Learning and Teaching Center (Old)

Dr. Sandra Lee McKay, Professor of American Studies and Applied Linguistics at San Francisco State University, explored the role of culture in the teaching of an international language, describing the characteristics of English as an international language and discussed how culture plays an important role in language teaching in the teaching of semantics and pragmatics, the development of language materials, and the choice of teaching methodology. Throughout, the presenter argued that the role of culture in teaching an international language needs to be significantly different from the role of culture in teaching other languages. One of the major aims of her talk was to explore what this means for the teaching of English in a global context.