ABSTRACT

In this paper, I examined how discourses about English and European/Western ways of speaking, doing, and being have been taken up in the literature curriculum and the books students are required to read. I conducted a critical content analysis of both the literature curriculum in addition to required books for students. I found that Ghanaian languages and cultures in the required books are either under-represented or inauthentically represented, even in books written by Ghanaian authors. Because students are also mainly assessed on their ability to recognize literary devices in the books they read, the curriculum fails to encourage students to critically engage with the content they read. In this paper, I argue that because Ghanaian students do not see themselves, their languages, and their own cultures in assigned books, the curriculum—rather than disrupt—reinforces an English language hegemony to the disadvantage of Ghanaian ways of speaking, doing, and being.

摘要

在这篇论文中，我研究了关于英语和欧洲/西方说话、做事和存在方式的话语是如何被纳入文学课程和学生需要阅读的书籍中的。除了学生必读的书籍外，我还对文学课程进行了批判性内容分析。我发现所需书籍中的加纳语言和文化要么代表性不足，要么不真实，即使在加纳作者撰写的书籍中也是如此。因为学生也主要评估他们在阅读的书中识别文学设备的能力，课程未能鼓励学生批判性地参与他们阅读的内容。在这篇论文中，我认为由于加纳学生在分配的书籍中看不到自己、他们的语言和他们自己的文化，