July 28, 2010
The "man code" - does it cross cultures?
Maybe an interesting discussion topic - comparing the American man code to what's expected in other cultures. This list is extensive and some things are jokes and/or too dirty for most ESL classes but pick say 10 or 15 of them and I think you have a good start. Students can then compare the American rules with expectations in their culture.
You may exaggerate any anecdote told to your friends by 50% without recrimination, beyond that anyone within earshot is allowed to yell out "bullshit!". (exception: when trying to pick up a girl, the allowable exaggeration is 400%)
Under no circumstances may two men share an umbrella.
Before dating a buddy's ex you are required to ask his permission.
The minimum amount of time you have to wait for another man is 5 minutes. The maximum is 6 minutes. For a girl, you are required to wait 10 minutes for every point of hotness she scores on the classic 1-10 scale (divided by 2).
When using a urinal in a public restroom, a buffer zone of at least one urinal will exist at all times.
A man shall never help another man apply sun tan oil.
Friends don’t let friends wear speedos. Ever. Case closed.
No man shall ever watch any of the following programs on TV: Figure skating, Men's gymnastics
No man will ever willingly watch a movie in which the main theme is dancing, and if a man shall happen to view such a movie it is only acceptable if its with a girlfriend.
If you've known a guy for more than 24 hours, his sister is off limits forever! Unless you actually marry her.
When questioned by a friend's girlfriend, you need not and should not provide any information as to his whereabouts. You are even permitted to deny his very existence.
July 22, 2010
Lying to have sex, smile like you got laid last night, and the Fit Tuckers
This article might be the basis of a future discussion class. Basically, an Israeli court found a man guilty of rape (rape by deception which is not punished as severely as rape by force as I understand) because he told a Jewish woman that he too was Jewish. In fact he was Arab.
In addition to discussing this specific case, what about all the other lies people tell each other before sex? Which ones should be punishable by law? Should you go to jail for lying about your age, income, sexual history, sex (like a man pretending to be a woman to get a straight man in bed), etc.?
And speaking of sex, today I saw a little girl, maybe 10 walking with her dad (I presume) in Yeouinaru Station. She was wearing a shirt that said "Smile lie you got laid last night." I have to guess that neither daddy nor his little girl knows what that shirt means.
Kind of like the winner of the 2nd YTN HUFS debate tournament last Sunday. One of these days YTN the news station will air this debate on TV, the bebate won by a team called the Fit Tuckers. I guess the organizers had no idea that these high school kids were playing a joke until it was too late to make them change the name.
June 15, 2010
A few US degree programs related to intercultural communication / international education
I wanted to look at degree programs related to education and TESOL but slightly different.
This Vanderbilt PhD has a strong focus on literacy but also works with oral communication and ESL.
UMBC Masters in Intercultural Communication - 2 year program with or without thesis that offers no assistance for native English speakers.
The university of Florida has one but their website offers relatively little information. You can see how the 34 credits required break down by checking out the pdf.
Hawaii has an MA in Communication with specializations like global communication, organizationa & intercultural communication, etc.
UMass has a program that leads to an EdD in International Education - specifically improving it in developing countries.
I also searched for Intercultural Studies but many results were for religious things and I gave up on that one.
This George Mason PhD in cultural studies sounds interesting.
June 10, 2010
Heroes and Monsters: Understanding Live Action Role Playing Games
Interesting article here about a UW class on Liave Action Roleplaying. I've actually done this so it may be more interesting to me than to people who have no idea what it is, but it certainly doesn't seem like an academic discipline.
I could be wrong though. The professor tries to spin it academically:
“My goal is to think about how games can be analytical and critical, how games can tell us about the world around us,” Chang said. “One goal of the class is to realize that live-action has a stigma. It’s about challenging those stereotypes and realizing how live-action games tells us about the different roles and personas we play in real life.”
And there is a reading list on the course page. Still the fact is they are playing a game once a week not unlike the LARP I've done (I assume).
May 28, 2010
Call to action
Write a close for the following presentation. Be specific about what you want the listeners to do:
May 24, 2010
American shopping malls
Mall of America images:
The mall I went to as kid: Bridgewater Commons and the Phillipsburgh Mall:
May 19, 2010
Discussion on Japanese fashion and culture
Interesting article here about a skirt that unfolds into a coke machine disguise so women can hide from attackers like ninjas used to. And a very interesting quote from the designer: While British women might prefer to take self-defence classes, Miss Tsukioka said: 'It is just easier for Japanese to hide. Making a scene would be too embarrassing.'