Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Social Sciences, Humanities and Education
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Fictional Texts as Paths for Self-Discovery and Critical Thinking
Corina-Mihaela Ghetie
ABSTRACT:
Based on my teaching experience at Georgia State University, Perimeter College, I will share various lessons related to the benefits of incorporating classical literature in the teaching of writing and composition classes. Fictional texts have the potential to equip readers with fundamental knowledge about themselves and others. Students’ critical thinking skills improve because of the exposure to certain ideas that invite hospitable interactions and nurture goodness, beauty, and truth. Students can gain insights into the mysterious threads that keep people connected and discover new avenues for social interaction. Fictional texts empower students to acknowledge the enriching gift of true dialogue and the unquestionable value of others in their life. Through literature, students understand the power of words and learn how to properly use them, to clearly articulate sophisticated ideas. Given the contemporary dangerous trend of self-absorption and social alienation, due to social media and the misuse of Artificial Intelligence tools, the proper exposure to fictional text can heal psychological wounds and open new avenues of self-discovery and hospitable encounters, meant to prepare students for academic, professional, and social success. The teaching process must not be(come) an empty, theoretical, and abstract construct. On the contrary, it should be based on theories of encounter and their applicability in real-life situations. From Chekhov’s Man in a Case to the Sci-Fi short film, Perfectly Natural, literature can create a support system for the encounter of the self with the other, by moving beyond mentalities of power and hence fulfilling Goethe’s integrative ideal of Weltliteratur.
keywords: Dialogue, Encounter, Literature, Perennial Values, Solitudeis