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Sara Avalon
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 254
Location: On the Prowl
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 Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 9:28 am Post subject: TEFL instructors as anthropologists and sociologists |
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Anthropology is "...the scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans."
Sociology is "...the study of human social behavior, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development of human society."
As a TEFL instructor immersed in a foreign culture in a starkly different land than the one you grew up in, do you feel it is important to actively or even passively play the role of an anthropologist or sociologists? Do you feel it is impossible not to see yourself as a "field-worker" in the country you will live in? And if so.. what un-written responsibilities do you face as one? Can you make accurate judgments about the country or people you encounter after a short stay (6months - 1year)? |
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nolefan
Joined: 14 Jan 2004
Posts: 1458
Location: on the run
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| Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 9:54 am Post subject: Re: TEFL instructors as anthropologists and sociologists |
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| Sara Avalon wrote: |
| Do you feel it is impossible not to see yourself as a "field-worker" in the country you will live in? And if so.. what un-written responsibilities do you face as one? Can you make accurate judgments about the country or people you encounter after a short stay (6months - 1year)? |
Country? 
how about starting out with the Community first?
I do believe that we have a certain amount of responsabilites as far as bridging the culture and communication gaps between our societies. More often than not, there are plenty of preconcieved notions that we have to get over. We have to provide and demonstrate understanding on a daily basis in and out of the classroom.
I was chatting with some of my students this afternoon about "implants".. They were conviced that most western women had some type of a b00b job and were wondering why.  How do you face such an inquiry?
my favorite  one is when they ask me why my kids are not here in China with my wife and I. They refuse to believe or understand that we don't have nor want children at this moment in time.
that's sociology and anthropology at work everyday   |
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Sara Avalon
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 254
Location: On the Prowl
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| Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 12:55 pm Post subject: Re: TEFL instructors as anthropologists and sociologists |
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| nolefan wrote: |
how about starting out with the Community first?
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Why haven't you capitalized the word "how"?! You're not a native English speaker, are you?! 
Preconceived notions and biases are hard to overcome, especially if you're faced with a society that contributes or engages in activities that go against one's own principles or morals. But it's impossible to change the surrounding attitude without creating some tension and even exposing yourself to danger. For example, suicide bombers are revered (by some) here in Kuwait and a lot of youth I've spoken to would willingly sacrifice themselves to fight for Palestine. I doubt it's a TEFL instructor's job to try and point out political/religious propaganda to their students or to even hint at that being the case.
Implants? ... How about talking to your students about cosmetic surgery? I'm sure they'd be thrilled to hear about Michael Jackson's brilliant transformation and compare it to some of their own celebrities... 
As far as kids go... There's so many unwanted children in the world. Adoption would be a lot better than my selfish contribution to the global gene pool.  |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 1:06 pm Post subject: Re: TEFL instructors as anthropologists and sociologists |
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I was chatting with some of my students this afternoon about "implants".. They were conviced that most western women had some type of a b00b job and were wondering why. How do you face such an inquiry?
Were they male students? Ask them if they liked the results |
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nolefan
Joined: 14 Jan 2004
Posts: 1458
Location: on the run
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| Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 1:38 pm Post subject: Re: TEFL instructors as anthropologists and sociologists |
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| Sara Avalon wrote: |
| nolefan wrote: |
how about starting out with the Community first?
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Why haven't you capitalized the word "how"?! You're not a native English speaker, are you?! |
No you didn't dare...
Smart Arse |
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Sara Avalon
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 254
Location: On the Prowl
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| Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 5:38 pm Post subject: Re: TEFL instructors as anthropologists and sociologists |
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| nolefan wrote: |
| Sara Avalon wrote: |
| nolefan wrote: |
how about starting out with the Community first?
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Why haven't you capitalized the word "how"?! You're not a native English speaker, are you?! |
No you didn't dare...
Smart Arse |
'Tis a mighty fine arse too!  |
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RoseMarie
Joined: 03 Apr 2004
Posts: 23
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| Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 3:11 pm Post subject: Re: TEFL instructors as anthropologists and sociologists |
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| Sara Avalon wrote: |
As far as kids go... There's so many unwanted children in the world. Adoption would be a lot better than my selfish contribution to the global gene pool. |
Finally! Someone who feels the same way I do. I cant find a man who agrees with me, though. For some reason, women seem to be more open to the idea, while men always seem to want to change my mind. (I have yet to find a single country where people don't think I'm a freak for not wanting to have children  ) Oddly enough, my practical experience completely goes against my culture's gender stereotypes about women only thinking about marriage and children, and men not wanting to settle down. Every man that I've personally met has seemed to be obsessed with procreating.
I actually have a BA in Cultural Anthropology. I teach in France, where random people on the street think it's acceptable to ask me my all about my personal and political beliefs. I do enjoy such discussions with my students though, and almost every class ties in some comparison between France and the United States. I also talk about what I know of some of the other countries that I've lived in or studied. We share our experiences and learn a lot from each other. They seem to really enjoy asking me questions and talking about their own beliefs. I have a conversation class that they can elect to take apart from their regular grammer and literature classes, and I think that most of the students elected to come just for the novelty of talking to an American.
I feel a huge burden to accurately represent the United States sometimes. I had a very bad experience growing up there, so I often talk about what prompted me to leave. I am very careful to point out that my view is very specific to a Chicana living in southern California. Maybe things would have been different if I grew up in New York or Chicago. I try to explain that the culture varies widely within the United States and that there are many subcultures. I also point out that there are various minority viewpoints that different from the majority opinion because I think that sometimes French people slap labels on American people way too easily, mostly based on Hollywood stereotypes.
So yeah, I would say that Anthropology and Sociology are huge elements in my class. I feel like a fieldworker in every country I visit, but I think that that's more due to the fact that I studied this in college and hope to continue my education in the field. I would love to teach Anthropology in a university one day. For others, this might not be so true, but I think that you are cheating yourself out of part of the experience if you don't actively think like an anthropologist about what you are experiencing sometimes.
My advisor on my undergraduate thesis told me that you need to live in another culture for AT LEAST one year before you can begin to understand it. |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 3:58 pm Post subject: This Be The Verse |
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Dear RoseMarie,
The good news: your search is over; I agree with you.
The bad news: I'm 61 and already spoken for (nuptials on Sept. 4th).
Regarding progeny, though, I sometimes suspect Philip Larkin may be right:
Philip Larkin - This Be The Verse
They f u c k you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were f u c ked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.
Regarding beginning to understand another culture, the length of time required may also depend to some degree on the culture in question, I'd say. I lived for 19 years in Saudi Arabia and after all that time, I think it'd be presumptous for me to say that I did any more than scratch the surface, if that.
Regards,
John |
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RoseMarie
Joined: 03 Apr 2004
Posts: 23
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| Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2004 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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johnslat:
Ha! I love that verse; that's EXACTLY how I feel about reproduction and parenting. I think that you are absolutely right about everything you said; Too bad it won't work out between us, but congratulations on the engagement. That's wonderful news!
Actually, I forgot to mention that although I lived in the United States for over 20 years, I don't really think I understand that culture either. It's too diverse, and I think the most I did was figure out my place in it.
Last edited by RoseMarie on Fri Apr 16, 2004 8:39 am; edited 1 time in total |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2004 11:20 pm Post subject: Re: TEFL instructors as anthropologists and sociologists |
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| RoseMarie wrote: |
| Sara Avalon wrote: |
As far as kids go... There's so many unwanted children in the world. Adoption would be a lot better than my selfish contribution to the global gene pool. |
Finally! Someone who feels the same way I do. I cant find a man who agrees with me, though.
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I feel the same too. I would love to get married, but even if I do I want to adopt. |
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shmooj
Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1758
Location: Seoul, ROK
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| Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2004 3:54 am Post subject: Re: TEFL instructors as anthropologists and sociologists |
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| Sara Avalon wrote: |
| As a TEFL instructor immersed in a foreign culture |
...you are a rare one indeed. Unfortunately, the majority of TEFLers actually aren't involved in any significant way with the culture that lies just outside their classroom window. They spend day in day out communicating their own culture and helping their students understand OTHER cultures where ENglish is used. They usually have no idea about the socio/political issues that their students really face, preferring instead to rely on BBC world or other varieties of "global" programming, cannot speak the language and socialise almost entirely with colleagues who are equally blinkered.
How they dare comment on the culture of their host nation is beyond me. If I wanted to know about a culture a TEFLer is probably the last person I would ask.
Of course, I'm different  |
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Scott in HK
Joined: 11 Jan 2003
Posts: 148
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| Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2004 5:54 am Post subject: |
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that's funny....
when i look at my two girls...i rarely think of them as my selfish contribution to the gene pool..
i hope my mother doesn't think that way.... |
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Ben Round de Bloc
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1946
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| Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2004 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
As a TEFL instructor immersed in a foreign culture
- Sara Avalon
...you are a rare one indeed. Unfortunately, the majority of TEFLers actually aren't involved in any significant way with the culture that lies just outside their classroom window.
- shmooj |
Shmooj,
Is that true?  I really don't know, since my total experience of living and working in a foreign culture is limited to only one place.
All the foreign EFL teachers that I know personally in the city (and country, for that matter) where I live are pretty much into the local culture. The majority of them speak Spanish at least adequately enough to function in the language and spend most of their free time with locals rather than with other foreign teachers. Actually, many are married to locals. There could be some EFL teachers in this city who "aren't involved in any significant way with the culture." However, if there are, I haven't met any of them.
At first, I thought perhaps your comment might relate to the differences between long-termers and short-termers. However, every short-termer (6 months to a year) that I've met here has been into spending time with locals and learning about local customs and traditions, too.
Shmooj, I don't disagree with what you wrote. If one considers all TEFLers all over the world, your "majority" comment could be true. I just find it very surprising. |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2004 12:42 pm Post subject: Depends |
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Dear Ben Round de Block,
I think it may depend, to a large degree, on the "foreign culture" in question. Certainly, from my experience in Saudi Arabia, most EFL teachers weren't "involved in any significant way with the culture that lies just outside their classroom window".
But then, given that society's rather insular nature, they probably couldn't have been, had they wanted to.
Regards,
John |
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Sara Avalon
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 254
Location: On the Prowl
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| Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2004 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Scott in HK wrote: |
that's funny....
when i look at my two girls...i rarely think of them as my selfish contribution to the gene pool..
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Don't take it personally. I come from a large immediate and extended family.. it wouldn't really matter (to anyone) if I carried on the (insert family name here) line. But for a lot of people, starting their "own" family is very important.. it just isn't to me.
I'd rather give my time and love to some child(/ren) who need me and they don't have to be ~*mine*~... |
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