课程概述
语言学习离不开文化的学习和研究。外语专业的学生不仅要精通外国语言,还需深入理解外国文化,才能在不同文化之间搭建起沟通的桥梁。广东外语外贸大学英文学院的《当代美国社会与文化》课程是英语专业的核心必修课程,为想了解美国社会和文化的学生提供全面而深入的介绍,并旨在提升学生对文化现象的分析和研究能力。
课程共十五个单元,内容涵盖美国政治、经济、和社会的各个方面。政治方面主要着重于美国宪法、修正案、政府架构、两大政党、利益集团、司法和社会福利等话题。经济方面包括国内经济、金融、外贸和工作就业等。社会方面较为广泛,包括教育、移民、种族、家庭、媒体、娱乐、犯罪和警察等话题。每一个话题都将提供一个审视美国社会的独特视角,使学生获取对美国文化的多维度、全方位的深刻理解。
课程的独特之处在于它不停留于简单的文化介绍层面,而是注重对美国社会深层架构的探索,提升学生透过现象看本质的分析能力。课程积累了二十多年的教学经验,采用全英教学,教学团队国际化,跨文化的视角尤其适用于想了解美国社会文化的中国学习者。
参考资料
1. Zinn, Howard. 2015. A People's History of the United States. Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
2. Forte, David F & Spalding, Matthew, ed. 2014. The Heritage Guide to the US Constitution, revised. Regnery Publishing.
3. Sadker, David M. 2011. Teachers, Schools, and Society: A Brief Introduction to Education, 3rd ed. McGraw Hill Education.
4. Bayor, Ronald H, ed. 2016. The Oxford Handbook of American Immigration and Ethnicity. Oxford University Press.
5. Stinnet, Nancy; Stinnet, Nick; DeGenova, Mary Kay & Rice, F Phillip, ed. 2016. Intimate Relationships, Marriages, and Families. Oxford University Press.
6. Schiller, Bradley R & Gabhardt, Karen. 2015. The Economy Today. McGraw-Hill Education.
7. Segal, Elizabeth A. 2009. Social Welfare Policy and Social Programs. Cengage Learning.
8. Noel, Hans. 2014. Political Ideologies and Political Parties in America. Cambridge University Press.
9. Sweet, Stephen A. 2016. Changing Contours of Work: Jobs and Opportunities in the New Economy. SAGE Publications, Inc.
10. Luther, Catherine A. 2011. Diversity in the US Mass Media. Wiley-Blackwell.
11. Neubauer, David & Meinhold, Stephen S. 2016. Judicial Process: Law, Courts, and Politics in the United States. Cengage Learning.
12. Panzarella, Robert & Vona, Daniel. 2013. Criminal Justice Masterworks: A History of Ideas About Crime, Law, Police and Corrections. Carolina Academic Press.
课程致力于帮助学生了解常见的英美文化知识,提高学生对英美文化的鉴赏能力;帮助学生运用中文表达、言说、译介英美文化;拓展学生国际文化视野,启迪文化思维,培养文化包容理念,以增强文化素养,提高跨文化交际能力,体会文化交流的乐趣。同时,本课程致力于帮助学生了解、掌握、运用常见英译汉翻译技能,使之具有翻译一般语言难度和常见英美文化题材的能力。
The main teaching contents of this course are the basic knowledge of English and American cultures and the advanced translation skills of E-C translation (Identifying sentence core parts; sorting out additional sentence elements; using dividing and combining techniques strategically; adjusting the order and rank of language elements flexibly; building cohesion and coherence; combining the use of literal and free translations). The course aims to help students understand the common knowledge of English and American cultures; to use Chinese to express, talk, and translate British and American cultures; to cultivate students' interests in British and American cultures and bilingual cultural exchanges; to expand students’ international horizons; and to enlighten cultural thinking and develop the awareness of cultural tolerance. This course will also help to enhance students' cultural literacy, improve their intercultural communication skills, and experience the joy of cultural exchanges. At the same time, it will help students to understand, master and apply common E-C translation skills, so that they will be able to translate materials of average language difficulty and common cultural topics.