Abstract
In this paper, I discuss the value of teaching Turkish culture discretely either in the target language or in English within an interdisciplinary framework, which is largely missing in the US higher education. For language learners, this could highly contribute to their comprehension of the culture that feeds its language, and motivate them to appreciate the true value of learning about that culture at a deeper level. Non-language learners could also benefit from being introduced to the basics of a different value system through an interdisciplinary approach regardless of their interest in learning the language itself. Through class observations, surveys and conversations with my students, I argue that teaching Turkish culture from a holistic perspective by covering history, religion, literature, media, cinema, art, etc. in a single course should be an essential component of a language program. Given that few courses solely on Turkey are offered at the university level despite Turkey’s growing visibility in world affairs, such an interdisciplinary course introducing the basic elements in Turkish culture is deemed more essential than ever. This study is expected to complement language teaching literature by encouraging to incorporate culture into it as individual instruction using some novel strategies based on experimental experiences. It will also offer a comprehensive approach to developing a Turkish Language program with solid cultural foundations.
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