Likay & Lukthung in German : A Case Study of Integrating Thai Art and Culture with Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This article aims to share an experience in using student projects to enhance the skills of foreign language learners and at the same time to integrate their learning process with the preservation of Thai art and culture. Two traditional Thai performing arts, Likay and Phleng Lukthung, were selected in the framework of two projects undertaken by students of Department of German, Silpakorn University. German texts were composed, a Likay performance and a concert of Phleng Lukthung, both in the German language, prepared, rehearsed and presented. The whole process, ranging from the creative writing and translation through the rehearsals to the actual performance at the end, proved to be a successful development of German language skills on the part of these groups of learners while at the same time being supportive of the integration of their knowledge with other disciplines, such as the Thai language, traditional Thai music and dancing. This model of student projects can therefore help to preserve and dissimilate Thai art and culture at an international level and should also be developed further both from creative and academic viewpoints.