在跨文化比较中培养思辨能力——“中西文明比较”课堂教学案例分析

Cultivating Critical Thinking Skills in Cross-cultural Comparisons ——A Case Study of the Teaching Experiment of the Course Western Civilization with Chinese Comparisons

思辨能力和跨文化交际能力培养是目前高等院校英语专业教学改革的重要议题。本文认为,这两种能力相互关联,相互促进,可以通过课堂教学实现同步发展。本文以北京外国语大学英语学院开设的"中西文明比较"课程教学为案例,基于学生的教学反馈,从课程内容、材料选择、课程设计、课堂活动等几个方面,探讨该课程如何通过跨文化比较的方式在培养学生跨文化能力的同时有效提高学生的思辨能力,以期对英语专业知识课程的教学改革提供具有普遍意义的借鉴。

The cultivation of critical thinking and inter-cultural communication skills has now become a major goal in the recent English major teaching reforms in Chinese universities. Cultivating cross-cultural awareness through cultural comparison is an effective way to enhance students＇ critical thinking skills. It has been successfully used in the course Western Civilization with Chinese Comparisons, opened in the School of English and International Studies in Beijing Foreign Studies University. Through some effective teaching cases and students＇ questionnaires, this paper examines how critical thinking skills have been cultivated in this course through cultural comparison in the perspectives of the course contents, teaching materials, curriculum design and class activities in the teaching experiments.