Perspectives of the English Department Professors of the Hashemite University on Anglo-American Literature and Culture: A Pedagogic Stance.

The major concern of this study is to simultaneously dissect and scrutinize English Language and Literature professors' feedback on the various literature and culture courses taught in the Department of English at the Hashemite University, Jordan, and by doing so, the researchers hope to reorganize the kind of literature that is mostly appropriate to be taught to its students and the best academic practices to instruct it. In its attempt to do so, the study complements former studies conducted by the researchers that examined both undergraduate and graduate student responses to this cluster of courses in the department in question. In order to attain the main aim of the study, the researchers developed a questionnaire asking colleagues who teach the literature and culture courses to answer its questions. A total of fifteen professors responded to the questionnaire, which is designed in a way to help the researchers better understand and describe the relationship between nonnative literatures and the Arab students' moral, cultural, political and religious character. A scrupulous scrutiny of their responses revealed that most professors believe that it is more effective for Arab students to learn English in its context in literature in order to avoid alienating them. However, these professors emphasize the important role of professors in helping their students transcend the local and moral interpretations of English literary texts and move on to the commonly more universal readings that build bridges instead of walls among the diverse human cultures and societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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