Toward an Integrated Curriculum: Maximizing the Use of Target Language Literature.

Abstract: This article presents an approach to literary texts that develops students' language proficiency, content knowledge, and analytical skills through the interweaving of three content areas-literary analysis, stylistics, and culture-at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of the foreign language curriculum. Consistent with recommendations from the recent Modern Language Association (2007) report on foreign languages in higher education, this integrated approach develops students' translingual and transcultural competence by examining target language narratives from multiple perspectives. To ground this method, we review relevant research on literature in foreign language instruction and then present a sample lesson plan for teaching the Spanish-language text Apocalipsis [Apocalypse] (Denevi, 1974) at the intermediate instructional level. The article concludes with suggestions and strategies for modifying the lesson plan for beginning and advanced levels. Key words: Spanish, culture, curriculum, literature, spiraling, stylistics Recent discussions in the foreign language profession have highlighted the problems arising from the traditional divide between language and content courses common in many undergraduate programs and the need for better-articulated curricula (e.g., BarretteP Byrnes, 2001; ByrnesM builds students' translingual and transcultural competence; develops students' basic knowledge of the history, geography, culture, and literature of target language cultures; and encourages the comprehension and analysis of target language narratives.1 The use of literary texts to develop language proficiency, content knowledge, and analytical skills throughout the undergraduate program is one strategy for implementing this curricular approach. Literary texts are target language narratives that provide access to a rich sample of input of various discourse styles, and to historical, geographical, cultural, and linguistic information. Such texts provide the basis for developing students' language proficiency and for engaging students in discussions that can contribute to their transcultural competence. This approach bridges the traditional language/literature divide and maximizes students' learning experience. In what follows, we outline an instructional approach that contributes to creating the type of articulated curriculum advocated in the MLA report and elsewhere. Our integrated approach uses literary texts to develop students' language proficiency, content knowledge, and analytical skills through the interweaving of three content areasFliterary analysis, stylistics, and cultureFat the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of the foreign language curriculum. Target language narratives are thus examined from multiple perspectives as a means of developing students' translingual and transcultural competence. To illustrate this approach, we present a sample lesson plan for teaching the literary, cultural, and stylistic content of Apocalipsis, a short story by Argentine author Denevi (1974), in an intermediate-level course and then offer suggestions for modifying the task for beginning and advanced levels. Although we use a Spanish-language text, the principles and techniques are applicable to any foreign language classroom where the objective is to unify language and content en route to an integrated, articulated curriculum. Background To provide theoretical grounding for the unified approach to literary texts outlined below, this section highlights research in three areas: the role of literature in the foreign language curriculum, its use for multiple purposes, and pedagogical principles for teaching literature derived from reading theory. …