS in English, it requires a high proficiency of English The teachers must be able to explain complex terms, concept, and new ideas to students in English In the field of international studies there are many abstract theoretical concepts, and it is a hard job to explain to students these concepts in English This not only requires good knowledge but also good English skills as teachers have to explain a completely new concept to Vietnamese students, whose mother tongue is not English On the other hand, to learn International Studies in English, students need to have a good level of English Students need to equip themselves with English language skills and also a good background of general knowledge The English ability of both teachers and learners are critical to learning and teaching international studies in English And 334 these two conditions go hand in hand with each other, if lacking either of them, the job of teaching and learning major courses in English cannot be completed Moreover, lacking competent English from either teachers or learners would make the lecture less interesting When a teacher cannot explain to his or her students a new concept or students cannot understand what their teacher say, the lecture will be very boring In this situation, there cannot be a productive lecture * Lack of textbook, reading materials and other facilities Although International Studies literature in English is abundant, however, it does not mean that we can have access to any sources Many sources are barred by copy right, we can only have access to them if we are authorized by authors There are many interesting journals, but we cannot have access to them if we not have authorization Even though the materials we can have access to, it does not mean that we can use it in whatever way we want We must use the materials according to the regulation of copy right If we are not aware of the issue of copy right, when facing with huge amount of literature in English, we might risk to violate copy right In many Vietnamese universities, there are still not enough books, journals in English for students in the major of International Studies to refer to Students usually get their textbooks copied by teachers to read as books in library are not enough in number Also the facilities to access various sources of International Studies are not properly The ratio of computer per students is still low * Students need more effort to understand lecture In comparison with the traditional way of teaching and learning major courses in Vietnamese, teaching IS in English requires more effort from students to understand It is easier forstudents to understand lecture in Vietnamese, so with lecture in English, students must make Chi n l c ngo i ng xu th h i nh p more effort to understand clearly Students need to prepare their reading before going to class so that theyknow what they will be delivered at the class, this would help them to understand the lecture better Students are also required more time to read the literature, to learn about new words and familiarize themselves with the new concepts If students are not hard working, the lecture will not be productive The quality of the lecture thus is low So, to implement the teaching IS in English, students need to be prepared for their attitude of learning, they must work harder Recommendations - Prepare English skills for students before entering the major courses English skills of students play a critical role in generating productive learning and teaching of major courses in English If they are lack of English capability, they cannot understand lectures well Thus, there should be a strategy to prepare students with English capability before they enter the major courses The test of English for students should not only focus on general English but also on preparation of English for specialization Before going into major courses, students must have sufficient level of English to learn major courses in English - Teachers should continuously improve their English skills To teach IS in English, teachers not only need to update their knowledge of international studies, but also need to continuously improve their English skills Students need to have good English to read the materials and understand the lectures Teachers need to have good English to teach, make the lectures easier to understand for students If lacking English capability, teachers Tháng 11/2014 cannot transfer their knowledge to their students Thus, to improve the quality of teaching and learning major courses in English, teachers first need to improve their English - Improve library, make more books, journals, reading materials and other facilities available for students As I mention before, having access to rich sources of reference are very important for teaching and learning IS in English and improving student’s critical thinking There is huge literature of International Studies on Internet, but students cannot access whatever they want, many sources are barred by copy right Thus, education institutions should provide their students with amore variety of sources, so that they can develop their arguments betters Also, to access the sources in English, students need better facilities as well - Get students used to new ways of learning Students should be prepared to learn in new ways, not like the traditional way of teaching and learning in Vietnamese To learn major courses in English, students should be more active so that they can find the needed sources of information themselves Students should understand new ways of learning to make full use of the wide resources of references in English to enhance the quality of their learning - Promote international cooperation so that teachers have more chance to meet with colleagues/students overseas Participating in exchange programs benefit teachers a lot Teachers will have chance to meet, talk, share and update their knowledge with scholars all over the world This not only improves teachers’ knowledge but also improve their English skills./ 335 ... specializations: International Relations, European Studies, and American Studies with such subjects as Theory and History of International Relations; Area studies; International laws; International. .. International Studies in English over the traditional way of teaching and learning this major in Vietnamese In Vietnam, the Faculty of International Studies, Hanoi University has four main specializations:... prepared for the adaptation to new way of learning and encouraged to participate in learning major courses in foreign languages 2.2 The advantages of teaching IS in English * Teaching IS in English