Kompetenzerweiterung I, Tips for the Break

After the exam, I highly recommend that you do the following to stay immersed in English during the break: 

1) Subscribe to an English-language newspaper's/magazine daily newsletter to get a daily dose of English (even just reading the headlines is a great way to practice and add new vocab)

2) Find some podcasts you like in English, ideally in accents/voice types that are harder for you to understand

3) Read content in areas that are foreign to you (so if you like the arts/entertainment, read the business pages and vice versa)

4) Subscribe to a SAT/GRE word-of-the-day newsletter to increase your academic vocab 

5) Find a way to organize your vocab items for regular review 

6) Challenge yourself to take in more English-language TV shows, film, music, etc. (only turn on subtitles when absolutely necessary)

7) Talk in English regularly with someone from class (you don't need a native speaker to do this!)

8) Reflect on the goal that you developed at the beginning of the semester and reflect on its progress 

9) Complete any assignments from the blog/from your text that you didn't have time to complete during the semester.

10) Look ahead to see what is to come in the textbook next semester and work ahead (esp. if you know you won't have that much time for homework next semester)

Kulturraumstudien USA, Tips for the Break

Thanks for a productive semester! Below are some tips for keeping your English and cultural knowledge active during the break:

- if there are blog posts or readings you didn't get to this semester, make a point of revisiting this content before we commence with the second half of our course in March. 

- aim to read at least one novel or work of non-fiction in English.  Good book reviews can be found on the NY Times, Guardian and Globe and Mail websites. Have a look at the books available in our book swap shelf on the fourth floor in the main wing of offices.

- watch some films in English (obviously Netflix and other streaming services are great, but explore the cinemas in the region that offer English-language films in the original, like Odeon, Off Broadway and Filmpalette in Cologne, Brotfabrik and Neue Filmbühne in Bonn, and Black Box in Düsseldorf).

- check out the documentaries on US history and culture available on Netflix. Documentaries by PBS and part of the series called The American Experience are of a very high quality.

- keep up to date with US news by regulary watching news clips (PBS NewsHour is my favorite US news source) on YouTube or reading headlines from news outlets like the NY Times, the Guardian, or the BBC. The Atlantic, Wired US, and National Geographic are great resources for long reads.

- when we reconvene in March, we will see more content in US news about the 2022 mid-terms. Look into which states have elections this year and try picking a state and following their candidates' campaigns.

- check out the YouTube channels of major publications like the NY Times and the Economist. Bonn-based Deutsche Welle has excellent English-language content. Content made by YouTube influencers can also be very interesting to analyze culturally.

- the Literaturhaus Köln invites a lot of US-based authors for readings and Lit.Cologne is an annual literary Festival in Cologne that also invites many "A-list" US writers to read and lecture.

- feel free to contact me via email during the break if there are any topics or if there is any content you would like more information on. I will try my best to point you in the right direction / share any others sources I might be aware of. 

Kompetenzerweiterung III (Wednesday Group), Homework for January 12th

 For homework, please meet with your partner outside of class (ideally on Zoom to practice exam-like conditions) to a) practice your prepared debate question and b) practice a few spontaneous debate questions that are unrelated to your prepared debate question. 

Make sure to submit your prepared debate question to me ASAP if you have not done so already. 

It would be a good idea to review the content of this course (i.e. the blog posts, your notes from class, the content posted on Ilias) in advance of the exam, ideally before our last session so that you a) can ask any questions in our final session of the semester and b) you free up time to study for other courses. 

A note on the Zoom login info for exam day: the Tuesday Zoom login information is my default login for the exam. That means the following:

-if both partners are from the Tuesday group, they use the Tuesday group login information (which they should already have)

-if one partner is from the Tuesday group and the other is from the Wednesday group, the pair will log into the Tuesday group Zoom session (the Tuesday group partner needs to give the Wednesday group partner the Tuesday Zoom login)

-if both partners are from the Wednesday group, they will use the Wednesday group Zoom login, which they should already have 

Kompetenzerweiterung III (Tuesday Group), Homework for January 11th

For homework, please meet with your partner outside of class (ideally on Zoom to practice exam-like conditions) to a) practice your prepared debate question and b) practice a few spontaneous debate questions that are unrelated to your prepared debate question. 

Make sure to submit your prepared debate question to me ASAP if you have not done so already. 

It would be a good idea to review the content of this course (i.e. the blog posts, your notes from class, the content posted on Ilias) in advance of the exam, ideally before our last session so that you a) can ask any questions in our final session of the semester and b) you free up time to study for other courses. 

A note on the Zoom login info for exam day: the Tuesday Zoom login information is my default login for the exam. That means the following:

-if both partners are from the Tuesday group, they use the Tuesday group login information (which they should already have)

-if one partner is from the Tuesday group and the other is from the Wednesday group, the pair will log into the Tuesday group Zoom session (the Tuesday group partner needs to give the Wednesday group partner the Tuesday Zoom login)

-if both partners are from the Wednesday group, they will use the Wednesday group Zoom login, which they should already have 

Kompetenzerweiterung I (Tuesday/Thursday Group), Homework in Week Twelve (January 4-7)

 In preparation of next Tuesday's session (January 11th), please do the following:

Please complete the exercises (i.e. A-O) for Unit 16 and learn the vocabulary  for Unit 16 (pp. 128-129). In addition to this, complete Review 8 on pp. 136-137. Please consult the key at the back of the book to check your work AFTER you have given the exercises a go on your own. Bring any questions you have regarding rules/these solutions with you to next Tuesday's session.

Please also complete exercises 1 and 2 from the file "relative clauses CLOZE" on Ilias. We will discuss the answers together in class on Tuesday.

(It would be a good idea to review adjectives and adverbs (Unit 15) and clauses (Unit 17) this week so that you only need to focus on the areas that are toughest for you in advance of the exam.) 

In preparation of this Thursday's session (January 6th) please do the following (I recommend you complete these exercises during "study hall", i.e. Thursday 9:45-11:15): 

- read through all of the Unit 16 vocabulary on pp. 128-129 and decide which words/phrases/collocations also have a metaphorical meaning (think "squashing/smashing/demolishing the competition" and "hitting the mark" in terms of attaining a goal). Bring at least 15 items with you to class whose metaphorical and literal meanings you can explain in respective contexts.

- watch at least one video from the "Art List" playlist Art Trip - YouTube and Monocle's cities and neighborhoods playlist Cities and neighbourhoods | Monocle - YouTube and take down notes in terms of a) the vocabulary the videos use to describe these places, b) what vocab from Unit 16 was used/could be used in these videos, and c) what key differences between British English and US English you hear in the videos. 

Optional essay assignment: In an essay of 250-350 words, do a write-up of a city that has the ultimate goal of making the reader so interested that they are inspired to travel there one day themselves. (Think techniques from the book/album/film review assignment, e.g. hidden gem, unexpected take on something familiar) Make sure that your essay a) doesn't exceed the word limit, b) is sent as a MS Word document, and c) is submitted to my email address by Thursday, January 6th at midnight. Submissions that do not abide by these guidelines will not be read. 

Kulturraumstudien USA, Homework for January 10th

For homework, please: 

- have a look at the exam from last semester that was posted earlier in our semester (file name on Ilias: Exam Kulturraumstudien USA SoSe 2021) and take some (mental) notes for at least nine of the questions, pretending that it is exam day. (I've also posted an exam from WiSe 2021 (file name: Kulturraumstudien WiSe 2021 Exam), but there are a number of questions on that exam that we have not (yet) addressed in our class.) Bring any questions you have about the questions, exam procedure, and class content with you to our session next week. Whether you are taking the exam on January 25th or not, everyone should come to class next week with a research question ready to share. 

If you are taking the exam on January 25th, I highly recommend reviewing all of the slides/blog posts (including the requried readings) in advance of the exam (and as many as of these as possible before our next class so that you can a) have it behind it you and b) ask any questions you might have about them in class). 

Kompetenzerweiterung I (Monday/Wednesday Group), Homework in Week Twelve (January 3-7)

In preparation of next Monday's session (January 10th), please do the following:

Please complete the exercises (i.e. A-O) for Unit 16 and learn the vocabulary  for Unit 16 (pp. 128-129). In addition to this, complete Review 8 on pp. 136-137. Please consult the key at the back of the book to check your work AFTER you have given the exercises a go on your own. Bring any questions you have regarding rules/these solutions with you to next Monday's session.

Please also complete exercises 1 and 2 from the file "relative clauses CLOZE" on Ilias. We will discuss the answers together in class on Monday.

(It would be a good idea to review adjectives and adverbs (Unit 15) and clauses (Unit 17) this week so that you only need to focus on the areas that are toughest for you in advance of the exam.) 

In preparation of this Wednesday's session (January 5th) please do the following (I recommend you complete these exercises during "study hall", i.e. Monday 11:30-13:00): 

- read through all of the Unit 16 vocabulary on pp. 128-129 and decide which words/phrases/collocations also have a metaphorical meaning (think "squashing/smashing/demolishing the competition" and "hitting the mark" in terms of attaining a goal). Bring at least 15 items with you to class whose metaphorical and literal meanings you can explain in respective contexts.

- watch at least one video from the "Art List" playlist Art Trip - YouTube and Monocle's cities and neighborhoods playlist Cities and neighbourhoods | Monocle - YouTube and take down notes in terms of a) the vocabulary the videos use to describe these places, b) what vocab from Unit 16 was used/could be used in these videos, and c) what key differences between British English and US English you hear in the videos. 

Optional essay assignment: In an essay of 250-350 words, do a write-up of a city that has the ultimate goal of making the reader so interested that they are inspired to travel there one day themselves. (Think techniques from the book/album/film review assignment, e.g. hidden gem, unexpected take on something familiar) Make sure that your essay a) doesn't exceed the word limit, b) is sent as a MS Word document, and c) is submitted to my email address by Wednesday, January 5th at midnight. Submissions that do not abide by these guidelines will not be read.