Teatime with Miss Liz T-E-A open discussion with Jim Curtis Ph.D Importance of Foreign Languages
Teatime with Miss Liz
English - February 09, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 55.6 MBAfter Shows TV & Film Homepage Download Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Coming to the table with Miss Liz is Jim Curtis Ph.D. as we have an open discussion on foreign languages. Why they are not being taught in the education system. A topic that may bring strong opinions and disagreements but a topic that needs awareness. The importance of language. February 9th, 3 PM EST A little on Jim Curtis BIO: Jim Curtis received his BA in German from Vanderbilt University and his Ph.D. in Russian from Columbia University. He taught Russian at the University of Missouri-Columbia for 31 years and is now a Professor Emeritus from that institution. Dr. Curtis is the author of numerous books and articles. His most recent book is "Stalin's Soviet Monastery. A New Interpretation of Russian Politics." His book "The Coherence of the Russian Classics. Essays on the Dynamics of Creativity" will come out in the spring of 2022. While Dr. Curtis was at the University of Missouri, he won numerous teaching awards. His first teaching award came for his outstanding teaching in Russian I, which was one of his favourite courses.
Perhaps because he grew up in a working-class family and was the first person in his family to attend college, he felt a kinship with his students, who often came from small towns in Missouri. This sense of kinship manifested itself in dissatisfaction with the way foreign languages are taught in America. As a result, he developed some radical ideas for Russian--ideas that are applicable to other languages as well.
When people--especially native speakers--teach foreign languages, their basic attitude is, "Here it is--learn it. I can speak it--why can't you?" It's no wonder that American students dislike taking foreign languages, and rapidly forget what they've learned. One word: Surprising
Why? In addition to his expertise in the Russian language and culture, Dr. Curtis is also an expert on popular music and does experimental photography.
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