Browsing by Author "Pieterse, Francois-Jean"

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    Gibt es einen literarischen Kanon im DaF-Kontext? Zur Auswahl von Texten im Bachelorstudiengang am Beispiel von drei sudafrikanischen Universitaten
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-12) Pieterse, Francois-Jean; Von Maltzan, Carlotta; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Modern Foreign Languages
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation investigates the role and influence of the German literary canon on the selection process of prescribed literary texts for teaching German as a foreign language in South Africa, and in particular the possibility of an emergent, unique literary canon of prescribed texts for German as a foreign language. The emergence of the subject German Studies in South Africa is described with a particular focus on showing the origins of academic traditions and norms that still prevail in the subject and its curricula today, that is, the formation of a Bordieuan field. Furthermore, the concept of canon is investigated using and contrasting the theoretical frameworks of Jan Assmann and Harold Bloom. Postcolonial critiques and revisions of the literary canon are presented in the context of calls for the decolonisation of university curricula in South Africa. The concept of a selection criterion when prescribing a text is explicated with reference to aesthetic and cultural learning, as well as the process of understanding the other. A case study of expert interviews of eight lecturers at three universities in the Western Cape is presented as empirical evidence for the principal findings. A range of normative, preference- and practice-based, and group-specific selection criteria for prescribed German-language texts are identified. It is shown that lecturers in German Studies do strongly consider the canonical status of literary works when considering whether to include a text in their courses or not. However, no literary canon specific to German Studies at these university sections is identifiable, although, given the prevalence of certain authors in the data, some characteristics of a literary canon are present. This study contributes to our understanding of canon construction and the importance of literary texts in foreign language teaching through empirical data. Further analysis shows that the teaching of foreign cultural thought patterns and ways of assigning meaning do not play a direct role in selecting these literary texts. However, these thought patterns and ways of assigning meaning enter the teaching process by, for example, selecting topical texts. This exploratory study is the first of its kind in South Africa and offers insight into the subject’s understanding of its own objectives, as well as gaps for future research.