THE RELEVANCE OF LITERATURE IN ENGLISH TO SCIENCE STUDENTS: THE UNAAB EXPERIENCE

Abstract

In general, literature is valued for aesthetic, didactic, ideological, and socio-cultural reasons. To what extent does the science student need Literature in English? Does he appreciate this need? What are his problems or challenges in the attempt to learn Literature? How can the teaching of  Literature in English   be made more interesting for students whose background is basically in the sciences ? These are some of the questions this paper attempts to answer, drawing upon the experiences of teaching Literature in English at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB), and the responses of UNAAB students to a questionnaire on these issues. Through these, one hopes to find a lasting solution to the apathy of science students towards Literature in English and their consequent poor performance in it and other courses that require the development of language skill.