37, no. 1 (Fall 2005): 27-29
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Kino and Kaffee: European Studies and Foreign Language Learning
SIMA GODFREY
AS INTEREST in the expanding European Union grows in North America, more and more courses and programs are being dedicated to the interdisciplinary field of European studies. The Institute for European Studies (IES) at the University of British Columbia was launched in 1998 with the mandate to educate a new generation of Canadians on contemporary Europe and its role in the world and on the European Union and its role in the world. To this end, the IES established, in 1999, the first interdisciplinary MA program in European studies in Canada.
Although formal language study is not part of the MA curriculum in European studies, the program, following the example of the European Union, constantly reinforces the value of second-, third-, and sometimes even fourth-language acquisition. All students in the program must demonstrate proficiency in a European language other than English before beginning their second year, and, wherever possible, they are encouraged to develop competence in additional European languages as well. North American students in the program (including Canadian students, who have been exposed to some form of bilingual education in English and French) are constantly amazed, if not shamed, by the fluency of their European peers in several languages and quickly become motivated to acquire and improve their own language skills.
Given the fact that the twenty-five member states of the European Union now represent forty official languages, it is hardly surprising that any inquiry into the new Europe, however cursory, would highlight the importance of language skills. As the Europa Web site on language policy states:
In many countries it is quite normal for people to be able to use up to three languages. In the European Union, such people are well placed to take full advantage of European citizenship and of the single market. They are better able to move between countries for educational, professional or other reasons. Their linguistic skills are attractive to employers.
The European Commission wants everybody in the Union to share these benefits.
Accordingly, in the White Paper on education and training published in 1995, the European Commission set as an objective that all European Union citizens be proficient in three European languages (their native tongue plus two other community languages). Since then, the promotion of linguistic diversity has become an increasingly important theme of the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Parliament.
When students become involved in European studies, they are, in turn, sensitized to the value of linguistic versatility and, like their European counterparts, quickly become aware—beyond the obvious cultural benefits attached to proficiency in another language—of the career opportunities that such versatility can open up. The Europa Web site states:
More and more companies are investing in staff training in foreign languages, or are looking to recruit people with language skills. It needn’t just be the top level staff who learn—shop floor workers can also be involved. Language learning can improve your career prospects.
Thus there is, or should be, a natural partnership between European studies and foreign language learning on North American campuses. With this in mind, three years ago the IES decided to explore some ways it could enhance language learning at the University of British Columbia. The result was a pilot film series that is now being expanded into additional languages and themes. Since the institute benefits from support from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), our first venture, “Kino and Kaffee,” focused on German.
The premise is simple: in a one-semester course, few of us, whatever our discipline, have time to screen feature-length films in class, no matter how relevant or useful they may be. We thus began by convening a group of colleagues whose work relates to Germany: professors of German literature, German history, and German language. We discussed the courses they were scheduled to teach the following year and the kind of films they would like to use to complement these courses. We requested recommendations from each person, and together we assembled a list of eight films (4 each term) to be screened regularly on Friday afternoons at four o’clock, so as not to conflict with any obvious classes. All the films would be in DVD format (occasionally VHS) and in German with English subtitles, so that beginners or non-German speakers would not be at a disadvantage. We then determined the best sequence of films so that they could be comfortably integrated into the respective course syllabi. The first year, we decided to show in the fall term films that represented Germany from 1900 to World War II, and in the winter term, films representing Germany post–World War II. This chronology worked well for a number of literature and culture courses as well as the German history survey. In addition, we identified speakers to introduce each film and moderate a discussion afterward. Speakers might be a historian, a literature professor, a film historian, or a film critic.
The list and schedule of films was circulated in advance to everyone in the German department, as well as to German language teachers in Continuing Studies and professors of European history and European studies; teachers were encouraged to note the films in their syllabi and to integrate one or more of the films into their courses. Some language teachers chose a single film for the whole class to see and then discuss; others required students to see at least one of the films on their own and report on it orally or in writing. Still others prepared their students for specific films with some readings or a German language précis or review of the film. (The films proved to be very popular with the students, who especially appreciated the informative introductions.) Finally, in keeping with the title of the series and its timing in the afternoon, we arranged to have free coffee, cookies, and snacks set out for each screening. As the films were shown in conjunction with at least four university courses, we were entitled to use one of the large auditorium classrooms that is equipped with excellent audiovisual support.
The series was advertised across campus as free and open to the public, but an hour before projecting the first film, many of us wondered if there would, indeed, be a public at all on that sunny Friday afternoon in September. We were overwhelmed when close to one hundred people turned up for the inaugural film (Colonel Redl). Attending were students and faculty and staff members, including people from engineering, heritage speakers, emeritus professors, and German exchange students. An introduction by a colleague from comparative literature who asked the audience to look for certain images, listen for certain words and phrases in German, and think about a number of questions while watching the film helped ensure a lively discussion following the film. To our delight, about two-thirds of the audience happily stayed for the discussion. This auspicious beginning set the tone for a series that has continued to attract a diverse audience and has boosted the general interest in things German and the German language. (In the second year, the focus was on the two Germanies, and we juxtaposed little-known films from the German Democratic Republic alongside mainstream films from West Germany. This past year, the theme was outsiders in Germany, a topic we were able to integrate into some courses on migration in Europe.)
The series is relatively inexpensive to run. Although we had originally thought of inviting speakers from beyond the university to introduce some of the films, we have found that there are plenty of closet cinephiles on campus who are experts in relevant aspects of every film. For each film, we produce a poster that is circulated electronically to the IES mailing list and posted on our Web site. Finally, we have one student assistant in charge of the material logistics—making sure the guest speaker gets to preview the film, delivering the DVD the day of the screening, setting up the refreshments, and locking up after each session. The IES is now expanding the program and this year will offer, in conjunction with the education faculty, a series of films representing school life from different European countries. The films will be integrated into different language departments as well as the sociology department and various education courses. At the same time, colleagues in Latin American studies plan to borrow the “Kino and Kaffee” model to launch their own series of films to coordinate with courses in anthropology, political science, history, and Hispanic studies.
The emergence of European studies has created a new rationale and a new impetus for promoting foreign language learning. European studies students are already motivated to master and acquire as many European languages as possible. While we continue to experiment with various ways of activating more general interest in foreign language acquisition, we have found the “Kino and Kaffee” model to be an inexpensive and effective way of bringing together students and faculty members from different disciplines and offering them a tasty serving of foreign languages and cultures along with their afternoon coffee.
The author is Associate Professor of French and Director of the Institute for European Studies at the University of British Columbia.
“Why Learn Languages?” Education and Training. The European Commission. Europa. 6 Oct. 2004. 4 Aug. 2005 http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/lang/learn/why_en.html.
© 2005 by the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages. All Rights Reserved.
ADFL Bulletin 37, no. 1 (Fall 2005): 27-29 |
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