For the past few years, I have been teaching a Sogo Eigo (General English) course to third-year students majoring in international relations at a Japanese public university. On accepting this post, I was given little direction concerning the content and objectives for the course, except that it would be desirable for students to study ﾒcurrent eventsﾓ and, particularly, strengthen listening and discussion skills.
Classes meet for 90 minutes once a week over an academic year of 30 weeks. Approximately 40 students among the more than 50 enrolled attend. Class size is not the only challenge as the range of English proficiency is vast (TOEIC score estimates range from roughly 300 to 800 or higher).
In developing material suited to wide curricular parameters and diverse English levels, I turned to authentic videos that examine enduring social problems. The most proficient students are often the most committed to regular attendance and active participation, and they desire to work with such materials while extending their English language skills. The least proficient also have interest in topics of global significance but are overwhelmed by the language demands inherent in authentic listening materials. To help them, the teacher must make linguistic input comprehensible and discussion tasks manageable. In this paper, I will show some ways I have tried to meet these requirements without forsaking serious content. They include a contextualization activity, pre-viewing, viewing and post-viewing activities, and a reflection quiz.
Focus on Women in Pakistan
Since approximately two-thirds of the students are female, there is considerable interest in the roles of women in society. Collecting English language videos portraying lifestyles and challenges of contemporary American women that can be adapted to the learning requirements of these students proved relatively easy. However, featuring only this type of material invites a common perception that American women are generally quite liberated while Japanese women remain under numerous social constraints. Sensing this bipolar conception to be inadequate to developing a broader internationalist perspective, I have sought material that portrays the status of women in the context of still another society.
A documentary video originally produced in 1990 for an American television network (source unavailable) purports to describe the social role of women in Pakistan. Using excerpts from this, I expected I could provide students with a rich language experience by exposure to, what is for them, the unfamiliar variety of world English spoken by educated Pakistanis while also extending their knowledge and impressions to include women in an equally unfamiliar social setting.
Subsequent critical viewings of this material, however, raised a number of concerns regarding both content and language. The focus of the documentary is on treatment of women under Islamic Shariat law. Claims made therein include the following: domestic violence is legally tolerated; elementary civil rights are routinely denied; and, arbitrary arrests and prolonged pre-trial detention occur for suspected violation of the "zina ordinance," the law which designates adultery and fornication as crimes against the state punishable by death by stoning.(1) Pakistani government officials and intellectuals who repudiate these practices are interviewed at length as are several victims of such inhumane abuses. No counter arguments by Muslim clerics or others supporting such customs and laws are presented. This one-sided view seriously diminishes any educational potential to be found in the documentary as is.
Although well above tabloid standards of journalism, the production is riddled with judgmental language such as the following:
Narrator: The life of the Pakistani woman is among the most oppressive in the world....Change comes slowly in this land of ancient tradition....Case in point: the village of Machiwali. The elders of the village did not want our camera crew to film in the village and for good reason. (reference unavailable)
Following this is an example of a 16-year-old girl who refused the marriage proposal of a much older man in the village and how she was forcibly removed from her home by a group of the man's male relatives one night while her father was away. Three of them raped her. Her mother reported the rape to the police. Days passed. No investigation occurred. The report continues:
Narrator: Finally, a bizarre compromise was reached. The men came forward on bended knees and said they were sorry.
Interviewer: You say the men have apologized? But, are apologies enough?
Parents: This has to be enough.
Narrator: In the end, tribal justice prevailed over gang rape.
The scene then shifts to an interview in the office of a women's rights attorney, "an occupation almost unheard of in Pakistan" according to the narrator. This woman attorney states outright that incidents such as recounted above are an everyday occurrence in Pakistan.
This documentary arguably elucidates the cultural values of its American producers as much as those of mainstream Pakistani society. On the other hand, it can be argued that such blatant violation of women's rights cannot ever be tolerated by appeal to any cultural or religious tradition and, therefore, is a matter which deserves outright condemnation.
The problem inherent in this documentary may be common to many other English language telecasts that attempt to observe social and cultural practices unfamiliar to a Western audience. I will outline in this article some steps I have taken in presenting this video over two class sessions addressing the following areas: cultural differences, world English, and judgmental language. My intention is to compensate for any one-sided judgment while at the same time recognizing the realities often faced by Pakistani women.
Developing a Context
I customarily begin the class session with a listening-reconstruction exercise based on a brief news article or book excerpt. In addition to the language learning exercise of listening to a message and reconstructing it according to what was heard and understood and phrasing that reconstruction with grammatical accuracy, the student writes a comment or reaction to the topic.
Students fold a sheet of paper into three equal sections and label them memo, reconstruction, and comment from top to bottom. I then read the text (50-70 words) three times at a speed faster than "dictation," but slower than a newscast. During my first reading, students write key phrases or ideas in the memo section. After a one-minute pause, I begin the second reading. In this stage, students attend to the structure of sentences in the text. This is followed by a five-minute pause during which students attempt to reproduce as much of the text as they can in the reconstruction section. Less proficient students are expected to convey, within the limits of their interlanguage, the basic propositions contained in the text. For the more proficient, the task takes on the character of a Focus-on-Form exercise; they are expected to use their grammatical knowledge to compensate for structure words or inflections they failed to hear. Their goal is to reproduce the text message in syntactically correct sentences. The final reading allows students to review and alter their reconstructions as necessary. They are then provided a three-minute interval before papers are collected in order to write, in English, a reaction to the content of the text in the comment section. The purpose of this last stage is to practice responding to ideas possibly by sharing a related experience, challenging the accuracy or assumptions of the text, or posing relevant questions. At the end of this activity, I provide students with a transcript of the text, encouraging them to note what they may have missed or misunderstood and to follow up on vocabulary they consider useful.
Before showing the Pakistan documentary, the "listening-reconstruction" exercise is based on a report of a former female university professor in Afghanistan protesting to Taliban authorities over dismissal from her post by challenging their claims that such employment of women is contrary to Islamic law. It is my intention here to alert students to the fact that, within Islamic communities, there is dispute over the interpretation of Quranic canons.
Pre-Viewing
After reminding the class that the topic of the listening exercise they just completed was the role of women living under strict enforcement of Islamic law, I introduce the video which examines the effect of such laws as are applied in Pakistan. Responses to questions about what students know about Pakistani culture and Pakistan-Japan relations are usually quite scant. A few students indicate awareness that Pakistan is a developing nation and Islam is the dominant religion. The name of Benazir Bhutto is known to some. Details of inter-governmental relations are unknown, except that Pakistan has been a recipient of Japanese ODA (financial assistance for development). I note that over the years, there has been an influx of Asians illegally entering Japan in search of employment. Many encounter considerable exploitation. Unlike other nationals, however, such migrants from Pakistan appear to be exclusively male. I suggest that perhaps the reason for this may become evident by watching the video.
For the pre-viewing task, students work on the culture comparison chart in small groups (Figure 1). In what is essentially a note-taking exercise, students complete the Japan side by listening to brief comments I make on typical Western perceptions of the five aspects of Japanese culture listed and summarizing them in point form. They are also invited to note in parentheses any misinterpretations they believe I have conveyed. After completing this part, the chart is set aside until after they have viewed the video.
|
Japan |
Pakistan |
| gender inequality (danson-johi) | . |
| protection of women (josei no hogo) | . |
| arranged marriages (omiai kekkon) | . |
| apologies (wabi) | . |
| accepting fate (shikata ga nai) | . |
Figure 1: Culture comparison chart
First Viewing
I then distribute to each group another worksheet to guide their comprehension of the documentary. I present the first viewing of the video, pausing frequently to allow time to write short summaries or responses to open-ended questions. Two such examples are: (1) Explain what happened at the village of Machiwali; and (2) According to this documentary, why did Benazir Bhutto's government not abolish laws that discriminate against women? The task is to retrieve meaning of statements from the commentary, not to consider the validity of those assertions.
After this viewing, groups make entries on the Pakistan side of the culture comparison chart (Figure 1), noting how these aspects of culture are treated in Pakistani society much differently than in Japan, where women are formally recognized as equal to men in court of law, enjoy relative freedom of dress and movement outside the home, and are not forced into marriages arranged during childhood.
The listening-reconstruction exercise, culture comparison chart completion, and guided first viewing comprise the first session on this topic. Focus thus far has been on defining cultural differences and encountering an unfamiliar variety of world English.
Second Viewing
In the following class session, the focus expands to include a recognition of judgmental language and a critical examination of its use. In the second viewing, I present only selected excerpts from the documentary.
First, groups are presented with a list of judgmental words (Figure 2) extracted from two brief stretches of the commentary, all of which carry negative connotations. I also suggest that this is worthwhile vocabulary to learn to use, since most students at some time or other wish to express strong disapproval of, say, a governmental policy or a social practice.
Students listen for each item on the list as it occurs in sequence in the video and, when heard, indicate so by raising their hands. This list appears at the head of a worksheet with space provided to write the sentence in which the word occurs. As a dictation exercise, this may be too challenging for some student since some words occur amid background sounds and others are clearer, and some are spoken by an American narrator, others by a Pakistani interviewee. I provide repetition of the utterance as needed and, from the context, elicit definitions either through English synonyms or Japanese glosses.
| Judgmental WORDS | ||
| oppressive | unfair | slowly |
| ancient | good reason | bizarre |
| tradition | no choice | tribal justice |
| unheard of | improbable | incredible |
| illogical | unreasonable | inhuman |
| discriminate | democratic | rigid |
| unforgiving | hopelessness | radical |
| barbaric | courageously | will not do |
Figure 2: List of judgmental words
Next, students listen to two Pakistani women leaders attempt to account for the attitudes common to women, particularly in rural areas of the country. In contrast to the prior excerpts, the language used here is explanatory and noticeably less judgmental. More than in any other part of this documentary, an appeal is made for understanding, if not acceptance, of the culture.
Concerned with a need to impart a more balanced perspective, I feature prominently these compensatory statements in a way that will be understood by all students in the class. I do this through an identification task which is relatively easy despite the world English variety spoken. Each group is given a list of quotes and indicates which, if either, of the two speakers make statements such as:
I used to be very much against segregation [of women] earlier on but now I'm not so sure. In our closed society, women are apprehensive to go out. It's a big risk.
Wearing a burqa or a veil is [merely?] a cultural thing in Pakistan.
It's that women accept it [sexist oppression] as their fate because they do not see an alternative. What would they do? Where would they go?
I conclude the second viewing by showing two scenes that I believe capture the essence of the roles assumed by different women in contemporary Pakistan and several other Islamic states. First, I write on the board the word resignation, and elicit meanings from the class, writing these as well. I then show the scene that depicts the plight of one young woman:
Narrator: Pakistani society has no tolerance for women who go public with domestic problems. Today, frail and sick, Nehru lives here at this government shelter. At age 16, her chances for a normal life are dismal.
Nehru: My family has been of no help to me. They threatened me and, if they had a chance, they would try to kill me. I'm very tired of running away. The only path I see in front of me is suicide.
Narrator: For those who have fled, there is little anger, only resignation.
Next, I write the word determination and elicit meanings before showing the final closing scene of this documentary, which is an exchange between the American interviewer and the Pakistani women's rights attorney:
Interviewer: Does it give you a sense of hopelessness or a sense of determination?
Attorney: I think a sense of anger and a feeling to fight back. I have to believe that, eventually, what we are fighting for will result in a better society.
I conclude by encouraging the class to reflect on two questions: Isn't life a balancing act between resignation and determination? Which do you believe leads to greater satisfaction? I also speculate that few Pakistani women migrate to Japan because their society does not allow them to make that choice.
Post-Viewing
The group discussion in this section should allow for many ideas to be exchanged. However, most students are overwhelmed by the number of assertions in the documentary, and perhaps at a loss as to how to define crucial issues, not to mention difficulties of vocabulary and phrasing in exchanging moral opinions in English.
I begin by introducing a statement-pairing exercise to help clarify alternative perspectives and provide language useful to convey the views they may wish to express. As I have noted previously, the documentary may be regarded as rather one-sided in its judgment. To compensate, I selected about a dozen statements from the commentary, transcribed them, and printed them on cards. I then constructed statements of opposing viewpoints and printed these on cards in a contrasting typeface (Figure 3).
| Assertions implied in the documentary | Possible counter-assertions |
| Human rights are moral absolutes, not relatives. (What is right is right; what is wrong is wrong. This cannot change according to time and place.) | Human rights are moral relatives, not absolutes. What is right and what is wrong change according to time and place. |
| The life of Pakistani women is among the most oppressive in the world. | Probably most Pakistani women feel reasonably satisfied with their everyday lives. |
| Some Pakistani women have shown great courage by confronting the government and protesting unjust laws. | Some Pakistani women participate in protests against the laws because they are encouraged to do so by some foreigners who want to destabilize the government of that country. |
| It is the moral duty of people in developed countries who enjoy a high level of human rights to help women in Pakistan in their struggle against oppression as much as we possibly can. | People in developed countries should show an attitude of respect and tolerance for cultures that are different from their own. |
Figure 3: Examples from statement-pairing exercise
Each group of students is given a full set of contrasting statements to sort and pair opposites. They then select which statements they most prefer to discuss. To further facilitate exchange of opinions, students are referred to a list of "discussion strategies" provided earlier in the course. This list identifies moves, with appropriate English language phrases, such as stating reasons, requesting clarification, refuting, or offering counter-argument. Toward the end of this second class session, each group notes on its worksheet which statements were discussed at length, the opinions that were expressed, and any consensus that was reached.
Reflection and Interpretation
Finally, a homework quiz (Figure 4) is assigned to encourage further reflection and assessment on this viewing-discussing experience.
|
1. A university teacher is supposed to help students search for truth. It has been suggested to me that the documentary on women in Pakistan, in addition to reflecting American views, might also contain statements that were not true at the time the documentary was made or, if true then, are not accurate now. I do not have enough time to do much research on Pakistan.
2. After watching documentaries like this one on women in Pakistan or reading articles about women in Afghanistan, surely any reasonable person would conclude that women in Japan are treated much better than women in many other countries. Yet, many Japanese women are dissatisfied with options open to them. A few female students have even told me they are so disgusted with Japanese sexist attitudes that they are now concentrating on improving their English in order to find a career opportunity outside Japan. Some people might say that the typical young Japanese woman in the 1990s is unreasonable, too demanding, and has no sense of gratitude.
3. I have often heard the idea: People from one culture should not judge people from a different culture. The documentary used a lot of judgmental language.
4. This documentary was re-broadcast by NHK.
|
Figure 4: Homework quiz
To question 1, most students consider it important that a teacher be able to state at the outset of the presentation who made the documentary and when it was made. If the documentary is dated, as in this case, the teacher ought to provide an update on any change in circumstances. Others suggested that the video merely be presented as is and that they are capable of assessing any biases.
I feel a definite need to point out to students that the documentary was made by people holding certain values for the purpose of articulating their concerns, with corroborating testimony, over conditions that prevail in a society over which they have little influence. Further, I report that my recent contacts with groups that seek to elucidate Islamic tenets (e.g., Ahmadiyya Muslim Students' Organization, Aalim Network), as well as with organizations that monitor human rights observance (e.g, Asia Watch, Amnesty International) indicate no material improvement in women's rights in Pakistan over the past several years. In doing so, I share my frustration over difficulty in obtaining precise information about the application of the zina ordinance that is featured so prominently in this documentary.
As stated earlier, this presentation was intended to offer university students who live in Japan a more global perspective of the present status of women. Having presumably done so, question 2a is intended to evoke some assertive language from students attempting to express their arguments in English. While many concede that, in contrast to Pakistani women, young Japanese may seem demanding, the majority forcefully reject the notion of exploiting the condition of women's rights in Pakistan to justify gender discrimination in Japanese society.
Responses to question 3a suggest that most students draw a line between what can be said in private speech among close associates and what may be expressed in public statements. This seems to be consistent with other observations of preferred Japanese behaviour as revealed by the same students in other settings, for example, their explanations for why Japanese hesitate to speak out against a perceived injustice or their disapproval of a politician's statement of discrimination being uttered in public.
Question 3b proved to be very problematic: the documentary depicts the Prime Minister and Minister of Law of the Pakistani government at the time as being truly committed to repealing laws infringing upon women's rights while noting the majority of members of parliament steadfastly refuse to support such measures. Islamic clerics are portrayed as the perpetrators of oppression. Yet students were given information in the listening reconstruction exercise at the beginning of the first class session that there is considerable dissension within the global Islamic community on interpretation of Quranic precepts. Most students attribute the condition of women to the social structure of Pakistan and its deprecation of education for women. This indicates a need for some overt suggestion by the teacher that government, religion, and social structure might all interact to prolong this state of degradation.
Reactions to question 4 generally fall into one of two categories. Some students disapprove of this documentary as a means of building international understanding because it fails to project a positive image of the culture. Others consider it helpful to learn about this nation and its people.
Conclusion
Classroom activities ought to be meaningful and purposeful in content and in foreign language learning goals. A documentary of this nature appraises one culture in terms of standards achieved by another. This poses a considerable dilemma for a teacher who wishes to expose this bias while still recognizing obvious human rights abuses. The onus is to exploit this sort of material in ways that help students broaden their perspective by understanding upon what precepts and available options people of another culture are moved to think and behave as they do. This is not to say that a culture should be presented as a homogeneous entity; rather, diversity of opinion and values within that culture should be recognized.
In terms of language learning, the documentary alternately challenges the more proficient students through its authentic pace of commentary and provides the less proficient with some understandable linguistic input through some deliberately slowed speech (used to convey disbelief) and numerous repetitions. It exposes students to both familiar (American) and unfamiliar (Pakistani) varieties of world English. And it certainly displays widespread use of judgmental language which students need to be able to recognize in order to evaluate other documentaries or news reports critically. Highlighting specific examples of such language supplies a stock of potentially useful vocabulary for students who feel a need to express judgments in English.
At first sight, a documentary such as the one described here might be perceived as much too biased and, therefore, unsuitable for educational use. Yet, by designing learning activities that probe its content and manner, some shortcomings can be converted into teaching assets. It is significant that, while the topic deals with a grim reality, this documentary links the poles of human emotion between resignation and determination, ending on an inspirational note. Isn't this what a teacher should seek when selecting material to explore a social issue?
Note
1. For timely discussions on "zina ordinance," readers with Internet access are referred to the following websites: <http://www.umiacs.umd.edu/users/sawweb/sawnet/index.html> (South Asian Women's NETwork),
<http://www.amnesty.org.uk/ai_pakistan_dec6.html> (Amnesty International),
<http://selena.mcp.com/Library/Struggle/women.html>, and <http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/warraq_17_4.html>.
Islamic organizations that provide general information, including information on the status of women in Islam include: Ahmadiyya Muslim Students' Organization <http://www.utexas.edu/students/amso/>