Regardless of which of the above approaches and their respective methods for inquiry and knowledge building, if Cultural Studies is at least about gaining greater understanding of the other, and thereby ourselves, then the academic discipline is as important today as ever; and this overarching concern--understanding--can anchor any one or a combination of emphases.
This means that to understand others through different disciplines or themes requires the perspectives and methods appropriate to those along with whatever specific content is chosen in the name of culture or Culture. That is, some disciplinary or interdisciplinary ways of understanding must exist or be taught along side of who these people are, where they live, and why it is important to know something about them. Students need knowledge and sound methodology in order to slice through the thickets of culture.
This two-tiered approach is sometimes daunting if the discourse is in a second language, since primary sources and public discourse are always in a people's own language. Admittedly, much today is available in English, plus one can often access facts and information about another culture or people in one's own language. But although facts and information are important, alone they are not enough. Factual information always begs the question of so what. Some scaffolding for knowledge and understanding needs to be built to hold raw data. And these scaffolds are more and more available in one's native language through different departments in institutions of higher learning, the library and bookstores, and the Internet.
Gaining greater understanding of the other, and thereby ourselves, is what we can agree on as the why for Cultural Studies, but to what end? The application of understanding is communication, or more accurately it is interaction involving what we know and the successful transmission-reception of same. The foundation for this is literacy, cultural literacy.
Literacy as not just the structure of the language and its vocabulary, but also broad and shared knowledge. When it comes to understanding the other, we need to know a lot of what they know. Shared contexts inform our words and deeds. Cultural literacy then is the names, phrases, events, artifacts, and other items that are familiar to the natives allowing them to communicate, work, and live together. What constitutes this body of knowledge? and if it can be listed and defined, will it help the outsider discover the other? Yes. This is the contention here.
Cultural studies is then information about people and peoples and their places. It is about history, arts, artifacts, and the values and themes they are concerned about. Cultural studies is also about their place in the world developmentally and relationally. Not finally, Cultural Studies is about the unique ways people and a people communicate among themselves and with others in their language.
How does one learn this stuff of the essence of what it is to be of and from one nation or group other than one's own? Admittedly, no one class or course or field of study will provide the whole picture. But the study of ourselves and others can take a middle yet practical road, and one specific to future teachers of English.
Briefly.
- In order to have basic and shared knowledge of a people or country, one must know what they know (cultural literacy).
- In order to understand their current place and development, one must know their past (geography and history).
- In order to access the native culture in its own words, one must hear or read its memorable words and know which it considers representative and important (literature and writing).
- In order to assess what the other values, one must examine what they say about what they do, or what their artifacts are (cultural insights).
- And in order to acquire an attitude of constant consciousness about language to be learned or taught, one must experience as much of the target/native language as possible (language studies).
