QUESTIONS FOR THE FINAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION TEACHER OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE PROGRAMME

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1 QUESTIONS FOR THE FINAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION TEACHER OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE PROGRAMME I. Linguistics 1. The nature of knowledge and learning. Critique of empiricist-objectivist accounts of knowledge and learning. A constructivist theory of knowledge and learning. 2. Knowledge of language. Linguistic competence and performance. The creative aspect of language use and its implications for a theory of competence. 3. Grammars as mental constructs (mental grammars) and as theories of mental grammars. The nature of (natural) language and the goals of linguistic theory. 4. Language acquisition and foreign language learning. The logical problem of language acquisition. 5. Roles of a foreign language teacher. Possibilities and limits of (language) education: what a foreign language teacher can and cannot do in order to develop their learners knowledge and use of the foreign language. Epistemological foundations of generative (bio)linguistics and (language) pedagogy. 6. The notion of language and of languages. Dimensions of language variation. Language variation and foreign language teaching. Linguistic competence and communicative competence. 7. Text and discourse. Aspects of cogency: coherence and cohesion. The content of linguistic communication: sentence meaning versus utterance meaning. Inference in utterance interpretation. The context of utterance interpretation. The principle of relevance. 8. The nature and process of translation as communication. Translation and cultural differences. Types of translation equivalence. Use of translation in foreign language teaching. 9. Language and thought. The linguistic relativity / Whorfian hypothesis. 10. The evolution of language. 1

2 II. Literature Preambulum The comprehensive examination concluding your literary studies is not another end-of-thesemester exam ( kollokvium ). The subjects below demand much broader literary intelligence: integrative skills are needed in handling lecture and seminar materials as well as related required readings. 1. Ethical perspectives and contemporary narratives 2. Conflicting generations and the cultural divide 3. Transformations of the novel as a genre 4. Variations on postmodern imagination 5. Variations on postmodern narrative techniques 6. Foregrounded ethnic perspectives and multiculturalism 7. Feminist deconstructions of traditional/modernist feminine perspectives and women s experience fiction 8. Variations on colonialism, postcolonialism and new internationalism 9. History in contemporary narrative 10. Magic(al) realism 11. Developments in contemporary poetries in English 12. Developments in contemporary dramas in English 2

3 III. Culture 1. Some contrasting definitions and interpretations of culture. 2. The nation-state model, notions of cultural pluralism, and the cultures of Great Britain, the US, and Canada. 3. The Bill of Rights as a reflection of American values; milestone shifts in interpretations of First Amendment rights. 4. The American interpretation of democracy; the separation of powers and the history of federalism in the US. 5. American culture and the Protestant heritage. The concept and crisis of the American Dream. 6. The history of immigration to the United States and government responses to shifts in immigration patterns: 1776 present. 7. Milestones in the history of parliamentarianism in Great Britain, the role of the Monarchy today and contemporary issues of parliamentary reform: the Witan (Witenagemot); 1100 Charter of Liberties; Magna Carta, Article of Barons, Great Seal; Simon de Monfortand parliamentary reform; The Civil War - The Bishop Wars, long/short/rump parliament, execution of Charles I; The Glorious Revolution; Exclusion Bill, Tories/Whigs, Declaration of Rights, Bill of Union; Reform Acts (1832, 1867); Parliament Acts (1911, 1949). 8. The Church, the state, and English identity: The visual arts in the US and Britain in the post-war period and the collapse of high culture: Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jaspar Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Michael Craig. 10. So-called English culture, global culture, and global conflict. 3

4 Readings I. Linguistics Allright, Dick Am I now, have I ever been, and could I ever be a developer? Novelty 6, no. 1 (1999): Baltin, M. & Collins, C. (eds.) The Handbook of Contemporary Syntactic Theory. Oxford: Blackwell. Barnlund, D. C A transactional model of communication. In: Kenneth K. S. and C. D. Mortensen (eds.), Foundations of Communication Theory. New York: Harper & Row Blakemore, D. 1992a. Communication and the context. In: Blakemore, D. Understanding Utterances. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Blakemore, D. 1992b. Relevance. In: Blakemore, D. Understanding Utterances. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Brown, H. D What is applied linguistics? In: Warhaugh, R. and Brown, H. D. (eds.) A Survey of Applied Linguistics. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press Chomsky, N Three factors in language design. Linguistic Inquiry 36:1 22. Cook, G. 1989a. What is discourse? In: Cook, G. Discourse. Oxford: Oxford University Press Cook, G. 1989b. Formal links. In: Cook, G. Discourse. Oxford: Oxford University Press Cook, G. 2003a. Applied linguistics. In: Cook, G. Applied Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press Cook, G. 2003b. Past, present, and future directions. In: Cook, G. Applied Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press Corder, S. P. 1973a. Introduction. In: Corder, S. P. Introducing Applied Linguistics. London: Penguin Books Corder, S. P. 1973b. The variability of language. In: Corder, S. P. Introducing Applied Linguistics. London: Penguin Books Czeglédi Csaba Constructive Linguistics. In: József Andor, Béla Hollósy, Tibor Lackó, and Péter Pelyvás (eds.) When Grammar Minds Language and Literature: Festschrift for Prof. Béla Korponay on the Occasion of his 80th Birthday, Debrecen: Institute of English and American Studies, University of Debrecen. Fitch, W. T., Hauser, M. D., and Chomsky, N The evolution of the language faculty: Clarifications and implications. Cognition 97: Foley, W. A Anthropological Linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell. Fromkin, Victoria et al Linguistics: An Introduction to Linguistic Theory. Blackwell. Fromkin, Victoria, Rodman, Robert, and Hyams, Nina An Introduction to Language. 9th edition. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. (Or any other edition) Harris, T Linguistics in applied linguistics: a historical overview. Journal of English Studies, Vol Hauser, M. D., Chomsky, N., and Fitch, W. T The Faculty of Language: What Is It, Who Has It, and How Did It Evolve? Science 298: Hymes, D. H On communicative competence. In: Pride, J. B. and Holmes, J. (eds.) Sociolinguistics. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Janssen, T.& Redeker, G. (eds.) Cognitive Linguistics: Foundations, Scope, and Methodology. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Klaudy, K The origins of a linguistic theory of translation. In: Klaudy, K. Languages in Translation. Budapest: Scholastica

5 Nahalka István Hogyan alakul ki a tudás a gyerekekben? Konstruktivizmus és pedagógia. Budapest: Nemzeti Tankönyvkiadó. Nahalka, István Konstruktív pedagógia egy új paradigma a láthatáron (I). Iskolakultúra, no. 2: Nahalka, István Konstruktív pedagógia egy új paradigma a láthatáron (II). Iskolakultúra, no. 3: Nahalka, István Konstruktív pedagógia egy új paradigma a láthatáron (III). Iskolakultúra, no. 4:3 20. Pinker, S. and Jackendoff, R The faculty of language: what s special about it? Cognition 95: Reppen, R. and Simpson, R Corpus linguistics. In: Schmitt, N. (ed.) An Introduction to Applied Linguistics. London: Hodder Education Sinclair, J Basic text processing. In: Sinclair, J. Corpus, Concordance, Collocation. Oxford: Oxford University Press Sperber, D. and Wilson, D Relevance: Communication and Cognition. Second Edition. Oxford: Blackwell. Whorf, B. L. 1956/1993. Language, Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Widdowson, H. G The deep structure of discourse and the use of translation. In: Widdowson, H. G. Explorations in Applied Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press Widdowson, H. G Models and fictions. In: Widdowson, H. G. Explorations in Applied Linguistics 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press Wolff, Ph., and Holmes, K. J Linguistic Relativity. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science 2: II. Literature You should be prepared to discuss in detail the art and particular poems of your choice by any three American and any three British poets as well as the art and one drama by any three American and any three British dramatists enlisted below (six plays in all). You should also be prepared to report on your personal reading experience of altogether ten British and American post-war novels. British Literature: Fiction: 5 post-war novels discussed in the Contemporary Literatures in English Seminar Poetry: Beckett, Samuel Gunn, Thom Heaney, Seamus Hill, Geoffrey Hughes, Ted Larkin, Philip Mahon, Derek Montague, John 5

6 Drama: Beckett, Samuel: Waiting for Godot, All That Fall, Radio, Krapp s Last Tape, Rough for Theatre, Play, What, Where. Friel, Brian: Translations, Making History Osborne, John: Look Back in Anger Pinter, Harold: The Birthday Party, The Dumb Waiter, The Caretaker Shaffer, Peter: Amadeus Stoppard, Tom: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Travesties American Literature Fiction: 5 post-war novels required for the Contemporary Literatures in English colloquium Poetry: Angelou, Maya Ashbery, John Baraka, Amiri Berryman, John Bishop, Elizabeth Bly, Robert Brooks, Gwendolyn Corso, Gregory Duncan, Robert Ginsberg, Allen Harjo, Joy Jarrell, Randall Lowell, Robert O Hara, Frank Olson, Charles Plath, Sylvia Roethke, Theodore Sexton, Anne Snyder, Gary Song, Cathy Warren, Robert Pen Drama: Albee, Edward: Zoo Story, Who s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Hansberry, Lorraine: A Raisin in the Sun Mamet, David Alan: American Buffalo, House of Games, Glengarry Glen Ross Miller, Arthur: Death of a Salesman, After the Fall Shepard, Sam: Buried Child, True West, The Tooth of Crime Williams, Tennessee: A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Night of the Iguana Wilson, August: Fences, Ma Rainey s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson 6

7 Recommended Bibliography Abádi-Nagy, Zoltán Válság és komikum: A hatvanas évek amerikai regénye. Budapest: Magvető. Abádi-Nagy, Zoltán Az amerikai minimalista próza. Budapest: Argumentum. Abádi-Nagy, Zoltán Mai amerikai regénykalauz, Budapest: Intera. Abádi-Nagy, Zoltán Világregény regényvilág: amerikai íróinterjúk. Orbis Litterarum. Debrecen: Kossuth Egyetemi Kiadó. Bal, Mieke. (1985) Narratology. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Beach, Christopher The Cambridge Introduction to Twentieth-Century American Poetry. Cambridger: Cambridge University Press. Bertens, Hans Literary Theory: The Basics. London and New York: Randon House. Bényei, Tamás Apokrif iratok: Mágikus realista regényekről. Orbis Litterarum. Debrecen: Kossuth Egyetemi Kiadó. Bényei, Tamás Az ártatlan ország: Az angol regény 1945 után. Debrecen: Kossuth: Egyetemi Kiadó. Bollobás, Enikő Az amerikai irodalom története. Budapest: Osiris. Bradbury, Malcolm. (1992) The Modern American Novel. Oxford and New York: Penguin Books Ltd. Bradbury, Malcolm. (1993) The Modern British Novel, London: Penguin Books. Corcoran, Neil English Poetry Since London and N. Y.: Longman. Corcoran, Neil. (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Twentieth-Century English Poetry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Goldie, Terry Fear and Temptation. Montreal, London and Buffalo: McGill-Queen s University Press. Habib, M. A. R A History of Literary Criticism and Theory. Oxford: Blackwell. Habib, M. A. R Modern Literary Theory: A History. New York and London: Blackwell Publishing House. Hutcheon, Linda. (1988) A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction. New York and London: Routledge. Imhof, Rüdiger The Modern Irish Novel. Dublin: Wolfhound. Leitch, Vincent B. (ed.) The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. New York: Norton and Company. Loomba, Ania. (1998) Colonialism/Postcolonialism. London and New York: Routledge. Mills, Ralph J Essays on Poetry. USA: Dalkey Archives Press. Moers, Ellen Literary Women. New York: Oxford University Press. Országh, László and Virágos, Zsolt Az amerikai irodalom története. Budapest: Eötvös József. Rainwater, Catherine and Scheick, William J. (eds.) Contemporary American Women Writers: Narrative Strategies. Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. Reynolds, Guy Twentieth Century American Women s Fiction: A Critical Introduction. London: Macmillan Press Ltd. Rice, Philip and Waugh, Patricia. (eds.) (1991) Modern Literary Theory: A Reader. London: Edward Arnold. Sarbu, Aladár The Study of Literature. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. Singh, Amritjit and Schmidt, Peter. (eds.) Postcolonial Theory and the United States: Race, Ethnicity and Literature. Jackson: University of Mississippi. Virágos, Zsolt A négerség és az amerikai irodalom. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. 7

8 Waugh, Patricia Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction. London and New York: Methuen and Co. Ltd. Waugh, Patricia Practising Postmodernism/Reading Modernism. London and New York: Edward Arnold. III. Culture 1. Matthew Arnold: Culture and Anarchy (Chapter I, available online) Clifford Geertz: Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight Raymond Williams: Culture is Ordinary 2. Paul Ward. Britishness since Routledge. London, (Chapter 6: A New Way of Being British: Ethnicity and Britishness, pp ) The Fifth Force: Multiculturalism and the English Canadian Identity Author(s): Patricia E. Roy Source: Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 538, Being and Becoming Canada (Mar., 1995), pp Of Every Hue and Caste : Race, Immigration, and Perceptions of Pluralism.Peter I. Rose Source: Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 530, Interminority Affairs in the U. S.: Pluralism at the Crossroads (Nov., 1993), pp The Bill of Rights (available online) Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: Federalism, Nationalism, and Democracy in America Author(s): Samuel H. Beer Source: The American Political Science Review, Vol. 72, No. 1 (Mar., 1978), pp Cullen, Jim. The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation. Oxford University Press, (11-132) 6. Required reading: Isbister, John. The Immigration Debate: Remaking America. Kumarian Press (pp ) 7. Excerpts from the Oxford Companion to British History 8. Moorman, John R. H. A History of the Church in England. Morehouse Gorham Co. New York (pp , ) 9. No required readings 10. Rothkop, David: In Praise of Cultural Imperialism? Effects of Globalization on Culture Barber, Benjamin R.: Jihad vs. McWorld Huntington, Samuel: The Clash of Civilizations 8