Teaching the short story to Norwegian high school students : a window into multicultural America

Abstract

The focus of my thesis is on the cultural and historical aspects the short story can offer. Choosing short stories by authors such as Leslie Marmon Silko, Alice Walker and Raymond Carver provides a unique insight into multicultural America. Silko’s stories offer an insight to a part of Native American culture, the Laguna Pueblo. Alice Walker’s short stories portray characters with and African American background, through her stories we are introduced to aspects of American history. Raymond Carver’s stories offer an insight to another part of the American society, we might forget when looking at the multicultural American, the white working class. My thesis further explores the didactic benefits of using short stories as a learning tool when teaching English as a foreign language in Norwegian high schools. In the Norwegian Education plan teachers are encouraged to use literature as a learning tool. The purpose would not only be to expand students’ grammatical skills and vocabulary, but also to expand their cultural understanding. I have offered a variety of short stories in order for students to discover the multicultural America, and in doing so breaking down stereotypical ideas of different cultures within the American society.