2017-19 Class Presentation (a series of classes) for a University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain 4th year undergraduate course: CULTURAL ASPECTS OF ENGLISH_SPEAKING COUNTRIES by Prof. Anuradha Mitra Ghemawat
UB Dept. of Language & Literature
2. Education of Cultures (USA)
Diversity of US educational system is addressed by:
— Hiring & training of ESL teachers
— Creating bilingual schools
— Developing traditional European-centered
curriculum
— Material from Asian, African and other cultures
— Teaching cognitive skills to about 40% HS students
who do not go on to higher education.
3. Functions of Education in
Culture
— Conservation of Culture:
— traditional values/ attitudes/ ideas inculcated (i.e.
taught by repeated instruction)
— Continuity of Culture:
— handover of customs to next generation
— Transmission of Culture:
— through rituals, norms and experiences
— Building NEW culture patterns:
— modification of existing culture
— adapting/ adjusting to changing cultural patterns
4. Cultural Education & the
Arts
— Theatre: schools as cultural centres
— spontaneous theatre
— role playing
— self-dramatization
— creative design elements
— Art (collaboration with museums)
— Innovation (collaboration with businesses)
— Environmental consciousness
— hands-on activities
— community-linked activities
Ref: Putz-Plecko, Barbara (2008)
5. Dominated Cultures (US)
— Dominated vs. Dominant culture
— Education and Native American culture
— Education and African American culture
6. Dominated Cultures (USA)
— Dominated Cultures (US):
— ‘’conquered’’ due to European settlement
— people brought in a slaves
— physically segregated
— perceived as ‘’inferior’’ to dominant culture
— limited access to social & economic opportunities
— language, traditions are ‘trivialized’
— Native Americans
— Puerto Ricans
— African American
7. Education of Dominated
Cultures (USA)
— segregation & isolation
— change of language
enforced (L1-native to
L2-dominant)
— curriculum & textbooks
suited to dominant
culture
• Not permitted to
express native culture
and religion
• Teachers from dominant
culture
• People of dominated
cultures do not direct
themselves --- they are
directed by dominant
culture representatives
8. Native Americans (data)
— 5.2 million (2014)
— 2% of US population
— 566 Native American (N.A.) tribes*
— 325 Native American reservations (2012)
— about 1/3 N.A. live on reservations
— Degrees obtained (N.A. vs. overall US population)
— 82.2% vs. 86.3% (high school)
— 17.6% vs. 29.1% (university)
Note: All data pertains to SINGLE RACE native Americans.
* US federally recognized
9. Native American schools on
reservations (US*)
— 183 schools: elementary, secondary, residential and
peripheral dormitories in 64 reservations across 23
states
— Specific tribes control specific NA reservation schools
— Curriculum specific to upholding N.A. values
— Stokes, Sandra (1997: p. 580)
* data from US Bureau of Indian Education (2010)
10. Native American universities
(USA)
— https://tribalcollegejournal.org/map-of-tribal-
colleges/
— Based on one of your queries, we discussed Haskell
Indian Nations University – for both Native American
and non-NA students.
— http://www.haskell.edu/about/history/
11. Women’s Colleges (USA)
— Exclusively created in the 18th century for women to
study for a bachelor’s degree – as they were not
permitted to study in the traditional (men only) colleges
and universities.
— Collectively called the Seven Sisters.
— https://blog.prepscholar.com/seven-sisters-colleges
— Why are some of the original women’s colleges still
exclusively for women?
— Small class size
— Excellent academics
— Desirable student-faculty ratios
12. Puerto Rican Americans
— Puerto Rico
— Independence from SPAIN (1897)
— Territory of USA: 1898+++?
— The Puerto Rican population, despite its
Spanish, African, and Native American
roots, was forced to assume U.S.
citizenship.
— Hawaii and the Philippines are other
examples of colonial expansion in the
late 19th century.
13. African American Education:
Opposing Models
Booker T. Washington (Virginia:
1856-1915)
— supported policy of
accommodation
— against social equality between
African Americans and whites
— supported Industrial education
over liberal arts
— More popular with Southern
blacks than Northern ones.
W.E.B. DuBois (Massachusetts:
1868-1963)
— argued for the training of the
“talented tenth” of the African
American population – selected
‘’few’’ who were ‘’intelligent’’
— to serve in positions of leadership
in education, the ministry, politics
and business.
15. Building School Culture**
1. Build strong relationships
2. Teach essential social skills
3. Create shared vision of school
4. Classify class environment & school rules
5. Be role models
6. Teach problem solving SODAS
— Situation
— Options
— Disadvantages
— Advantages
— Solution
7. Set appropriate consequences
8. Praise students for good choices
**Truby, Dana (2018) https://schoolleadersnow.weareteachers.com/8-ways-build-positive-school-culture-now/
What is School Culture and Climate? YouTube (28Apr2015). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-_NvhlcusQ
Build Positive relationships and School Cultures. YouTube (29Jun2015). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6x3Pb8i5jc
Build Strong School Culture. HCPSVideoChannel (2015). YouTube (24Apr2015). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDpA74nmda8
16. The Zinn Project of Education (US)
— www.zinnedproject.org
— Howard Zinn – American historian and political scientist
— A People’s History of the United States (1980).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTccJ1ndh0M
17. Culture and EDUCATION/ SOCIAL
MOVEMENT news article
— Culture and EDUCATION/ SOCIAL MOVEMENT resource:
— Georgetown students have voted in favor of reparations (reimburse
slaves sold to fund Geiretown University in 1838). Will America? by
Christine Emba (21 April, 2019)
— -Two-thirds of undergraduates who took part in a
campuswide referendumApril 11 (2019) voted “yes” on a student fee,
of exactly $27.20 each semester, to create a reparations fund for the
descendants of Georgetown’s slaves. The number is in remembrance
of the 272 slaves sold in 1838 by Georgetown’s Jesuit leaders to
resolve the school’s debt at a critical point in its history, essentially
saving the school.
— https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/georgetown-students-have-
voted-in-favor-of-reparations-will-america/2019/04/21/a419e4da-
62d5-11e9-9412-
daf3d2e67c6d_story.html?utm_term=.4f401bfb1880&wpisrc=nl_opini
ons&wpmm=1
18. Cultural Aspects
READING exercise in-class
Websites in India Put a Bit of Choice Into Arranged Marriages
by Gardiner Harris. International New York Times (INYT), April 24,
2015.
Transforming India’s Concept of Marriage (adapted from the
original article)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlIBiSoz6rQ
In India, urbanization, education and the rise of matrimonial
websites are challenging centuries-old traditions of arranged
marriage.
19. Diversity in School
— Being Different is Beautiful. YouTube (05Jan2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ1ygFknjYo
— Amy Zaghini & Alissa (14Apr2009): Unity Song
(Australia)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qJqr5LKRFw
— Diversity in India. YouTube (05Jun2010).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlGCwoU264Q
20. References
1. Bureau of Indian Education (2016).
http://www.bie.edu/Schools/index.htm
2. Hochschild, Jennifer L. and Shen, F. X. (2014). Race, Ethnicity
and Educational Policy. In: Oxford Handbook of Racial and
Ethnic Politics in America. New York: Oxford University Press
(2014).
3. Putz-Plecko, Barbara (2008). Art and Culture – Key elements of
education: An European Asset? Parliamentary Assembly
Council of Europe: Committee on Culture, Science and
Education, Dec. 2008.
4. Stokes, Sandra M. (1997). Curriculum for Native American
Students: Using Native American Values. The Reading Teacher.
Vol. 50, No. 7, April
1997http://www.wou.edu/~tmcwilliams08/20201825.pdf
21. References (continued)
1. United States Census (2014).
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-
features/2014/cb14-ff26.html
2. US Embassy, Germany
(2010)http://usa.usembassy.de/society-education.htm
3. Zinn, Howard. Wikipedia (8 Feb 2019)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Zinn
4. Zinn, Howard (1980). A People’s History of the United
States.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_People%27s_History
_of_the_United_States
