Kulturraumbezogene Wirtsschaftsthemen, Work for Week Nine (May 25-29)

**Update: the presentation schedule for the second Teilleistung has now been published on Ilias under the file name "zoom presentation schedule" (it is the last file on the "Inhalt" page).**

Please make sure that you are electronically registered for July's written exam. Read this document BEFORE you register: 
https://ilias.th-koeln.de/goto.php?target=file_1479681_download&client_id=ILIAS_FH_Koeln


You will find a new folder ("Reading and Listening Comprehension Tasks for Week Nine (May 25-29)" on the Ilias page containing new listening and reading comprehension tasks for this week. This week, I have also included in the vocab and grammar tasks on CSR in this folder. 

This week's optional writing task (250-350 words) can be found in the TED Talk listening comprehension exercise. This is due to me via e-mail by Thursday, May 28, 2020 at 5 pm. Please make sure that your essay stays within the word limit and is submitted on time. Please also give me ample space between the lines of your essay (e.g. double space) so that I have sufficient space for my written comments and corrections. 

Sample answers for the reading and listening comprehension tasks from last week can now be found in the Week Eight folder on Ilias. You will also find the notes from our Zoom session last Tuesday in a folder entitled "Zoom content" on Ilias. I will be hosting two more class Zoom sessions this semester at the following times:

Tuesday, June 16th from 2-3 pm

Tuesday, June 23rd from 2-3 pm 

Please find the ID and password for these two sessions in my Week Seven blog post. (It is the same meeting ID and password from last week for this class.) 

Please remember that your presentation slides for the second Teilleistung are due to me via email by May 28, 2020 at 5 pm. 

Kulturraumbezogene Wirtschaftsthemen, Work for Week Eight (May 18-22)

You will find a new folder ("Reading and Listening Comprehension Tasks for Week Eight (May 18-22)" on the Ilias page containing new listening and reading comprehension tasks for this week (since this week is short, the tasks are featured in one file).

This week's optional writing task (250-350 words) can be found on the fourth page of the tasks document for this week. This is due to me via e-mail by Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at 5 pm. (The deadline is one day earlier than usual due to the holiday.) Please make sure that your essay stays within the word limit and is submitted on time.

Sample answers for the reading and listening comprehension tasks from our last week before project week can now be found in the Week Seven folder on Ilias.

Please remember that your presentation slides are due to me via email by May 28, 2020 at 5 pm. Please let me know by May 24th via email whether you will be giving your presentation on your own or with a partner. This will help me be able to plan the presentation time slots for June.  

As was announced in my last post, there will be a Zoom session this Tuesday (May 19) from 2-3 pm. Please find the ID and password in my Week Seven blog post. 

Kulturraumstudien USA, Work for Week Eight (May 18-22)

This week, we're going to pursue answers to four questions related to higher education and research in the United States.

Why is college so expensive in the United States?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWJ0OaojfiA
1. What is the difference between state, for-profit and non-profit institutions of higher education?
2. What is the oldest university in the States and when was it founded?
3. What was the taxpayer revolt?
4. How do tuition fees between the 1980s and today compare?
5. What is the average amount of student debt?
6. What is the degree completion rate among US undergraduates?
7. Why are certain private colleges/universities so expensive?
8. Why will most young people in the future need to have gone to college?
9. What is an income-share agreement?
10. Why are some young people against "free college"?
In the rankings portion of this video, SAT scores were referenced. Using outside research, answer the question: what is the SAT?

Some young people in the United States attend community colleges for the first two years of their Bachelor's studies and then transfer to the four-year college thereafter to save money. Some politicians are in favor of making community college free. Using outside research, answer the question: what are community colleges?

In order to answer the question "What does the admissions process to university look like?" please look up a college or university in the States that is of interest to you and visit their admissions pages. What surprises you about what is involved in their admissions process?

What is affirmative action? Watch this video and answer the questions below: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWYNNFu1aQk

1. Who introduced the term "affirmative action"?

2. What were the specifics of the Supreme Court's ruling of 1978?

3. How did it rule in 2015?

4. Outside research: how did the Supreme Court rule in the case regarding Asian-American candidates at Harvard?

***Update: The questions discussed in today's Zoom session are listed below. A new batch of questions will be discussed in our next Zoom on June 8th from 4-5 pm (16:00-17:00 Uhr). My apologies for scheduling today's Zoom so early. The Zoom session for June 8th will use the same Meeting ID and password advertised in my Week Seven post.***


Answer the questions below in complete sentences in detail. (Use examples where appropriate.)

1. Why do young Americans continue to join the military?

2. How did immigrants shape the US film industry?

3. Name a modern US television series or film and describe how it is a product of its time.

4. How have German immigrants shaped US history?

5. How do the children of immigrants in the United States differ from their immigrant parents?

6. How will 2020’s census data differ from the previous census data?

7. What does a Democratic candidate need to do to beat Trump this fall?

8. With what populations does Trump’s anti-Chinese rhetoric resonate?

9. How do the US and German* healthcare systems differ? (Feel free to replace “German” with another country you are familiar with.)

10. Why do some young Americans choose not to vote?

11. What is culture?

Please do not write: “the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society.”

12. Write a research question that is related to US culture. Include a hypothesis and a data set for your question. 

Kompetenzerweiterung II, Work for Week Eight (May 18-22)

Your task for this week is to learn ALL of the vocabulary for Unit 6 (Time and Work) and Unit 8 (Movement and Transport) and complete all of the remaining accompanying exercises. Much of it will be review, but please pay attention to sections (those other than topic vocabulary and word formation) that we did not cover last semester.

Concerning new information on the exam, the content will remain the same (see my previous posts for further details), but the exam will most likely (and by that I mean 99% most likely) take place online. We are currently figuring out how this will be achieved and I will inform you as I receive more information. 

Please also complete these key word transformation, word formation and open cloze exercises:

https://www.englishrevealed.co.uk/CAE/Part2/cae_open_cloze_2.php 

https://www.englishrevealed.co.uk/CAE/Part5/cae_key_word_transformations_2.php

https://www.englishrevealed.co.uk/CAE/Part3/cae_word_formation_2.php

There will be two Zoom sessions this week (one on May 18th from 10-11 am for my Monday/Wednesday group and one on May 19th from 10-11 am for my Tuesday/Thursday group) in which we will workshop an essay together as a class. I will also be offering a Zoom session at the following times in which we will review the grammar points from the first half of this semester (therefore, I would like you to review these points in advance of next week's session if you will be attending):

Monday/Wednesday Group: Monday, May 24, 10-11 am 

Tuesday/Thursday Group: Tuesday, May 25, 10-11 am 

Attendance at this meeting is optional. If you attend, please attend the meeting of your respective class. There will also be a normal post on this blog for next week. (The meeting ID and password for our Zoom sessions can be found in Week Seven's blog post. Please be advised that the first a zero starts both passwords, not the letter "o".)

Your optional essay topics for this week are:

1.Will corona change the way we work forever?

2. Is mobility a basic human right?

Choose one of the above questions for your optional essay of 250-350 words and submit it to me via email in an MS Word document by Wednesday, May 20 at 5 pm. (The deadline has been moved up due to Thursday's holiday.) Try to write your essay within 80 minutes this week. Essays must meet the word-limit guidelines and be submitted by the deadline in order to receive feedback. 

Kulturraumbezogene Wirtschaftsthemen, Work for Week Seven (May 4-8)

***Update: I have posted the information for your second Teilleistung to Ilias. All of the information/materials are featured in the "Second Teilleistung, Due May 28th at 5 pm" folder on Ilias. Please read the "Second Teilleistung Task Description" (the file at the bottom of the folder) first. ***

You will find a new folder ("Reading and Listening Comprehension Tasks for Week Seven (May 4-8)" on the Ilias page containing new listening and reading comprehension tasks for this week (the topic being law and contracts).

I have also posted two new sets of exercises (with their answers) under the file name "WEEK SEVEN Legal Words" and "WEEK SEVEN Contract Terminology" on Ilias.

This week's optional writing task (250-350 words) can be found in the listening comprehension task on Napster. This is due to me via e-mail by Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 5 pm. Please make sure that your essay stays within the word limit and is submitted on time.

Sample answers for the reading and listening comprehension tasks from last week can now be found in the Week Six folder on Ilias.

I have unfortunately been informed that I am not allowed to give you your grades for the Teilleistungen until you have taken your final exam. Nonetheless, you will receive an email from me by the end of this week (i.e. Friday, May 8th) with feedback on your first Teilleistung (i.e. the corona virus business analysis).

This Friday, May 8th, I will be posting the material for your second Teilleistung on Ilias. All of the material will be located in a single folder. As you know, the second Teilleistung is a presentation. A thorough description of the task and requirements will be included in the Ilias folder. You will be allowed to work with one partner (who can also be your partner from the first Teilleistung if you'd like). Your presentation materials will need to be submitted to me via email as a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation by May 28th. The actual presentations themselves will be carried out during our class times either via Zoom appointments or in our classroom, depending on how the situation for this semester develops.

On Tuesday, May 19, 2020 from 14:00-15:00 I will be hosting a Zoom meeting for our group. The areas to be discussed will be answering any questions regarding the second Teilleistung and strategies for responding to three areas on the final exam (which include reading comprehension, an essay, and vocabulary section). You can access the meeting using the following information:
Meeting ID: 848-0065-7845, Password: 9Zprdy
This meeting is optional and attendance will not be taken.

Due to the holiday, there will be no blog post on Monday, May 11th. My next post will be uploaded on May 18th.

Kulturraumstudien USA, Work for Week Seven (May 4-8)

Last week, we had a look at how health insurance operates in the United States. One of the draws for some people to consider joining a branch of the US military is its robust benefits package. For many in the US, it is organization that fosters social mobility. Consider this when watching the video "What is the GI Bill?" and answering the questions that follow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgtvMceoimU
1. Who signed the GI Bill and when was it signed?
2. What is the official name of the GI Bill?
3. The GI Bill was developed in part to prevent what from happening again?
4. What did the GI Bill cover for WWII veterans?

The GI Bill has become synonymous with the military covering university tuition and this is still a draw for people who otherwise couldn't afford to go.

Develop a hypothesis in response to the question "Who joins the US military?" (consider gender, ethnicity, income levels, and home state in your response) before looking at the article below:
https://www.cfr.org/article/demographics-us-military
Where was your hypothesis confirmed? Where was your prediction off?

Watch the video below in order to gain some context concerning a primary research question: How did the US become a superpower?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BShvYeyMm_Y&t=1s
1. What percentage of global military spending does the US spend?
2. Which efforts by William H. Seward (US Secretary of State under Lincoln and Johnson) were blocked by Congress?
3. Why was 1898 a turning point for the US in terms of expansionism?
4. What was the US' most ambitious foreign policy initiative in the early 20th century? What was Congress' reaction?
5. What year did the US enter WWII and why?
6. What was the Bretton Woods Conference and what was it purpose? What resulted from the Conference?
7. Why was NATO formed?
8. What is the policy of containment?
9. Name some examples of US interference in countries' regimes.
10. How has Trump's rhetoric on US military presence diverged from the status quo?

Now watch the following in order to answer two other fundamental questions: Where does the US have its military bases and why does it still have so many?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU8rQWh_qtc
1. How military bases does the US have?
2. When did most military bases emerge around the world?
3. How much do military bases cost to maintain?
4. What role do military bases play in a US global strategy?

You can see where US bases are located on this interactive map: 
https://www.military.com/base-guide/browse-by-location

In seeking to understand how today's voluntary military works, it's important to know how drafts have operated in the past in the US. Start with the Selective Service Act and answer the questions below: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCwlFHJ4lJk
1. Why does this act bear this name in particular?
2. How did the Selective Service Act make conscription more equitable?
3. Who controls the draft?
4. How many Americans were drafted for WWI?

Even today, all male US citizens must register for the Selective Service when they reach the age of 18. This is an important gender rights issue, because in spite of the armed forces opening up to allow women into most areas, it is still only men who must register for the Selective Service.

The Selective Service (or the draft/conscription) was last employed during the Vietnam War. Watch the video below to see how this operated and answer the questions that follow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkJH6sapQMA
1. How did the draft lottery for the Vietnam War operate?
2. Why did statisticians cry foul with regards to the system?
3. When did the draft end?

How do US armed forces recruit for a voluntary military today? Watch the video and answer the questions below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrHQyjCzmOc
1. Why are recruiter having difficulty finding new recruits for the US military?
2. How are recruiters use social media to recruit?
3. In what way has the US military relaxed standards in recent years for new recruits?
4. What are waivers in a recruiting context and what role do they play in recruitment for the US military?

The military has played and still plays an iconic role in US cinema and, therefore, US collective consciousness and imagination. The following are two iconic monologues from classic films: Patton (1970, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who also directed The Godfather and Apocalypse Now) and A Few Good Men (1992, directed by Rob Reiner). Watch the monologues and answer the question: how are these scenes a product of their times (e.g. why make a film about a WWII general in 1970)?
Patton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv9XNFpRdhg&t=4s
You Can't Handle the Truth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnO3igOkOk

On Monday, May 18th from 15:00-16:00, I will be hosting a Zoom meeting for our group. The focus of the meeting will be strategies for responding to the short-answer questions on our exam. (Attending the meeting is not a requirement and attendance will not be taken.) You can access the meeting on that date using the following information:
Meeting ID: 897-6554-7579, Password: 3e1fdF

Have a lovely project week! (There will be no blog post on May 11th. The next post will be uploaded on May 18th.)

Komptenzerweiterung II, Work for Week Seven (May 4-8)

Last week we covered our last grammar unit from the text, so now I'd like to focus on covering the vocabulary units that we had last semester in more depth. Your task for this week is to learn ALL of the vocabulary for Unit 2 (Thinking and Learning) and Unit 4 (Change and Technology) and complete all of the remaining accompanying exercises. Much of it will be review, but please pay attention to sections (those other than topic vocabulary and word formation) that we did not cover last semester.

In addition to this, I'd like for you to do some exercises that are like those that will be on the exam. (Currently, I am planning to keep our exam as I told you it would be last semester and the beginning of this semester, i.e. 90-minutes, pencil-and-paper, at the TH, with the sections previously discussed.) I will keep you up-to-date concerning any developments and changes to this plan as soon as I learn of them.

On the exam, you will need to proofread and edit two short texts (one written in informal English, such as an online review and the other written in modified formal English, such as a journalistic article). Please complete the proofreading and editing exercises featured below:

https://www.proofreadnow.com/blog/advanced-punctuation-quiz

https://www.proofreadnow.com/blog/can-you-ace-this-basic-proofreading-quiz

https://www.ciep.uk/resources/test-yourself/

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/26/insider/copy-edit-this-17.html

https://www.niu.edu/writingtutorial/punctuation/quizzes/PunctuationSelfTest.htm

In addition to those exercises, test your general vocabulary knowledge here:

http://sat.tyrannosaurusprep.com/

And complete these key word transformation, word formation and open cloze exercises:

https://www.englishrevealed.co.uk/CAE/Part5/cae_key_word_transformations_1.php

https://www.englishrevealed.co.uk/CAE/Part3/cae_word_formation_1.php

https://www.englishrevealed.co.uk/CAE/Part2/cae_open_cloze_1.php

Last week, everyone who submitted an essay responded to the question "Can money buy happiness?" Unfortunately, most had a lot of difficult formulating a concrete thesis in response to this question. I'll therefore be offering a Zoom session dedicated to essay planning and organization at the following times:
Monday/Wednesday Group: Monday, May 18th, 10-11 am (Meeting ID: 843-8475-6603, Password: 0tgC3c
Tuesday/Thursday Group: Tuesday, May 19th, 10-11 am (Meeting ID: 894-4337-2208, Password: 0BQpC3)
Attendance at this meeting is optional. If you attend, please attend the meeting of your respective class. There will also be a normal post on this blog for that week.

Your optional essay topics for this week are:
1. What is currently not taught at school/university that should be?
2. Imagine a someone you know is considering buying a smartphone for the very first time. Is the iPhone worth the price tag? (Consider the argument made in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ8H2iRXRSY)

Choose one of the above questions for your optional essay of 250-350 words and submit it to me via email in an MS Word document by Wednesday, May 6th at midnight. Try to write your essay within 80 minutes this week. Essays must meet the word-limit guidelines and be submitted by the deadline in order to receive feedback. 

Have a great project week! (There will be no post on May 11th, due to project week. Please check this blog on May 18th next.)