Using Movies to Improve Cultural Awareness: A Case Study of the Movie Legally Blonde

Kitai Kim 영상영어교육학회 2006 영상영어교육 (STEM journal) Vol.7 No.2

It is a generally accepted principle that language and culture are interconnected. Improving cultural awareness of the target language implies that one develops an increased appreciation of English which promotes fluency. Accordingly, this paper shows how the use of movies can improve intercultural awareness at the university level by focusing on the cultural material that appear in the movie Legally Blonde. The theoretical approach of this study uses Moran's (2001) experiential notion of "cultural experience" as a model for the teaching of culture. The merits of using movies in the English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom include the notion that the use of movies provides a realistic view of English speaking societies and that the inclusion of movies in ESL/EFL courses is a practical way of providing students with a stimulating and entertaining method of improving cultural awareness. The paper concludes that the use of movies in the ESL/EFL classroom increases student interest in English as well as raise awareness of American culture.

John Donne : The Metaphysical Preacher

Kitai Kim 한국중앙영어영문학회 2009 영어영문학연구 Vol.51 No.3

John Donne is well known in English literature as the founder of the metaphysical poets. When Donne was ordained a priest in the Church of England in 1615 he continued to use the metaphysical conceit in his sermons and theology by “yoking together” the Calvinist and Arminian positions regarding the doctrine of grace. The Church of England was decided Calvinist under King James I but moved toward the Arminian view of theology when Charles I ascended to the throne. Calvinist and Arminians argue as to whether the grace that is offer by God can or cannot be resisted by man. By dividing grace into two parts, Donne maintained that prevenient grace could not be resisted but that subsequent grace could be resisted and required human effort to work in concert with prevenient grace. Donne also maintained a moderate Calvinist conformity by adding that God does not force men to receive His grace but compels them to answer his call by drawing them with an inward call. Donne’s sermons and theology can therefore be seen as a moderate approach to the Calvinist and Arminian theological positions in order to find a solution to the question of the concurrence of the grace of God and the free will of man.

Donne, Calvin, and Massa Damnata

Kitai Kim 한국중앙영어영문학회 2011 영어영문학연구 Vol.53 No.4

During the early 1620’s, the Church of England was the site of escalating religious conflict between the Calvinists and the Arminians. The Arminians and William Laud, the Bishop of Bath and Welles, were gaining power during this period while the Calvinists were growing out of favor with Charles I. The Arminians and Laudians articulated a position on free will and grace that was opposed to the Calvinist doctrines of election and limited atonement that was reflected in the English Church’s Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. As an ordained priest and later the Dean of St. Paul’s, Donne was often divided between theological straits in regard to such religious doctrines but did not waver in regard to the doctrine of original sin. Borrowing from Augustine, Donne labeled humanity as massa damnata (the mass of the damned) in reference to the sinful nature of mankind. But more radical than the Augustinian view of the nature of man, Donne reflected a more Calvinistic view of mankind in the form of total depravity. Though Donne held doctrinal positions that were associated with Arminian as well as Calvinist doctrines, he firmly upheld in his Sermons, the Calvinist doctrine of total depravity and humanity’s inability to contribute to the process of salvation.

A Feminist Critique of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: Sexual Politics and Language as Power

Kitai Kim 한국중앙영어영문학회 2006 영어영문학연구 Vol.48 No.2

A critique of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? reveals language that may be viewed as anti-feminist. The language used by the male characters in the play is patriarchal, hierarchical, and phallocentric in nature and reflects their desire to control and dominate women. Hence, the language used by the female characters reflects their desire to challenge the patriarchal, hierarchical and phallocentric notions of society by using phallocentric language, seduction, and by neutralizing the phallus. The language used by both sexes is therefore political because it is used to exert power and to control the opposite sex. The patriarchal nature of the play is depicted by the power and influence associated with Martha’s father. The patriarch’s power and influence permeates and controls George and Martha’s lives. The hierarchical nature of the play is reflected in the relationships between the men in the play. It is a relationship based on privilege, force, and authority. Power is transferred from Martha’s father to George and from George to Nick. And finally, the phallocentric nature of the play is represented in the language used by both the male and female characters. The influence of phallocentrism is deeply ingrained in the psyche of the men and women in the play and both sexes use language that alludes to the power associated with the phallus.

Teaching Awareness of African American Culture: A case study of the movie crash and do right thing

KIM KITAI 영상영어교육학회 2007 영상영어교육 (STEM journal) Vol.8 No.2

Hollywood films have historically portrayed African Americans in a negative manner. Because Hollywood films are distributed and seen around the world, many cultures and societies have been subjected to the same negative depiction of African Americans. This study attempts to examine how African Americans are viewed by Koreans and how Hollywood films may or may not have contributed to those views. The study examines many of the common negative stereotypes that continue to be presented in Hollywood movies such as Paul Haggis' Crash (2004) and Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989). The study proposes that most Korean students maintain a negative impression of African Americans even though they have not had personal contact with them. The study proposes that this phenomenon is linked in part to the negative portrayal of African Americans in Hollywood movies. The study suggests methods for identifying and teaching the awareness of the negative stereotypes presented in Hollywood films in order to improve the cultural awareness of African American culture.

계층형 및 네트워크형 지식지도의 사용자 관점 성능 비교

장기태 ( Kitai Jang ),유기동 ( Keedong Yoo ) 한국지식경영학회 2021 지식경영연구 Vol.22 No.3

지식지도는 상호참조적 네비게이션 방식의 지식 탐색, 즉 내용적 연관성을 갖는 연관지식에 대한 교차적이고 순차적인 검색 및 조회를 지원할 수 있어야 한다. 본 연구는 계층형 및 네트워크형 지식지도 중 어떤 유형의 지식지도가 문제 풀이에 필요한 지식 탐색을 지원하는 데에 우월한 성능을 나타내는가를 사용자 관점에서 규명하는 테스트를 수행한다. 테스트 결과, 정답률을 이용하여 파악한 효과성과 문제 풀이 완료시간 및 참고 문서 수를 이용하여 파악한 효율성 모두 네트워크형 지식지도가 우월한 성능을 보임이 확인되었다. 본 연구에서 규명한 네트워크형 지식지도를 이용한 지식 검색 및 조회 방식의 우월성은 보다 사용자 친화적이고 합리적인 지식서비스 개발에 응용될 수 있다. A knowledge map should be able to support the referential navigation of knowledge inquiries, i.e., cross- and sequential searches and queries on content relevance-based associated knowledge. This study performs a user-oriented test to verify which type of knowledge map, hierarchical or networked, exhibits superior performance in supporting knowledge inquiries required for problem solving. Both the effectiveness identified by the correct answer rate and the efficiency identified by the number of completion time and reference documents have been revealed superior performance in the networked knowledge map. This study’s result can underpin the basic steps to develop more user-friendly and reasonable knowledge services.

Cultural Configuration and Organizational Performance: A Quantitative Approach

Akira Kitai,Tadao Kagono 한국인사조직학회 1997 한국인사ㆍ조직학회 발표논문집 Vol.14 No.-

Asian Americans in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle: The Perpetual Foreigners

KIM KITAI 한국중앙영어영문학회 2013 영어영문학연구 Vol.55 No.1

More Asians and Asian American actors and actresses continue to appear in Hollywood films. However, many Hollywood films still portray Asians and Asian Americans in a negative manner as unassimilable and unacculturated minorities regardless of their generational status or fluency with the English language. This study examines the types of relationships that the two main Asian characters (Korean and Indian) in the film, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (Leiner, 2004), have with the other characters in the film and how these relationships reveal and highlight their inability to become assimilated into the dominant white American culture. The study also attempts to show how their inability to become assimilated affects their self-identity, attitude towards other co-ethnics, relationship with non-Asians, and romantic interests. The study maintains that though the stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans are changing, the stereotypes still reflect Asians and Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners living in the United States.

The Effectiveness of Using Films and Documentaries in the EAP Classroom to Teach Contemporary Political Discourse

KIM KITAI 영상영어교육학회 2018 영상영어교육 (STEM journal) Vol.19 No.4

This article examines the effectiveness of using films and documentaries to teach topics related to weapons proliferation as well as the use of small arms and light weapons in the English for academic purposes (EAP) classroom. The use of films and documentaries is intended to supplement the course textbook and lectures to help students improve content knowledge and communicative competence in a course called Contemporary Political Discourse. The study uses the films Charlie Wilson’s War and Lord of War to examine the global proliferation of weapons as well as Michael Moore’s documentary Bowling for Columbine to examine the issues of small arms and light weapons in America. This study builds on prior research that highlights the difficulties students face when transitioning from high school EFL classes to the conceptually dense prose in EAP content courses at the university level. The study presents methods of utilizing documentary and films to teach the course material using film clips, film scripts, and class discussions. Based on the results of student surveys, the study concludes that films are an effective resource to teach content as well as improve communicative competence for students who are unaccustomed to an EAP setting in a global program in Korea.

Using Film to Teach Cultural Diversity and Identity

KIM KITAI 한국중앙영어영문학회 2015 영어영문학연구 Vol.57 No.3

This study examines how English language ability and skills can be improved by using film to teach, illustrate, and supplement courses on the subject of cultural identity, cultural diversity, and cultural theory. The study uses research conducted by Pyke and Dang (2003) and Kim (2013a) as the basis for how films can be used to demonstrate how Asian Americans exhibit internalized racism toward other coethnics by denigrating them as either “FOB” (Fresh off the boat) or “Whitewashed” in order to situate themselves in the bi-cultural middle of the acculturation continuum. The study examines how Asians and Asian Americans perpetuate the ideology of the dominant class in America that identifies Asian Americans as either perpetual foreigners or as too assimilate by giving up their “Asianness” through the use of “disidentifier” to deflect their stigmatized status. The paper maintains that the attempt by Asian Americans to straddle the bi-cultural middle is a disciplinary practice in the Foucauldian sense to deflect the status of a stigmatized status rather than as an act of acculturation or assimilation into the mainstream society. The study maintains that the plot, scenes, and dialogue in the film can help facilitate understanding of American cultural hegemony and ideology on the creation of an ascribed Asian American identity.