Writing Skills I, Homework for Week 8

There is no homework over the break (a reminder that there is no class from June 5th to 9th), but essay #3 will be due on the following dates:
Tuesday classes: June 20th
Thursday classes: June 22nd
Friday class: June 23rd

For the third essay, you have the option of submitting a cover(ing) letter or a narrative thesis-based essay. Specifics will be discussed in class, but further info on the cover(ing) letter can be found here:

This is a pretty good starting place for a cover(ing) letters from a variety of fields: https://www.thebalance.com/best-cover-letters-a-z-list-of-examples-2060172

My favorite of all time: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/03/i-like-words.html

Lists of interview questions for brainstorming: https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-answer-the-31-most-common-interview-questions

https://www.monster.co.uk/career-advice/article/what-are-the-most-common-job-interview-questions

Great database for finding jobs: http://www.indeed.de (change the site to ".co.uk" or ".com" for UK and US results, respectively). 

Here are my tips for good cover letters:
1.  Remember this is your ticket for the interview.
2. Selection committees like to smile.
3. This is not a narrative version of your resume. 
4. Choose active sentences about yourself
5.  Clear structure (generally a chronological or thematic approach to the paragraphs is appropriate)
6.  Be aware of the different expectations in the business and academic worlds and tailor your letter accordingly.
7. Look up country-specific info (for example, no photos allowed on resumes in the US).
8.The paper, layout and signature matter
9. Brainstorm/bounce ideas off of friends and family.
10.Proof for typos!!!

WS III Translation, Homework for Week 8

There is no class the week of June 5th to 9th. I will be collecting your translation journals in our next class, so make sure you are ready to submit these at our next class meeting.

LS III Debate, Homework for Week 8

A reminder that there is no class the week of June 5th to 9th. There is no homework over the break.

WS III Translation, Homework for Week 7

For homework, please bring in an example like the Dagobert translation in which a character's name, their accent/variety, or any other information about them has been changed or shifted in the TT. Your example can stem from literature, TV series, or film.

In addition to this, consider how you would translate this fritz-cola ad campaign into English: http://uniquedrinks.de/limonade/fritz-kola-stevia-test-gruene-cola

Writing Skills I, Homework for Week 7

For homework, work on the essay due this week. Consult previous posts for expectations/topic options regarding this essay.

This handout might help you refine your thesis statement: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/59/RefiningThesisStatements.pdf

For my Tuesday class: this website is a useful aggregator of film reviews: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/

LS III Debating, Homework for Week 7

The dates for the exam will be July 10th and August 9th. Sign-up sheets for 15-min. slots with your partner will be posted on my door as of Tuesday next week. Make sure to let me know as soon as possible if neither of these dates will work for you.

Have a look at the following nouns ending with the suffix "-ist". Look up their adjectival forms and jot down whether they take an -ic or -ical ending and/or can remain -ist in the adjectival form (think of the adjectives modifying words like "beliefs/remarks/statements"):

hedonist, egotist, nihilist, futurist, chauvinist, linguist, extremist, moralist, opportunist, capitalist, atheist, journalist

Do some of the quizzes featured under "vocabulary collocation" on this website (those of you with smartphones might want to test the app advertised): http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/vocabulary-advanced-2.php

Check out the following resources for improved pronunciation:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation
https://www.espressoenglish.net/british-english-vs-american-english-pronunciation/

LS III Debate, Homework for Week 6

For homework, please form a debate question from an article you have read on a news website (such as The Guardian, The New York Times, etc.). Make notes for both the pro and con sides to this debate and jot down good vocabulary specific to the topic/field.

Writing Skills I, Homework for Week 6

** A note to my Thursday and Friday classes: due to the federal holiday and the GAPS conference taking place in the Institute, we will not be meeting on May 25th or May 26th. Our next class meetings are June 1st and 2nd, respectively, when the second essay is due. Should you have any questions, don't hestitate to contact me via email or in my office hours.** 

For homework, read through pgs. 88-89 and pgs. 43-44 in the reader. 

Additionally, please take the following grammar quizzes:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_47.htm
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_55.htm
http://www.grammarbank.com/articles-exercises.html (do exercise A)
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/subjunctive-quiz.htm
 (I recommend reading up on the subjunctive in English here:  https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/grammar/when-to-use-the-subjunctive )

Your next essay is due at the beginning of June (see previous post for specific details). For the next essay you can:
1) write a response to the essay on Obama distributed last week (see previous post).
2) write an essay that uses a thesis statement you find on Twitter (an arguable claim you can build a defense around) as the nucleus of your argumentation.
3) an argumentative essay with a well-defined thesis of your own choosing.

Essays are due on the following dates:
Tuesday classes: May 30th
Thursday classes: June 1st
Friday classes: June 2nd

Make sure your essay abides by the specifications outlined on the first post concerning essay submissions on this blog.

The dates and times for the final exam are:
1st exam date: July 24th from 4 - 5:30 p.m. (sharp!) in HS 10
2nd exam date: September 29th from 10-11:30 a.m. (sharp!) in HS 17

WS III Translation, Homework for Week 5

***A reminder to my Wednesday class that next week is Dies Academicus (May 17th). We will NOT have class on this date.***

For homework, please look up the English translations of the following German books and make notes on what translation strategies were employed in achieving the English translation:

Er ist wieder da

Glennkill: Ein Schafskrimi

In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts

Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung

Aus den Fugen

Mittelstadtrauschen

Wie ich mir das Glück vorstelle

Emma schweigt

Wassererzählungen

Warum wir Günter umbringen wollen

LS III Debate, Homework for Week 5

***A reminder to students in the Wednesday debate class that we will not be having class in Week 5 on May 17th (Dies Academicus)***

For homework, please have a look at the UK Parliament's YouTube channel and watch 5-10 minutes of a "PM's questions" video. Write down 10 verbs you extract ( :-) ) from the exchanges in the House of Commons.

Thanks J. for the verb question on the difference between extricate and extract. The former means to free or liberate; the latter means to draw out (as in vanilla extract).

Writing Skills I, Homework for Week 5

For next week, please read through pages 85-87 in the reader and complete the exercise on clarity and wordiness on pg. 87.

Your next essay will be due:
Tuesday class - May 30th
Thursday classes - June 1st
Friday class - June 2nd

For the second essay, you can either respond to the essay distributed in class on Barack Obama or select a thesis statement you find in a tweet and build an essay around it (more on this in Week 5's class).

Thank you to J. for the question on divest today. In the context of the article, it meant to take investment out of South Africa and boycott South African goods during times of apartheid to place pressure on the regime.

WS III Translation, My Solution

Baden-Württemberg’s parliament decides in favor of tuition fees for foreign students

Non-EU students will have to pay 1,500 EUR per semester as of this fall. Baden-Württemberg is first federal state in Germany to pass a law of this kind.

Foreign students with citizenships from countries which are not members of the EU will have to pay tuition fees as of this fall. The State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg for Sciences, Research and the Arts reported that Baden-Württemberg’s parliament passed a bill that requires foreign students to pay 1,500 EUR as of the coming winter semester.

The fees will be charged each semester and are meant to improve the conditions of study for non-EU students. Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Science Theresia Bauer (Green Party) stated that better academic support of foreign students was necessary in order to ensure the successful completion of their studies. Pursuing a second course of studies would also be subject to the new fee scheme.

Non-completion of studies is far more common with this group than with students from Germany, said Bauer. There are “specific exceptions” for students from the poorest regions around the world. 500 university places will be created for these students each year.

Applicants for asylum who have already been approved or whose approval is “highly likely” due to country of origin are exempt from the mandatory tuition fee. Asylum seekers must, however, fulfill language requirements and academic prerequisites in order to pursue a course of study.

There are currently approximately 20,000 international students in Baden-Württemberg; they will be grandfathered into the new law and are therefore exempt from the new fee. Baden-Württemberg is the first federal state in Germany in which students from non-EU countries will have to pay for their studies.

WS III Translation, Homework for Week 4

Translate the text available at this link: http://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2017-05/baden-wuerttemberg-landtag-stuttgart-studiengebuehren-auslaender

A key component to translating this text well is demonstrating a mastery of reported (indirect) speech. Read up on it here: http://www.ef.com/english-resources/english-grammar/tense-changes-when-using-reported-speech/

A solution for comparison will be posted Monday.

Debate, Homework for Week 4

Check out one of the Oxford debates featured on their YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/OxfordUnion

Additionally, please check out these sites for vocab for describing trends:
http://www.vocabulary.cl/ielts/academic-writing-task-1-describing-trends.htm
https://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/describing-graphs
http://www.denl.forum.dict.cc/?pagenum=1000&fo_show=303522

Writing Skills I, Homework for Week 4

Work on the essay (see previous post) due in class next week.

Some notes on procrastination:
1. It often perpuates perfectionism in that you feel that you will not live up to expectations (either your own or those you think the reader/examiner has). This essay is all about practice and refining skills in the 5 areas we have outlined in class. I will be delighted to receive something from you that abides by the speculations in the previous post. The imperfect often stands out in the crowd.
2. Brilliance comes through in the process; it is not planned. Put pen to paper/finger to key and allow yourself to be surprised.
3. You will have the feeling that you've run out of time because you haven't done that much writing yet. Don't worry about this, but try to get a more accurate feeling for how much time you need for tasks with each assignment. You'll thank yourself in a couple of years for establishing this.
4. If there's nothing about the topic that excites you, your writing won't be as persuasive or interesting. Make sure that there is at least one detail/claim that genuinely interests you in your text.
5. Don't turn writing into a guilt-laden process or a constant analysis of your productivity. There's no shame in taking time out/off, but don't let impending deadlines call the shots on your quality of life. Ultimately, the essay itself is not that important: what's important is what that essay can do for you.

If you feel like procrastination is negatively affecting your quality of life, let me know so we can talk about this and tackle it together.

WS III Translation, My Solution

Is it OK to …?

Tell someone to go to hell

Oh heavens, no. This starts with the uncertainty that we don’t even know where that’s supposed to be. And even if we did: isn’t it kind of awesome there? There’s fire, brimstone, and rock music. Making a pact with the devil promises eternal youth, virtuosic violin playing, and at least momentary pleasure in life.

Besides, the expression has lost all of its power. The question is rather: what is it even? An insult? A misplaced quotation from Goethe’s Faust? Imagine a rapper who uses the devilish expression as the climatic burn of his linguistic acrobatics on his mixtape. He wouldn’t make past the Compton city limits with that. Because the construction has old written all over it. And those who use it probably still say “Blimey!” and “I’ll be a monkey’s uncle”, sounding as if they’ve stepped off of a set for The Christmas Carol. If we’ve learned nothing from good old Ebenezer, it’s that negativity often comes back to haunt us. Case in point: Kevin in Home Alone, who eventually starts to terribly miss the annoying siblings and chaotic parents he so impassionedly wished away. So be careful what you wish for, you little hellraiser.