Description

The main fields of study that are addressed in this book are intercultural learning, literature didactics, and the deconstruction of the Native American stereotype. The book's first part offers worthwhile theoretical information on the respective areas, whereas the second part provides practical examples on how to teach Sherman Alexie's short story "A Drug Called Tradition" and poem "13/16" in the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom. The EFL classroom in particular offers teachers an early opportunity to make students aware of and assist them in going beyond their own ethnocentric perspectives. In this context, Sherman Alexie's texts are especially suitable as both works tackle topics of cross-cultural relevance, such as the loss of identity, poverty, and drug abuse. To cut a long story short, the book's ultimate goal is to show how contemporary Native American literature can help to promote intercultural competences, like perspective- taking and stereotype-free thinking among students.