Developing Intercutural Competences Through Literature. Theory and Practice

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Other, grade: 1,7, University of Kassel, language: English, abstract: Cultural knowledge is a key factor in the acquisition of a foreign language. This paper focuses on the development and advancement of intercultural competences of learners through literature. The main focus lies on the possibility of a change of perspective which can be stimulated by literary texts and is of great importance for the school and extracurricular context. For this purpose, a theoretical part is given in which definitions and explanations regarding intercultural competencies, literature in class, and a combination of these two approaches are given. In the second part of the thesis, a practical implementation of the theoretical knowledge will be presented. This will be done by preparing a lesson plan and presenting didactical considerations. In addition, learning objectives are formulated and indicators are determined. The lesson plan is intended to show exemplarily how intercultural competencies can be taught through literary texts. For this purpose, the lesson plan is based on the novel "e;The Hate U Give"e; by Angie Thomas.