Archive for the ‘Cross-Cultural’ Category

Fall ’10 Week 4: (Unit 5 – UK Economy)

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

This week’s lesson covered unit 5  from the textbook which covers the United Kingdom’s Economy.  We spent some time defining some of the important terms needed in order to have an intelligent discussion about modern economies and then we took a look at the recent history of the UK economy.

We discussed how statistics can often times be misleading when used to describe economic matters, especially when used by people who are biased or who have an agenda.  Therefore, having perspective on the topic is always a good idea when discussing economics.

If the reading quizzes still seem impossible to you, then maybe you need to evaluate how much effort you are putting into your reading and preparation every week.  Talk to me if you feel like you need advice!

If you would like to have the PPT slides from this week’s class, click HERE to view or download them.

___

This post is for my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book One / Second Edition)

___

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Fall ’10 Week 3: (Units 3&4 – UK Government, Politics, Class & Race)

Friday, September 17th, 2010

This week’s lesson covered units 3 & 4  from the textbook which covers Government, Politics, Class & Race in the United Kingdom.  Like last week, we pretty much only covered the basics, we’ll go over some of the more fine details over the next few weeks as we take a deeper look at the UK.

The key to success in this class is YOU and the amount of effort you put into preparing for class (by carefully reading your assigned units) and your effort to listen and understand the class lectures.  Another important factor is to ask questions when there is something you don’t understand.  Please don’t hesitate to ask questions at appropriate times during class!

If you would like to have the PPT slides from this week’s class, click HERE to view or download them.

___

This post is for my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book One / Second Edition)

Fall ’10 Week 2: (Units 1&2 – UK Introduction)

Friday, September 10th, 2010

This week’s lesson covered units 1 & 2  from the textbook which is an Introduction to the United Kingdom.  We covered just some of the basics, we’ll go over some of the more fine details over the next several weeks as we take a deeper look at the UK.

I know that the ‘pace’ of my lecture seems fast to many of you.  Don’t worry, it is supposed to seem that way!  Do your best to keep up and I guarantee your listening comprehension will improve rapidly!

If you would like to have the PPT slides from this week’s class, click HERE to view or download them.

___

This post is for my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book One / Second Edition)

Fall ’10 Week 1: Introduction “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 )”

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

A new semester has begun!  I’d like to say “Welcome” to all my new students, I look forward to getting to know you over the semester!  Some of you may be nervous about this class, being taught completely in English by a native English teacher.  I know that this semester will be a challenge, but it will also be a great opportunity for you to greatly improve your English skills!

This week in class I will be giving an introduction to the class “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 )“.  This course will actually be taught over the course of two semesters, so you’ll have me as your teacher for this entire year!  During the first semester we will talk about the UK, Ireland, and Australia.  Next semester we will cover New Zealand, the USA, and Canada.  (This will be my third year teaching this class at HNIST!)

Every week I will post my presentation notes (my PPT slides) here on this website for you to view and download.  For some students, this helps them to study for the final exam without worrying that they were not able to write everything down during class.  So check back here every week for notes and other information that might be helpful for you to do well in this course!

The Webel family, 2010

___

This post is for my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book One / Second Edition)

Week 15: Canada (Units 15-18 Canada overview)

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week was the final week of classes before the final exam.  We continued with a concise overview of some of the important information from units 15 – 18 concerning Canada that guest teacher Erica began last week.

The final exam is coming up real soon.  The units that are covered on Exam that you need to study for are;
  • New Zealand (Units 1&2)
  • USA (Units 3-9, 11-13)
  • Canada (Units 15-18)
Remember that exam questions will come from both the textbook reading as well as the classroom lectures.  There will be a mix of True/ False questions, Multiple Choice questions, and Fill-in the Blank questions.  I wish you all the best!

If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 12: USA (Unit 12 – US Foreign Policy)

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 12  from the textbook which is about US Foreign Policy.

If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 11: USA (Unit 11 – Technology in America)

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 11  from the textbook which is about Technology in America.  We attempted to define “technology” and then we discussed briefly the history of technology in America  from the 19th century until today.

If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 9: USA (Unit 9 – Social Movements of the 1960′s)

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 9  from the textbook which is about Social Movements of the 1960′s.  We took a look at what is meant by “social movement” and then we discussed briefly why the 1960′s were so active with social movements.  The remainder of the class dealt with the three main movements of the 60′s; The Civil Rights Movement, The Women’s Rights Movement, and the Youth / Anti-War Movement (aka Hippie Movement.)

week_09-image

If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 8: USA (Unit 8 – American Education)

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 8  from the textbook which is about the American Education System.  We took a look at a brief history of education in America from the 17th century until today.  I pointed out that much of the info in the textbook is sorely out of date (most statistics were from the mid 80′s!) so we spent the remainder of our class time discussing the current status of things in today’s education system in America.

week_08

If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.

Week 7: USA (Unit 7 – American Literature)

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

For my students at the Hunan Institute of Science & Technology ( 湖南理工学院 ) who are taking the course: “The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries ( 英语国家社会与文化入门 ) : An Introduction (Book Two / Second Edition)

This week’s lesson covered unit 7  from the textbook which is about American Literature.  We actually didn’t discuss much American Lit in the lecture – I did point out some highlights and some things to note for the final exam.  However, most of our class time was used on logistics for the Mid Term Projects that are coming up.

week_07

If you would like to have the Presentation Notes from this week’s class, click on the link to view or download them.