The incorporation of multicultural content in to English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) instruction is discussed. First, the international role of English is examined, and the sociopolitical nature of language is reviewed. Cultural components of language learning are noted in the areas of discourse, appropriateness of usage, paralinguistics (body language, suprasegmental language features), pragmatics, and development of cognitive-academic language proficiency. The traditional ESL approach that assumes cultural assimilation as a primary objective is brought into question, and the debate over incorporation of western and non-western culture into ESL curricula is reviewed. Textbook selection is also discussed here. Finally, four approaches for integrating multicultural content into course syllabuses (contributions, additive, transformation, and social action) are described and guidelines are offered to teachers for successful implementation of such curriculum changes in the classroom. These address perceptions of the teacher's role, gathering of adequate background information, classroom language usage, inclusion and portrayal of diverse racial and ethnic groups, selection of teaching materials, awareness of student developmental needs and perceptions, and intercultural cooperation. Contains 27 references. (MSE)