Kompetenzerweiterung II (Tuesday/Thursday Group), Homework for May 6th

Don't forget to meet up with your partner this week. 

Please read about inversion in Unit 19 and complete all of the accompanying exercises and learn ALL of the vocabulary for Unit 20 and complete its accompanying exercises. 

Inversion is important for sophisticated English usage and is tricky for German speakers as one has generally trained oneself to not let rules of German syntax (featuring the verb in the second position, otherwise known as "V2 position" in linguistics) interfere with English output. Page 154 of your Destination book features adverbials that trigger inversion in English. You should learn them by heart, read the examples in that table out loud and, ideally, write out your own examples. Just like the gerund or infinitive rules from last semester, learning the rules of inversion in English will make it truly sophisticated.

These videos are useful resources in explaining inversion further: 

Inversion BBC class  Inversion: BBC English Class - YouTube
English Masterclass inversion, negative or limiting adverbs BBC English Masterclass: Inversion 1: After Negative or Limiting Adverbs - YouTube
English Masterclass inversion, reduced conditionals BBC English Masterclass: Inversion 2: Reduced conditionals and more - YouTube

Here are some accompanying exercises from BBC English:
BBC Learning English - Course: Towards Advanced / Unit 25 / Session 1 / Activity 1

Additional online quizzes for inversion:
Inversion Exercise 1 (perfect-english-grammar.com)
Advanced Grammar | Inversion Multiple Choice Exercise | esl-lounge Student
INVERSION online exercise - verb before subject | Learn English Today (learn-english-today.com)
Test English - Prepare for your English exam (test-english.com)
'Inversion' - English Quiz & Worksheet - UsingEnglish.com

These videos tie into "power and social issues" and might be of interest to you, especially in considering your answers to the two essay prompts for this week:

How to understand power How to understand power - Eric Liu - YouTube
School of Life Machiavelli POLITICAL THEORY - Niccolò Machiavelli - YouTube
What "Machiavellian" really means What “Machiavellian” really means - Pazit Cahlon and Alex Gendler - YouTube
Good Morning Britain Is civil disobedience justified when protesting important issues? Is Civil Disobedience Justified When Protesting Important Issues? | Good Morning Britain - YouTube

Your optional essay topics for this week are: 
1. What does it take to be a great leader?
2. Is civil disobedience justified when protesting important issues? (Please make sure you understand what civil disobedience means before you respond to this question.)

Choose one of the above questions for your optional essay of 250-350 words and submit it to me via email as a .docx file by Tuesday, May 4th at midnight. Essays must meet the word-limit guidelines and be submitted by the deadline in order to receive feedback.

Kulturraumbezogene Wirtschaftsthemen, Homework for May 4th

 ***Please be advised that your first Teilleistung must be submitted by April 29th at 5 pm. Late submissions will not be accepted.***

Your Teilleistung should be submitted by ONE partner as a joint document with both/all of your names on it. Please only send me Teilleistungen as .docx (so that I can insert my comments directly and send these back to you.)

 For homework, please: 

- submit your Teilleistung consent form, if you haven't already.

- first, read the vocab page and do the exercises in the two "risk and uncertainty" files the "crisis management and risk management" folder 

- then, watch the following 5-minute video on risk management and put the six questions outlined in the video in your own words: Risk management basics: What exactly is it? - YouTube

- thereafter, apply those questions to one of the following situations: 1) you're considering starting a business (you should specify what type of business it is) or 2) you're considering buying some stocks (you should specify what company the stocks belong to). 

- read the article on crisis management in the "crisis management and risk management" folder on Ilias, answer its accompanying comprehension questions, and answer the following: what is the difference between risk and crisis management? Do these two types of mangement ever overlap? If so, when/under what circumstances/in what situations?

Information and content for your second Teilleistung will be posted in a folder entitled "Second Teilleistung" on Ilias by Friday, April 30th at noon. You are welcome to peruse it in advance of our session on Tuesday, May 4th from 2-3:30 pm. Extensive information about how to complete that Teilleistung will be provided in that Zoom session. 

- Optional essay: consider the Hofstedian category of risk aversion/uncertainty avoidance. Research whether you come from a more risk averse culture or one that embraces more risk. (You can use this tool to compare countries: Country Comparison - Hofstede Insights (hofstede-insights.com) ) What implications does this finding have for business in your culture, in your opinion? If you choose to submit an essay in response to this prompt, make sure to keep it to 250-350 words and that it is sent to me as a .docx file to my email address by Monday, May 3rd at 5 pm. Late submissions will not be read. 

Kulturraumstudien USA, Homework for May 3rd

 For homework, please read pp. 362-373 (start with the sentence "in the last few decades..." on pg. 362 and stop after the end of the first paragraph on pg. 373) from These Truths and answer the following questions: 

1. How and when did the word "liberal" emerge in usage in the United States?

2. Lepore states on pg. 364, "Populists raised hell; Progressives read pamphlets." Does this observation hold true today? If so, how? If not, why?

3. What role does Christianity/Judeo-Christian heritage play in the United States' myth creation about itself? 

4. Under what circumstances did the US declare war on Spain? What were the effects/results of the Spanish-American War? (Exam-like question: how was the Spanish-American War a product of its times?)

5. Define the following terms mean: muckraking, the Great Migration.

This YouTube playlist is an interesting one in terms of featuring some iconic photographs from US and world history: 100 Photographs | TIME - YouTube

Kompentenzerweiterung II (Monday/Wednesday Group), Homework for May 3rd

Don't forget to meet up with your partner this week. 

Please read about inversion in Unit 19 and complete all of the accompanying exercises and learn ALL of the vocabulary for Unit 20 and complete its accompanying exercises. 

Inversion is important for sophisticated English usage and is tricky for German speakers as one has generally trained oneself to not let rules of German syntax (featuring the verb in the second position, otherwise known as "V2 position" in linguistics) interfere with English output. Page 154 of your Destination book features adverbials that trigger inversion in English. You should learn them by heart, read the examples in that table out loud and, ideally, write out your own examples. Just like the gerund or infinitive rules from last semester, learning the rules of inversion in English will make it truly sophisticated.

These videos are useful resources in explaining inversion further: 

Inversion BBC class  Inversion: BBC English Class - YouTube
English Masterclass inversion, negative or limiting adverbs BBC English Masterclass: Inversion 1: After Negative or Limiting Adverbs - YouTube
English Masterclass inversion, reduced conditionals BBC English Masterclass: Inversion 2: Reduced conditionals and more - YouTube

Here are some accompanying exercises from BBC English:
BBC Learning English - Course: Towards Advanced / Unit 25 / Session 1 / Activity 1

Additional online quizzes for inversion:
Inversion Exercise 1 (perfect-english-grammar.com)
Advanced Grammar | Inversion Multiple Choice Exercise | esl-lounge Student
INVERSION online exercise - verb before subject | Learn English Today (learn-english-today.com)
Test English - Prepare for your English exam (test-english.com)
'Inversion' - English Quiz & Worksheet - UsingEnglish.com

These videos tie into "power and social issues" and might be of interest to you, especially in considering your answers to the two essay prompts for this week:

How to understand power How to understand power - Eric Liu - YouTube
School of Life Machiavelli POLITICAL THEORY - Niccolò Machiavelli - YouTube
What "Machiavellian" really means What “Machiavellian” really means - Pazit Cahlon and Alex Gendler - YouTube
Good Morning Britain Is civil disobedience justified when protesting important issues? Is Civil Disobedience Justified When Protesting Important Issues? | Good Morning Britain - YouTube

Your optional essay topics for this week are: 
1. What does it take to be a great leader?
2. Is civil disobedience justified when protesting important issues? (Please make sure you understand what civil disobedience means before you respond to this question.)

Choose one of the above questions for your optional essay of 250-350 words and submit it to me via email as a .docx file by Thursday, April 29th at midnight. Essays must meet the word-limit guidelines and be submitted by the deadline in order to receive feedback.

Kompetenzerweiterung II (Tuesday/Thursday Group), Homework for April 29th

**My apologies for having "April 27th" in the blog post's title earlier: our next meeting is, as advertised under class info on Ilias, on Thursday, April 29th from 9:45-11:15 (in other words, there was no meeting on Tuesday -- this was simply my typo). If you would like to submit an essay, I have extended the deadline to Wednesday, April 28th at midnight, because I mistakenly only gave you until Monday evening to complete when I meant to originally type Tuesday evening. My apologies again!**

 For homework, please: 

- read Units 13 and 14 and complete all of the accompanying exercises.

As you will see in Unit 13, the past in English serves many functions. For advanced learners, it's crucial to master "unreal time" because of its function in making statements and requests more polite. It is also essential to master "unreal time" in order to soften your speech in professional settings. (The speakers in these videos stress that British speakers place a premium on politeness, but politeness is important for the entire English-speaking world.) You will find overlap with German in many cases. (Some situations do call for directness and/or straight talk, however, so let the context dictate the language you use. You simply want to add polite forms to your repertoire so that you can use them when you deem them necessary. Having options is the essence of attaining fluency.) These videos are useful resources in explaining unreal time further:
BBC Learning English: When is the past not the past? Grammar: When is the past not the past? - BBC English Masterclass - YouTube
BBC Masterclass: Being polite (how to soften your English): Speaking: Being polite - how to soften your English - YouTube
BBC Learning English: Three ways to use "wish": Three ways to use 'wish' - BBC English Class - YouTube
BBC Learning English: Stop saying (Using the correct verb form for "I wish"...and, yes, the teacher's delivery is a bit odd in this one, but the content is good): Stop Saying: Using the correct verb form for 'I wish' - YouTube

- read the file on "subjunctives and unreal past" and do the accompanying exercises in the "unreal past" folder on Ilias. Check your work using the enclosed answer key. 

- don't forget to meet with your partner this week. 

The following channels tie into "quantity and money" and are channels I draw material from for business English classes. Consider using content from these channels for your listening content for your partner this week. Even if you are not going to choose business as your focus at the TH, I recommend that all of you gain a solid foundation in the business register and with business terminology. Nearly every professional activity will involve business acumen in some capacity. All the better if you can maneuver in this environment in multiple languages.
CNBC Make It (with some interesting series like "Millennial Money," which features what kind of standard of living a certain salary can get you in various cities, and "Suddenly Obsessed," which chronicles the rise of featured products and trends): CNBC Make It - YouTube
Business Insider (known for their "So Expensive" series, which explains why certain brands and products have such high price points): Business Insider - YouTube
Freakonomics weekly podcast (hosted by the authors of the popular Freakonomics books): https://freakonomics.com/archive/

Your optional essay topics for this week are: 
1. Can money buy happiness?
2. Does money make the world go round?

Choose one of the above questions for your optional essay of 250-350 words and submit it to me via email in a .docx file by Wednesday, April 28th at midnight.

Kulturraumbezogene Wirtschaftsthemen, Homework for April 27th

 For homework, please: 

- don't forget to submit your Teilleistung consent form, if you haven't already.

- continue working (with your partner) on your first Teilleistung (due on April 29th).

- in the "Brands and branding" folder on Ilias, you'll find three articles (one on Tony's Chocolonely, one on Rizla rolling papers, and one on Playstation 5 vs. Xbox Series X). Select one of those articles and take notes concerning what makes these companies and their products worth looking at from a branding perspective. Additionally, highlight five business words/expressions from the article that you would like to incorporate into your active vocabulary. 

- complete the remaining exercises featured in the "Brands and branding" folder on Ilias. 

- on YouTube, do a search for CNBC (a US television channel that has business reporting as its focus) and the key words "why failed", "the rise and fall" or "the rise of" (unfortunately the CNBC channel does not sort their videos into playlists). These separate searches will give you a variety of videos on how companies built their brands (in various markets) and either succeeded or failed. Please watch two videos of your choice that appear as a result of these searches and take notes concerning the decisions the companies made with regards to branding. Where did they make smart decisions and where were the missteps? Bring these notes with you to our next session. 

- Optional: you might be interested in this profile of Ben and Jerry's, their concept of linked prosperity (which links back to CSR) and their decision to sell their company to Unilever: Ben & Jerry's Activism is Anything but Half Baked - YouTube

- Optional essay: the prompt is featured at the end of the Brand Activism activity on Ilias. If you choose to submit an essay in response to this prompt, make sure to keep it to 250-350 words and that it is sent to me as a .docx file to my email address by Monday, April 26th at 5 pm. Late submissions will not be read. 

Kulturraumstudien USA, Homework for April 26th

 For homework, please read pp. 353-360 in These Truths and answer the following questions:

1. What was Gladden's New Theology?

2. What was Turner's idea of the frontier?

3. What was the precursor to IBM?

4. What was the ruling of Plessy vs. Ferguson? 

The following works are featured in the excerpt from the These Truths you read. Select at least one of the words and highlight/write down some sentences that stand out to you from them. (There is no need to read the words in their entirety, just explore at least one.) 

Frederick Douglass, Speech on Haiti at World's Fair: Haiti:Frederick Douglass speech in Chicago (webster.edu)

Simon Pokagon, "The Red Man's Rebuke": The red man's rebuke (si.edu)

Turner, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History": Frederick Jackson Turner, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History (nationalhumanitiescenter.org)

Ida B. Wells, "Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases": Microsoft Word - Wells, SouthernHorrors.docx

Ida B. Wells (preface by Frederick Douglass), "The Reason Why the Colored American Is Not in the Columbian Exposition": The Reason Why the Colored American Is Not in the World's Columbian Exposition | Library of Congress (loc.gov)

Definition of litmus test: Litmus Test | Definition of Litmus Test by Merriam-Webster

Ex-felon voting disenfranchisement and voting restoration outlined here: The state of ex-felons’ voting rights, explained - Vox

Overview of Georgia's new voting law: What Georgia’s Voting Law Really Does - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Jim Crow image and history of the term: Who Was Jim Crow? (nationalgeographic.com)

Kompetenzerweiterung II (Monday/Wednesday Group), Homework for April 26th

 For homework, please: 

- read Units 13 and 14 and complete all of the accompanying exercises.

As you will see in Unit 13, the past in English serves many functions. For advanced learners, it's crucial to master "unreal time" because of its function in making statements and requests more polite. It is also essential to master "unreal time" in order to soften your speech in professional settings. (The speakers in these videos stress that British speakers place a premium on politeness, but politeness is important for the entire English-speaking world.) You will find overlap with German in many cases. (Some situations do call for directness and/or straight talk, however, so let the context dictate the language you use. You simply want to add polite forms to your repertoire so that you can use them when you deem them necessary. Having options is the essence of attaining fluency.) These videos are useful resources in explaining unreal time further:
BBC Learning English: When is the past not the past? Grammar: When is the past not the past? - BBC English Masterclass - YouTube
BBC Masterclass: Being polite (how to soften your English): Speaking: Being polite - how to soften your English - YouTube
BBC Learning English: Three ways to use "wish": Three ways to use 'wish' - BBC English Class - YouTube
BBC Learning English: Stop saying (Using the correct verb form for "I wish"...and, yes, the teacher's delivery is a bit odd in this one, but the content is good): Stop Saying: Using the correct verb form for 'I wish' - YouTube

- read the file on "subjunctives and unreal past" and do the accompanying exercises in the "unreal past" folder on Ilias. Check your work using the enclosed answer key. 

- don't forget to meet with your partner this week. 

The following channels tie into "quantity and money" and are channels I draw material from for business English classes. Consider using content from these channels for your listening content for your partner this week. Even if you are not going to choose business as your focus at the TH, I recommend that all of you gain a solid foundation in the business register and with business terminology. Nearly every professional activity will involve business acumen in some capacity. All the better if you can maneuver in this environment in multiple languages.
CNBC Make It (with some interesting series like "Millennial Money," which features what kind of standard of living a certain salary can get you in various cities, and "Suddenly Obsessed," which chronicles the rise of featured products and trends): CNBC Make It - YouTube
Business Insider (known for their "So Expensive" series, which explains why certain brands and products have such high price points): Business Insider - YouTube
Freakonomics weekly podcast (hosted by the authors of the popular Freakonomics books): https://freakonomics.com/archive/

Your optional essay topics for this week are: 
1. Can money buy happiness?
2. Does money make the world go round?

Choose one of the above questions for your optional essay of 250-350 words and submit it to me via email in a .docx file by Thursday, April 22nd at midnight.

Kompetenzerweiterung II, Tuesday/Thursday Group, Homework for April 22nd

 For homework, please: 

1. fill out and sign the Teilleistung agreement (located in the "Class information" file on Ilias) and send it to me via scan. This must be submitted by April 16th.

2. read Units 11-12 in your textbook and complete all of the accompanying exercises. Make sure that you learn ALL of the vocabulary from Unit 12. 

3. translate these remaining sentences into English: 

h. Du sollst sofort nach Hause kommen!
i. Du möchtest sofort zum Chef kommen!
j. Das mag ja sein, aber...
k. Sie möchten sicher nach Hause gehen?
l. Er soll ein guter Schauspieler sein / Er will ein guter Schauspieler sein.

4. have a look at this video, which is a nice, quick review of conditionals: A review of conditionals: BBC English Class - YouTube ...and this one for for mixed conditionals: Grammar: Mixing conditionals - BBC English Masterclass - YouTube

(The BBC Learning English channel is an excellent YouTube channel to subscribe to.There are videos there for all levels of English learning.)

5. in the "Conditionals" folder on Ilias, read the explanation pages for "real conditionals" and "unreal conditionals" and do all of the exercises in their accompanying "exercises" files. Self-check using the "answer key conditionals" file. 

6. make sure that you have met with your partner in the week of April 12-16. Send them the reading and listening links at least 48 hours in advance. Complete a log entry for this session.

Note that the class notes from April 15th (file entitled "class notes on modals from april 15th") are in the modals folder on Ilias. 

A reflexive and reciprocal pronoun sheet (under precisely that file name) has been uploaded for your review. (I recommend looking at it if you have difficulty using "myself", "themselves," etc. correctly in English sentences, this being something that I noticed in the essays from last semester's exam.)

The following exercise types will be on this semester's exam: CLOZE, tense gap fill, word formation, gerund and infinitive (the verb will be given to you and you will be required to complete the sentence with a verb phrase), key word transformation, error correction with the vocab covered in Destination.

The optional writing task this week will keep in the theme of nature and the environment introduced in Unit 12. There are three topics to choose from this week (even if you don't do the essay, feel free to use these videos in your individual sessions this week; the channels they come from are good sources for other videos and content):
1. Watch the following video and introduce another sustainable invention that you have either seen in real life and of have dreamt up yourself that you think should be in more widespread use:
A Spoon You Can Eat Is a Tasty Alternative to Plastic Waste | Short Film Showcase - YouTube
2. The following video introduces the concept of biomimicry: The world is poorly designed. But copying nature helps. - YouTube How else can humans learn from nature?
3. If you were a minister for the environment, what policies would you put into place?

Submit your essay of 250-350 words to me at my email address in a .docx file by Tuesday, April 20th at midnight. Essays submitted after this deadline will be deleted and/or that exceed the word limit will not be corrected. 

Kulturraumbezogene Wirtschaftsthemen, Homework for April 20th

For homework, please: 

- submit your Teilleistung consent form (available in the "class information" folder on Ilias), if you haven't already.

- continue working on your first Teilleistung with your partner. 

- complete all of the exercises and readings in the CSR folder on Ilias.

- watch the following TED Talk and take notes concerning how the speaker defends his thesis, "Businesses exist to serve a purpose...and only by doing so will they generate profits in the long run." The social responsibility of business | Alex Edmans | TEDxLondonBusinessSchool - YouTube After considering his arguments, are there any blindspots in Edmans' arguments (i.e. areas/factors he didn't consider)?

Optional: Alex Edmans' TED Talk focuses in part on the company COSTCO. This video interestingly outlines COSTCO's business model (and, by the way, this YouTube channel is a great one to follow): Behind Costco's Treasure-Hunt Shopping Strategy | WSJ - YouTube

Optional essay: investigate the CSR policies of one of your favorite companies. In an essay of 250-350 words, identify where the company is doing well (be specific and use examples) and where it has room for improvement, in your opinion. If you choose to complete this assignment, it must be sent to me via email in a .docx file (so that I can edit it and add comments) no later than Monday, April 19th by 5 pm.

Kulturraumstudien USA, Homework for April 19th

 For homework, please read pp. 324-330 of These Truths and answer the following questions:

1. What was striking about Idaho and California's demographics in the latter half of the 19th century?

2. What was the caveat in the 1868 treaty between the US and China?

3. Put Frederick Douglass' "composite nation" in your own words. In what ways has the US achieved this concept? In what ways has it not?

4. What are the Force Act of 1870 and the Klan Act of 1871? (Requires outside research.)

5. How were women divided on the 15th Amendment?

6. What compromise was brokered in 1877?

Kompetenzerweiterung II, Monday/Wednesday Group, Homework for April 19th

 For homework, please: 

1. fill out and sign the Teilleistung agreement (located in the "Class information" file on Ilias) and send it to me via scan. This must be submitted by April 16th.

2. read Units 11-12 in your textbook and complete all of the accompanying exercises. Make sure that you learn ALL of the vocabulary from Unit 12. 

3. translate these remaining sentences into English: 

h. Du sollst sofort nach Hause kommen!
i. Du möchtest sofort zum Chef kommen!
j. Das mag ja sein, aber...
k. Sie möchten sicher nach Hause gehen?
l. Er soll ein guter Schauspieler sein / Er will ein guter Schauspieler sein.

4. have a look at this video, which is a nice, quick review of conditionals: A review of conditionals: BBC English Class - YouTube ...and this one for for mixed conditionals: Grammar: Mixing conditionals - BBC English Masterclass - YouTube

(The BBC Learning English channel is an excellent YouTube channel to subscribe to.There are videos there for all levels of English learning.)

5. in the "Conditionals" folder on Ilias, read the explanation pages for "real conditionals" and "unreal conditionals" and do all of the exercises in their accompanying "exercises" files. Self-check using the "answer key conditionals" file. 

6. make sure that you have met with your partner in the week of April 12-16. Send them the reading and listening links at least 48 hours in advance. Complete a log entry for this session.

Note that the class notes from April 12th (file entitled "class notes on modals from april 12th") are in the modals folder on Ilias. 

The reflexive and reciprocal pronoun sheet (under precisely that file name) has been uploaded for your review. (I recommend looking at it if you have difficulty using "myself", "themselves," etc. correctly in English sentences.)

The following exercise types will be on this semester's exam: CLOZE, tense gap fill, word formation, gerund and infinitive (the verb will be given to you and you will be required to complete the sentence with a verb phrase), key word transformation, error correction with the vocab covered in Destination (You will be given sentences in which vocab from the book is employed and you must decide if it is used correctly. If not, you must supply a corrected version), and the essay. More on this in our next class. 

The optional writing task this week will keep in the theme of nature and the environment introduced in Unit 12. There are three topics to choose from this week (even if you don't do the essay, feel free to use these videos in your individual sessions this week; the channels they come from are good sources for other videos and content):
1. Watch the following video and introduce another sustainable invention that you have either seen in real life and of have dreamt up yourself that you think should be in more widespread use:
A Spoon You Can Eat Is a Tasty Alternative to Plastic Waste | Short Film Showcase - YouTube
2. The following video introduces the concept of biomimicry: The world is poorly designed. But copying nature helps. - YouTube How else can humans learn from nature?
3. If you were a minister for the environment, what policies would you put into place?

Submit your essay of 250-350 words to me at my email address in a .docx file by Thursday, April 15th at midnight. Essays submitted after this deadline will be deleted and/or that exceed the word limit will not be corrected.