“Your daughter is as good as a boy” - Learning critical theory and fundamental values through J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace in English-learning classrooms in Sweden
(2020) ÄEND04 20192Educational Sciences
- Abstract
- Teachers in Sweden are instructed not just to teach their subject but also fundamental values. However, educators are given no guidelines as to how to do this. It therefore becomes relevant to research how language teachers can use literary works in school to ensure that students acquire knowledge about themes found in the curriculum, thus combining an important part from the subject’s contents with the democratic mission. Accordingly, this essay has analysed the character Lucy Lurie in J.M. Coetzee’s novel Disgrace (1999), through three critical theory concepts: the male gaze, heteropatriarchy and patriarchal ideology. The main question this essay sought to answer was how this work of fiction could be used in the English-learning... (More)
- Teachers in Sweden are instructed not just to teach their subject but also fundamental values. However, educators are given no guidelines as to how to do this. It therefore becomes relevant to research how language teachers can use literary works in school to ensure that students acquire knowledge about themes found in the curriculum, thus combining an important part from the subject’s contents with the democratic mission. Accordingly, this essay has analysed the character Lucy Lurie in J.M. Coetzee’s novel Disgrace (1999), through three critical theory concepts: the male gaze, heteropatriarchy and patriarchal ideology. The main question this essay sought to answer was how this work of fiction could be used in the English-learning classroom in order to combine language learning with the learning of fundamental values found in the Swedish upper secondary school’s curriculum. Hopefully, the findings will inspire teachers on how to teach this novel in combination with the curriculum, and thereby merge the two-sided mission teachers have. Previous scholars have analysed Disgrace through different perspectives, but how to use Disgrace in schools in Sweden has not been explored heretofore. A close reading of four chosen excerpts from the novel was conducted as the essay’s method, and what became apparent was that with the help from critical theory, an analysis of Lucy Lurie can highlight instances of gender discrimination and discrimination because of sexual orientation in the novel. These themes could then be connected to fundamental values in the curriculum. Scholars have claimed that understanding fictional characters’ trials and tribulations can aid readers’ understanding of the real world. Lending support from that statement, this essay aimed to show how Disgrace can be utilised to teach students about discrimination taking place around them, or indeed happening to them, thus teaching them about central values found in the curriculum. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9004452
- author
- Lundborg, Ellen LU
- supervisor
-
- Ellen Turner LU
- organization
- course
- ÄEND04 20192
- year
- 2020
- type
- L3 - Miscellaneous, Projetcs etc.
- subject
- keywords
- Disgrace, critical theory, the male gaze, heteropatriarchy, patriarchal ideology, Swedish upper secondary school.
- language
- English
- id
- 9004452
- date added to LUP
- 2022-11-21 13:52:41
- date last changed
- 2022-11-21 13:52:41
@misc{9004452,
abstract = {{Teachers in Sweden are instructed not just to teach their subject but also fundamental values. However, educators are given no guidelines as to how to do this. It therefore becomes relevant to research how language teachers can use literary works in school to ensure that students acquire knowledge about themes found in the curriculum, thus combining an important part from the subject’s contents with the democratic mission. Accordingly, this essay has analysed the character Lucy Lurie in J.M. Coetzee’s novel Disgrace (1999), through three critical theory concepts: the male gaze, heteropatriarchy and patriarchal ideology. The main question this essay sought to answer was how this work of fiction could be used in the English-learning classroom in order to combine language learning with the learning of fundamental values found in the Swedish upper secondary school’s curriculum. Hopefully, the findings will inspire teachers on how to teach this novel in combination with the curriculum, and thereby merge the two-sided mission teachers have. Previous scholars have analysed Disgrace through different perspectives, but how to use Disgrace in schools in Sweden has not been explored heretofore. A close reading of four chosen excerpts from the novel was conducted as the essay’s method, and what became apparent was that with the help from critical theory, an analysis of Lucy Lurie can highlight instances of gender discrimination and discrimination because of sexual orientation in the novel. These themes could then be connected to fundamental values in the curriculum. Scholars have claimed that understanding fictional characters’ trials and tribulations can aid readers’ understanding of the real world. Lending support from that statement, this essay aimed to show how Disgrace can be utilised to teach students about discrimination taking place around them, or indeed happening to them, thus teaching them about central values found in the curriculum.}},
author = {{Lundborg, Ellen}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{“Your daughter is as good as a boy” - Learning critical theory and fundamental values through J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace in English-learning classrooms in Sweden}},
year = {{2020}},
}