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Extended dissertation proposal
Susanne Hassall
MA Anglo-German Cultural Relations
The call for greater exposure to literature in the teaching of German at all levels in
English schools today;
An investigation into the ongoing research of the aesthetic and intercultural aspects of
teaching literature in MFL as a theoretical basis for a new syllabus, which aims to
improve the learning experience for all and strengthens the uptake of German at
universities.
In this paper I intend to find answers to the following questions:
What are the reasons for a new syllabus for German in Secondary Schools?
Can literary texts provide enjoyment for all learners of German?
What are the optimum conditions that need to apply for teaching German with literature to be
instrumental in the uptake of German at universities?
Are there any specific models of teaching German with literature that can be emulated at
different levels and which are relevant for answering the questions above? (or is my own
research needed in this area ?)
I hope to find the answers to the questions by:
1. Looking at the present debate on the declining interest in languages as evident in the
work of the APPG group on MFL at the House of Lords and the latest UCAS advice
on subject demand.
2. Examining a number of English, German and international studies and conferences that
focus on the benefits of using literature in the teaching of foreign languages
3. Looking at the latest National Curriculum guidelines on MFL, and interpreting how
these may present opportunities or constraints in relation to the inclusion of literature in the
teaching of foreign languages

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4. Highlighting various initiatives and projects that promote German in English schools,
and assessing how these have motivated teachers and learners to get involved with literature.
5. Possibly providing my own research project with a network of schools and together
with the University of Kent/Canterbury, on the impact of attitudes to literature in German on
university course choice, including a reference on other factors that influence students’
attitudes, such as the media. (This work will depend on the cooperation of the partner schools
and the university)
In my conclusion I intend to reflect critically on the answers I have found, and I hope to be in
a better position to pinpoint what is needed to implement changes in the syllabus, make some
suggestions of my own on how to present literature in an attractive and meaningful way and
draw critically on the support I have received during the research for this paper.
I shall now comment on the five parts of my paper in greater detail:
1 The present debate on the declining interest in foreign languages
The UCAS demand report 2013 gives the following figures:
Languages represent below 1% of 2013 applications from UK 18 year olds;
From 20-29 year olds applications for languages are TOO LOW to appear in the statistics
(fewer than 1000 )
From 2010-2013 applications for European Languages from 18 year olds fell by 16.7% and
for non European Languages by 36%.
“To offer new course content alone will not suffice to master the crisis, but the study of
didactic-methodologies- the transfer of German culture and linguistic studies in its scientific
dimension offers a long term strategy.” 1To what extend has this recommendation been
followed ?
The concern over the continued decline in the study of languages has led to the formation of
an All Party Parliamentarian Group on MFL, whose work with a panel of educational experts
1 The German Language in British Higher Education:problems,challenges,teaching and learning perspectives”
by S.Jaworska 2009 Harrassowitz Wiesbaden

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and linguists is intended to make recommendations to the government of how best to address
the situation.
In this section I aim to report on their findings, and reflect on how a call for greater exposure
to literature in language teaching will fit in with their priorities, and what the implications may
be for teacher training.
I also hope to justify my appeal for the need to improve the provision of German teaching in
schools as a way of supporting the university campaigns to promote Language Studies.
Since 2006 HEFCE has invested £7.4 million in demand-raising activity through the Routes
into Languages programme as part of its wider support for modern foreign languages as a
strategically and vulnerable subject (SIVS). In May 2013 HEFCE announced that
“ An additional £ 3.1 million ( will be granted ) to support a new programme of activity,
which will encourage more young people of all backgrounds to study languages at university…
From August 2013,a consortium led by the university of Southampton will deliver a three year
programme which will encourage greater collaboration between universities, schools and
employers, with the aim of raising aspirations and attainment of students in secondary
schools…”2
I want to look at Southampton’s idea of “ sustained interventions such as programmes of
languages in context” in relation to the University’s action plan, and decide whether the
suggested activities have the potential to fulfil the aim of raising aspirations and attainment in
students at school.
2. Literature’s unique position in the learning of foreign languages.
In this section I want to look at the changing perspectives on the value of literature in foreign
language teaching, and its potential to add enjoyment to learning as well as raising aspirations
and attainment.
In this context I shall refer to the study by Susan N.Bayley on “Literature in the modern
languages curriculum of British Universities” in Language Learning Journal No 9/1994 and
“A-level literature in the 90s:a fresh start” by Gary N.Chambers in ALL online publications.
In addition I want to highlight literature’s relevance in aesthetic and intercultural learning with
reference to a number of the following studies:
“Literary Texts : A Passage to Intercultural Reading in Foreign Language Education”
2 www hefce.ac.uk data about demand for higher education subjects SIVS

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A.Goncalves Matos in Language and Intercultural Communication vol.5
“ Strangerhood and intercultural subjectivity” Simon Coffey vol 13 iss 3
and in German research :
“Das Verstehen des Anderen. Kulturwissenschaftliche und literaturdidaktische Studien.
Tuebingen Narr “2010
“Fremdsprache Literatur” Michael Dobstadt Renate Riedner and
“Symbolische Kompetenz durch literarische Texte” Claire Kramsch in Fremdsprache Deutsch
Heft 44/2011
In these texts I want to find common ideas that have led to a new emphasis on literature such
as advocated by Harald Weinreich in his essay ( 1985 ) : “Von der Langweile des
Sprachunterrichts”3 in which he reclaims the “Literarisierung oder Reliterarisierung des
Sprachunterrichts.” He argues that literature, on the basis of its aesthetic qualities, is better able
to direct the readers’ attention onto the language itself, than the pattern drills of audio-lingual
and audio-visual methods and the everyday life orientated factual texts, which dominated in
the communicative method.
I shall provide further evidence of the ongoing concern with the need for an ‘aesthetic
education’ by referring to the recent conference on “Aesthetisches Lernen im DaF Unterricht-
Musik-Kunst-Film-Theater-Literatur” from the 11/3/2013 in Mexico with specific reference to
the opening speech by Prof.Dr.Carmen Schier on “Aesthetisches Bildung im
fremdsprachlichen Literaturunteicht als Grundlage fuer nachhaltiges Lernen – ein
unterschaetzter Zugang in DaF”4
In addition I shall consider the introduction to Fremdsprache Deutsch Heft 44 by Michael
Dobstadt and Renate Riedner. Here the communicative approach to MFL is being referred to
as having provided the answer to the needs of a new more mobile society in which the work
with literature as “das hoechste Bildungsgut” was no longer relevant. The articles in the volume
titled Fremdsprache Literatur5 all serve to justify the use of literature and reiterate ideas on
aesthetic education. This publication provides a variety of valuable teaching models and will
give further evidence that the two concepts, that still dominate the work with literature in
foreign language teaching today are:
a) the intercultural concept – that successful communication in a foreign language is also
dependent on the knowledge of culturally different “Handlungs- und Deutungsmuster”.
3 “Von der Langeweile des Sprachunterrichts” in Zeitschrift fuer Paedagogik 27/2 pg 169-185
4 “Bericht ueber den KongressAesthetisches Lernen” Nils Bernstein 18/6/2013 in H-Germanistik@H-
Net.MSU.EDU
5 “Fremdsprache Literatur” in Fremdsprache Deutsch Heft 44

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b) That literature can initiate a dialogue between the “.eigenkulturellen Erfahrungenswelt
der Lerner und der Erfahrungswelt der fremden Kultur” and
c) the concept of a “Handlungs- und produktionsorientierten Literaturunterricht”-one that
inspires creative work with texts and leads to further spontaneous language production
in the learner.
I shall look in detail at Claire Kramsch’s study : “Symbolische Kompetenz durch literarische
Texte” ,where she agues that communicative competence needs to be extended to include a
‘symbolic competence’. Kramsch defines this concept as the ability to deal with the complex
and often dynamic cultural relations and constellations which determine language today more
than ever ( and which make it so rich and varied ) with greater awareness and flexibility.
I hope to emulate her teaching model with my own classes and use this model as the basis of
my own collaborative research project.
3. The New National Curriculum and its guiding principles
In this section I want to link the aims and objectives that have so far been identified in the latest
review on the National Curriculum more closely to the call for greater exposure to literature in
foreign language teaching at all levels, including latest recommendations for language teaching
at primary school.
In this context two of the most relevant review panel’s remits were :
“To ensure that the content compared favourably with the most successful international
curricula in the highest performing jurisdictions..” and
“ To set rigorous requirements for pupil attainment (taking into account the needs of the most
able as well as special needs )”
In the DEF policy paper on reforming qualifications (July 2013) a panel of experts found that
priority number one is still the need to improve literacy skills. “ The aim should be to make
sure pupils develop good reading skills early to allow pupils to access the rest of the curriculum
and develop their enjoyment for reading.”
Specifically for MFL the need to read authentic texts was stressed, texts which address
contemporary and cultural themes, including extracts from abridged or adapted literary texts.
Consequently in this section I shall look at specific texts that may meet these criteria.

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The selection of appropriate texts and the provision of adequate tests has been the topic of two
further studies which I shall refer to here in support of my claim for the need to raise the profile
of German .
“Some reasons behind the drop-out from German foreign language study between AS and A2
levels” by Catherine Watts and Angela Pickering in Language Learning Journal Winter 2005
No 32 and
“Are the British really bad at learning foreign languages?” by James Milton and Paul Meara
in Language Learning Journal 1998 No 18
Both articles provide insight into learners’ attitudes that are still relevant today and help to
raise the question what teaching approach may best serve as an appropriate foundation for
further independent study of languages.
According to a recent OCR guided review of present GCSE controlled assessments published
by Qfqual : “The evidence..suggests that, in practice controlled assessments in MFL is having
a detrimental effect on teaching and learning..we found that..most teachers consider that the
available teaching time is reduced and learning is narrowed…Students’ skills development is
skewed towards those skills covered ( speaking and writing)..reading and listening skills
suffer..Controlled assessment tasks test memory rather than language skills..Students often
learn their written and oral material by rote..”
Hence this section will tentatively suggest alternative ways of testing language skills that allow
for more spontaneity ,creativity and awareness in language production.
4. The impact of initiatives such as the Oxford German Network, the “Speak to the
Future” Campaign and Outreach activities from the Goethe Institute on the work in
schools, with specific reference to how these have promoted reading.
In this section I shall look specifically at competitions that have been organised that required
the learners to deal creatively with texts, and how these may have motivated them to improve
their own writing.
I may refer to my own work on fairy tales with a group of high achieving year 9 boys in
connection with the learning of the imperfect tense.
I hope to be able to make recommendations of how the above mentioned initiatives can be
better implemented to reach more schools and hence become more widely known.

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5. The way ahead : I am intending to consult with the German Department at Canterbury
University of how best to conduct a small project with my year 12 class and two other
year 12 AS groups in local schools, based on the text by Erich Kaestener “Als ich ein
kleiner Junge war” In a direct comparison with Claire Kramsch’s study with the same
text6 I hope to reach a better insight into how to use literature to create in the learner a
deeper awareness of the complexity of today’s world , hopefully provide enjoyment,
motivate further independent reading and stimulate spontaneous creative writing that
challenges the learner appropriately.
In my conclusion I hope to reflect on the choice of my questions as well as the answers I have
found, and suggest what type of research may be needed to provide further evidence for the
need to adjust the syllabus for German in England .
Bibliography
In addition to the publications mentioned in my proposal :
“ Foreign Language Learning in England in the 21st century” by Norbert Packler in Language
Learning Journal Summer 2002 No 25
“Lesestrategien zur Ermittlung der Textkohaerenz in fremdsprachigen Texten” by Marina
Foschi Albert in Zeitschrift fuer interkulturellen Fremdsprachenuntericht Jahrgang 17 Num 1
April 12
“ Assessing Intercultural Competence in Language Teaching” by Michael Byram in
Sprogforum No 18 Vol 6 / 2000
6 Symbolische Kompetenz durch literarische Texte in Fremdsprache Deutsch 44/2011

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