I wholeheartedly agree with much of your perspective, Bridget, particularly the quote from Han Suyin. You bring up an interesting point: the difference between multicultural and multilingual. It seems that multiculturalism would be instructed in the discipline of Geography and not Languages. I guess it is presumed that if one learns a foreign language that one is also learning about the culture and that is only true to a very limited extent. Multiculturalism, if it is being taught in the subject of Geography, is failing miserably as evidenced by school test scores and knowledge of the general public. Climate and location are intrinsic to any culture. Cultural practices must be taught with meaning and substance. Cultural behavior characteristics, e.g, they eat with chopsticks vs they eat with forks, do not in themselves convey culture but the meaning and history behind them do.

Oddly, I find myself questioning whether *any* culture is instructed in school outside of university.


My conclusions:

1) Multicultural instruction is good.

2) Multilingual instruction is not multicultural instruction.

3) *If * multiculturalism is indeed being taught, *then* its instruction is failing.

4) Multilingual instruction, of one's choice, is desirable if not essential for a global perspective.


michaelo