Understanding and Teaching TV: Sitcoms in the Foreign Language Classroom

A lecture by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hallet and Dr. Judith Hofmann as part of the GCSC lecture series „Key Topics in the Study of Culture“, November 25th, 2013

In the first part of the lecture, an introduction into the format of sitcoms will be presented to the students. Based on Robert J. Thompson’s criteria for Quality TV, the lecture looks at the way sitcoms are made as well as the topics they address. In doing so, a variety of examples will be presented.

The second part of the lecture focuses on the integration of sitcoms into the foreign language classroom. We will talk about the concept of literacies and the topic of competences, and finally, we will provide the students with some concrete teaching ideas.