American English @ UPEC: October 2010

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

LANSAD: Bill Maher video with Subtitles

Bill Maher on France

A wikipedia link to give you an idea of who Bill Maher is and his perspective.

Bill Maher-Wiki

Pratique Orale: Presentation Sign-ups

Please have your topic selected and be ready to let me know by Thursday, October 28!
A maximum of two people may present on one day. All presentations are individual.
Please let me know in advance if there is an extenuating circumstance and you are unable to present on the day for which you signed up.

Here is a list of each class and the dates available as well as the names and topics of presenters:

Licence 3: Groupe 1: 8:00 - 9:00
Thursday, October 28: Sadia Mohammad - Euthanasia & Laura Perales - Legal age
Thursday, November 4: Cécile Soulat - Scientology
Thursday, November 11: Armistice - Férié
Thursday, November 18: Amutha Rock: Biodiversity & Céline Nakouzi: Death Penalty
Thursday, November 25: Mariam Sidibe - Abortion
Thursday, December 2: Anaïs Ouchene - Terrorist threat in France? & Saskia Ould-Braham - ?
Thursday, December 9: Veronica Lupasçu - Social Networking
Thursday, December 16: Audrey Mandard - Homosexuality

Licence 2: Groupe 1: 9:00 - 10:00
Thursday, October 28:
Thursday, November 4: Marion Caillaud
Thursday, November 11: Armistice - Férié
Thursday, November 18: Alice Crepon (?) & Samy Ben Salem: Fair Trade
Thursday, November 25: Olivier Dong & Sarah Dadu
Thursday, December 2: Anaïs Chemin & Hasna Ait Abdallah
Thursday, December 9: Thomas Derfler & Hélène Bardeau
Thursday, December 16: Melissa Bronsart & Lola Fleury
Yoann Cazenave?

Licence 2: Groupe 3: 10:00 - 11:00
Thursday, October 28:
Thursday, November 4: Killian Requena - Poker
Thursday, November 11: Armistice - Férié
Thursday, November 18: Charline Yahaya: Plastic Surgery & Jessica Sorrentino: "Hell House"
Thursday, November 25: Margot Glezial "The dangers of wrestling" & Cosette Lichtenthaler
Thursday, December 2: Albert Durand & Zaïnat Mouhamadinouf
Thursday, December 9: Imène Ben Ameur & Caroline Bruneau
Thursday, December 16: Kim Roland & Mireille Gnaba

Pratique Orale: Course Description and Guidelines for Presentations

Gayle Jones

Pratique Orale

Fall 2010

jgj6u@virginia.edu

Objective- In this course, you will practice making a developed and sustained speech in English. Your main assignment is to deliver a formal presentation. After your presentation, you will respond to questions and comments from your classmates. On days when you are not presenting, you are responsible for creating a lively discussion after others’ presentations. You will sign up for your presentation date in the second week of the semester. Students must be prepared on the date they choose. Students who are not prepared will be severally penalized unless they present a doctor’s justification. In the first few weeks of the semester, we will discuss things you want to think about as you prepare your presentation, and I will be more than happy to meet with you to discuss your presentations or to respond to questions through email.

Length of Presentation

L2- 10 to 15 minutes

L3- 15 to 20 minutes

Topics

L2: Science and Society, Cinema, Language, Internet and Communications Technology

L3: Open

Grade for the semester

50% on your presentation

50% on your class participation-Regular attendance is required. Student’s who miss classes without justification will not receive a passing grade. To receive a strong grade in participation, you must make the most of your time in class to improve your English, and you must contribute regularly to the discussions that follow other students’ presentations.

Pratique Orale: Presentations

Selecting a topic and an approach:

You should select a subject that interests you and that you can find a way to make interesting to the rest of the class. The introduction to your presentation should grab the attention of your audience (i.e. your professor and your classmates). Is there a widely held myth about your subject that you plan to debunk or show how it came into being? Is it a topic that might not at first seem to have wide interest, but you are going to show why we should be interested? Is it a controversial topic about which you have an opinion that you wish to defend while also introducing the arguments on the opposing side(s)?

Research:

The information/sources used to prepare the presentations should be varied and should be at least five in number. Presenting or at least exploring different viewpoints will help to make your presentation more interesting and more informative and open up the subject for debate.

Format of the Presentation:

1. The presentation should last between 10 and 15 minutes

2. You may use a note card to help you organize your thoughts, but you should not read from the card.

3. Images or other visual aides that are relevant can be very useful in clarifying a point or detail and for engaging your audience.

4. You should finish your presentation with concluding remarks that will then lead to a discussion/debate about your topic.

5. Prepare at least 5 questions to help stimulate the conversation if need be.

Hints for a successful presentation:

1. Be sure to enunciate and speak at a volume and speed at which your classmates can follow you without difficulty.

2. Visual aids may be helpful but are not required.

3. You should rehearse your presentation ahead of time so that you are able to deliver it smoothly and also so that you have a sense of how long it will last.

Your presentations will be graded on 4 criteria.

1. Content and Structure-Be Analytic and critical. Avoid strictly descriptive content. You should be asking and answering how and why questions in your presentations. Do not simply summarize the plot of a movie or tell the story of an actor’s life. This sort of presentation leads to little or no discussion and is not particularly engaging for the audience. Give us something to think about as we listen. Telling us Cary Grant’s life story from his birth until his death is not a good subject for a presentation. Analyzing how Cary Grant’s facial gestures create suspense in Rear Window or trying to explain to us why Cary Grant remained such a popular actor for so many years would be better. There should be a how or why question at the center of your presentation. Presentations that simply summarize or describe will receive no higher than 8/20.

For your structure, there should be a central idea, question, or claim that lends coherence to what you present. The introduction should present this claim clearly and give the audience the essential background information they need to follow your development of this idea. If you are presenting on a film, this is the time to briefly summarize the plot so that your audience can follow your analytic ideas. Avoid beginning with “So today I’m going to talk about…” Try to give the audience something intriguing that makes them want to listen right away.

Each portion of your presentation should develop the central idea or provide a portion of the answer to your central question. You don’t necessarily have to have three parts. You do, however, need to make sure that each portion somehow contributes to your central topic and that there is a logical progression from one part to the next. In planning, ask yourself whether each part is related to your central question or claim. If you’re analyzing the way Cary Grant creates suspense in Rear Window, do you really need to talk about his biography?

Once you have developed the answers to your central question or once you have given the supporting arguments for your central claim, your final task is to bring your presentation to a conclusion. Your conclusion should not be a repetition of what you’ve already said. You’re trying here to answer the question “So what?” Once you’ve shown that Cary Grant uses his facial expressions to create suspense, you might use this idea to suggest that he was unique for his era. You might talk about how acting in suspense movies has changed since the 1950s, you might talk about whether these gestures work across cultural barriers. You might speculate about the importance of the face to communicate and create emotions. This portion of your presentation is relatively open but make sure it’s not simply a repeat of what you’ve already said.

2. Pronunciation- Your pronunciation must be clear enough so that we understand everything you say. Pronunciation errors that prevent comprehension will count heavily against you. To receive an excellent pronunciation score, your speech will resemble closely that of a native speaker. Make sure that you use the English pronunciations of words that exist in both languages and for names. If you are talking about Cary Grant, you need to pronounce his name with an English/American accent.

3. Grammar and vocabulary- Your presentation should be relatively free of grammatical errors, and you should familiarize yourself with the vocabulary you need to discuss your topic.

4. Presentation Are you making eye contact with the audience? Are you speaking loudly enough? Are you talking to us and not reading? For your notes, you will be limited to one side of an A5 card.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Langue Vivante: corrections from writing sample

Dear Students in my 8h30 (Wednesday) Langue Vivante class,

Here are some corrections from the papers you gave me at the end of class today. The first sentence will be what was written, and the second sentence will offer a correction or simply a better way of expressing yourself in English.

The notion of exclusivity have good and bad sides./// The notion of exclusivity has positive and negative aspects.

I think, as an example.../// For example, I think...

We have to put some limits in the exclusivity..../// We have to put some limits on exclusivity...

According to me.../// In my opinion...

It is up to the user to accept or not another user...///It is up to the user to accept another user or not...

people needs limits, rules.///people need limits and/or rules

youngers///young people

there is some exclusivities...///there are some examples of exclusivity

make feel people excluded...///make people feel excluded

TO BE CONTINUED...

Langue Vivante: Week 2

Please watch the following two videos for the Wednesday, October 27 class and make notes about your observations. Come to class ready to discuss.

Social Media and Politics:
Representations of Barack Obama

The 2008 Presidential Campaign
"Yes, We Can" video (From the 2008 Presidential campaign)
Barack Obama SuperHero (subtitled)

Lyrics for "Yes, We Can" video

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --

Yes. We. Can.

Guest appearances -

will.i.am - 0:01
Scarlett Johansson - 0:05
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 0:21
Common - 0:23
John Legend - 0:32
Bryan Greenberg (guitar) - 0:37
Kate Walsh - 0:44
Tatyana Ali - 0:44
Harold Perrineau, Jr. - 0:49
Aisha Tyler - 1:01
Samuel Page - 1:03
Enrique Murciano - 1:07 "Si, podemos" - 1:17
Maya Rubin - 1:08 "כן אנו יכולים (Qen Annu Yecholim)" (Hebrew)
Esthero - 1:10
Eric Balfour - 1:23
Nicole Scherzinger - 1:30
Taryn Manning - 1:40
Amber Valletta - 1:52
Auden McCaw (in Valetta's arms) - 1:52
Kelly Hu - 1:52
Adam Rodríguez - 1:56 "Sí se puede"
Eric Christian Olsen - 2:02
Sarah Wright - 2:02
Shoshannah Stern (American Sign Language) - 2:05
Ed Kowalczyk (guitar) - 2:19
Fonzworth Bentley (violin) - 2:38
Amaury Nolasco - 3:24
Hill Harper - 3:27
Nick Cannon - 3:36
Herbie Hancock (piano) - 3:41
Johnathon Schaech - 3:45
Austin Nichols - 3:50
Tracee Ellis Ross - 4:00
Fred Goldring (guitar) - 4:03
Anson Mount
Alfonso Ribeiro
Cliff Collins
Vera Farmiga

Langue Vivante: Week 1: Facebook and The American Dream

Readings, Listening and Questions

More Americans Giving Up on the American Dream

Facebook Expands Amid Rumors of a Buyout

“The American Dream” : Facebook and The Social Network

1. What is the name of the founder and CEO of Facebook?

(What does CEO stand for?)

2. How old is he and when did he start Facebook?

3. What changes are being made to Facebook at the time of the interview?

4. Based on the context, what does the word “backlash” mean?

What exactly caused the backlash at the time of this interview?

5. Why does one of the students interviewed feel as though the whole purpose of Facebook will “go out the window”?

6. What does the word “exclusive” mean? How does the founder of Facebook defend the notion that Facebook maintains it “exclusivity” despite the changes that are being made?

7. How does Facebook’s founder distinguish his company’s goals from those of MySpace?

Write a paragraph in which you defend or attack the notion of exclusivity in an area of daily life. First, think of an instance in which you think exclusivity is important or is detrimental. Then, write an argument in which you acknowledge one side of the argument while defending your own perspective.

Langue Vivante: Programme (October 20, 2010)

L1 English for Specialists Fall 2010

Gayle Jones

http://ispeakamericanenglish.blogspot.com/

jgj6u@virginia.edu

Objectives

In this course, we will work to develop five different skill sets: speaking, reading, writing, listening, and language functions (ex. description, apology, persuasion, giving directions, making excuses). You will do most of your reading and listening work outside of class. Each week, I will post on the blog listed at the top of this site a short listening or reading activity for you to complete before coming to class. We will then use these listening and reading activities for in class activity to practice speaking and functions. For instance, I might ask you to read a review of a museum exhibit before class so that we can do activities based on visual artwork in class.

For your writing work in this class, you will have one substantial assignment to turn in near the end of the semester. I will announce the topic well ahead of time, and we will spend some class time developing your ideas and working on the writing skills necessary to complete the assignment.

Grades-Four grades will factor into your overall grade for the semester.

1) Written Homework Assignment 15%-Due date to be announced.

2) Listening Exam 25% -In class week 12. You will hear a passage similar to the ones you prepare for class three times and answer comprehension questions. The passage will be linked to one of the topics we have studied during the semester.
3) Final Written Exam 40%-In class week 13. You will have sections on the different functions we study, a reading section, and a written essay. The material for the reading and essay will also be linked to topics we have discussed in class.
4) Oral Participation 20%. This grade will measure how efficiently you have tried to improve your English during the 13 weeks in class. To receive a good participation grade, students must attend class regularly, must prepare their listening and reading assignments before class, and must actively take part in class room activities. Students are also expected to speak only English during our 1:30 meetings. Speaking French in class will have a negative impact on your participation grade.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Stereotypes

Flight of the Conchords (Foux da fa fa)

1. Write a few sentences describing this traditional clichéd image of the French.
2. How does this video present American stereotypes about France/the French?

3. What stereotypes are used in this video? (Identify at least 4.) Do they reflect the truth or not?

Real Time with Bill Maher

1. Write a few sentences describing this traditional clichéd image of the French.
2. How does this video present American stereotypes about France/the French?
3. What is the tone of this video versus the tone of the first one?
4. Stereotypes in this video are just as prevalent as in the first one. How does Bill Maher present the stereotypes differently and with what goal?

Do people hold stereotypes about their own country? Why or why not?

Perceptions of America by Americans and others

Discussion:

Discuss the following questions in pairs and then write your answers individually:

a) What elements of truth, if any, do you see in these representations?

b) What stereotypes do the French have of themselves? Eg: le beauf.

c) Can you recognize any stereotypical characteristics in yourself? If so what are they?

d) In your experience, do you agree that all stereotypes are grounded in fact?

Songs about the US

State Capitols

To be continued...

American English @ UPEC