A subject I enjoy

Since I'm not a student, I can tell you about a subject that I enjoy teaching. I will also cheat a little. I'm not teaching it this semester; I always teach it in the spring.

The subject is British History, Culture and Literature. Well, I'm not British, but I think History is quite fascinating, and I like the topics of Literature and Culture. I'm not a Historian, but rather a Linguist-ESL teacher. However, I did study a lot of History at University, so I feel sufficiently qualified to teach it.

I teach this subject to students of English Pedagogy, and the idea is that they get a general idea of British History and Literature. To be honest, it is all about England: we just don't have time to delve into Scottish, Welsh (or Irish) History and Literature.

The main contents are an overview of the main historical events that have formed England and the English language: the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain, the Vikings, the French/Norman Conquest, the development of the power of the parliamentary system, various important and colorful monarchs and other characters over the centuries, the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, the era of colonial expansion, the Age of Industrialisation, the Victorian Era, World War I, World War II, the loss of Empire, the rise of modern pop culture (the Beatles, etc...)...Well, that's a lot. Of course, we can't forget Shakespeare!

I give the students general ideas, and always make sure to have various students look up various significant historical events, literary works, or historical personages. Then the students have to presentations about what they've researched, thus informing their classmates. Honestly, there are a lot of great videos on Youtube we use, too.

So, I like this class because the subject is just really interesting. I want the students to get a good idea about the environment and events that have formed the English language--which they'll be teaching in the future.