I hope you had an enjoyable summer vacation, and welcome back! As is quite evident from the page header, you are now in English 2B. As with English 2A, the aims of this course include providing students with opportunities to (a) use oral English skills obtained prior to entering the university, (b) extend that knowledge through a variety of speaking and listening activities, and (c) gain confidence in their ability to function in English both inside and outside the academic community of the university.

 The Basics ...  

In case you're curious what thrills await, here is the English 2B syllabus for your enjoyment.

For those of you that had me as an instructor last year, you'll remember that I insist on polite email when you contact me. For those of you that are new to my classes, note that you must write to me in appropriately formal language. Lest you not know exactly what I want, please take a close look at how to write a polite e-mail.

As promised, here is the explanation for your reaction journal.

Here, my Good People, I would like to receive your reaction reports about the various chapters we happily consume this term. Please hand in your reaction reports via this File Request (reaction reports).

 Reading Explorer 4 (3rd edition) 

This section includes random—yet somehow related—links from the units in our textbook, Reading Explorer 4 by Paul MacIntyre.

As you'll cleverly note in the upper, lefthand corner of the cover of your textbook, this book comes to us courtesy of the National Geographic Society, which is known for its maps, photography, and the wonderful magazine.

This term, Good People, we will be perusing Chapters 6 (Money and Trade) plus three more and perhaps one more if we have time. Last term, as you certainly recall, we did manage to dance through four chapters in our spring term, and I hope we can do so this term as well.

This term we will be enjoying presentations by groups of students. You may choose which topic and thus the date for your presentation; you'll need to go to the link shown in the QR code to the right. This term I expect detailed presentations that extend our knowledge of the topic under discussion; note that I do not want a simple report of what is in our textbook.

 Unit 6A — How Money Made Us Modern (September 22 & 29) 

New: Good morning, everyone. Today (9/30) I have to step away at 9:30 for some entrance exam duties, so please work on this virtual currency worksheet in the latter half of class today. You should hand it in by our next class via this File Request (Virtual Currency worksheet)

Money has, of course, a long and interesting history. Let's begin with a look at a timeline of the evolution of money, courtesy of NOVA.

Class Material:

 Unit 6B — The Rise of Virtual Money (October 6) 

As you'll see on page 112 in our textbook, the Micronesian island of Yap is an interesting example of the development of fiat money. For your listening and reading pleasure, here is an NPR story on The Island of Stone Money As well, you might enjoy this (optional) reading from the folks at BBC titled The Tiny Island with Human-Sized Money".

An interesting side issue is that of the ultimate fate of physical, tangible currency in the form of paper and coins. This is, as we now know, fiat currency, and its demise has long been forecast. One commentator on this topic is the author of The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki, and in this essay titled 'Is this the end of cash?' he covers a number of points worth considering.

Class Material:

 Unit 8A — Investigations (October 13, 20) 

Off and running, folks! These next couple weeks we'll exploring a mystery that has remained unsolved for about 200 years. Another mystery is the disappearance of a noted American pilot, Amelia Earhart, in 1937 somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Yet another is the disappearance of D. B. Cooper in 1971 ...

The story of Amelia Earhart (official website) over the years that she flew very much captivated the imagination of the American public, for flying was a new and thrilling adventure that had only begun some 20-30 years before with the powered flights of the Wright brothers in 1903. The report to the right is courtesy of CBS News.

To the left we find the trailer to the 2013 movie Amelia starring Hillary Strunk and Richard Gere.

 Unit 8B — Watching You (forthcoming) 

George Orwell and his novel of a dystopian future (1984) provided a most troubling vision of the late 20th century. The novel was authored in 1947, just after the end of World War Two, which certainly explains some of the images we see here.

Orwell was, of course, English, which is the home of the world's most extensive surveillance system. Here we have a website called Big Brother Watch, which combines a certain amount of paranoia with well-justified caution. In the words of Dr. David Murakami-Wood, the UK is "the most surveilled country" when compared to other industrialized Western countries. The reason for that is the sheer number of surveillance cameras — some 4.2 million — plus the volume of personal information being tracked electronically (when was the last time you used your cell phone or your PASMO?) meams that the government could track you throughout your day.

A talk by Mikko Hypponen at TEDxBrussels titled "Living in a surveillance state", which should make you worry just a bit (or very much). Should you need to know more, you might search for Edward Snowden and read about his activities. For starters, here is a BBC series of stories on Snowdon's work.

 Unit 10A — Living Longer (October 28, November 10) 

Oh, to live a long and healthy life! That, my good people, has been the dream of many since ancient days, and that quest has had a profound effect on medicine, history, and even literature (Harry Potter?).

Class Material:

 Unit 10B — In Search of Longevity (November 17) 

An observation, folks: how many different diets exist? The number is surprising (go on and google it!), and it's also surprising how many contradictions we find, too. The image to the left is of a whole-grain and seed loaf, but is it in fact healthy? Or should we limit our intake of carbohydrates?

Class Material:

 Unit 12A — Planet Hunters (November 24, December 1) 

Good morning, my minions. Today we'll be considering our search for planets (which come in various types, of course), which is much more than a simple exercise in scientific curiosity.

The primary organization in this search has the catchy acronym SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), which is located at the University of California, Berkeley.

Class Material:

 Unit 12B — The Threat from Space (December 8) 

On page 214 in our text you will find Tunguska mentioned, which was the (possible) site of a meteorite strike in 1908. There are other ideas as well, some of which you'll find in this article from Live Science (and you should watch the news clip on this page, too). You'll also find an excellent webpage on Tunguska here, courtesy of EarthSky.

Siberia seems to have a penchant for attracting meteorites ... Here we have a spectacular 2013 meteorite in Chelyabinsk in Siberia.

Courtesy of The Guardian, here we can see how humans trashed space (and how to fix the problem) .

 Unit 9A — Rediscovering the Past (December 15) 

The world of digital documentation has grown since Cyark in the 00's and 10's, and one such organization is Global Digital Heritage, which is a not-for-profit, private group. They also have a an extensive set of videos on their YouTube channel.

Class Material:

 Our Report Project 

As you know from class, this term you will be required to again pursue a topic of interest to you and your group members. The topic you choose will come from one of three categories, either

As always, your group will make a presentation (yes, we emphasize that sort of thing in this fine faculty). To wit, the oral presentation will be in our final class (or two) in January.

As always (again), you and your fellow members much submit a written report, the style of which you'll find here. A tip, too: This report project should be more extensive and more developed than what you did in your first-year classes (of course). When I sit down to grade these, there should be not only substantial length, but also substantial depth and evidence of time spent creating and polishing this.

The purpose of this report is twofold. First, you will explore a topic originating from those in our textbook (warning: I do not want a simple repeat of the material in the chapter). Second, you will include summaries of at least three academic articles related to that topic.

Please hand in your final report by January 27 using this File Request (final report).

Please take the final exam, also by January 27. Yes, you may use your textbook, notes, computer, and so forth. However, you may NOT talk to your classmates.

 Writing 

As you know from class, I require polite email. Recall, too, that if you send me a file, the filename has a certain form.

Here's an example of the report style that you should use.

 From the previous Reading Explorer 4 

 Unit 7A — Movie Makers (September 21 & 28) 

Here is a bit of background on Bollywood with a look at a at a brief pictorial history of Bollywood films. As you'll readily see, it has quite a lengthy history.

Just for fun, here is the trailer for a recent film called Khoobsurat (click on the photo). Now you might be wondering just exactly what that means, right? Well, it's an Urdu word that has such meanings as beautiful, handsome, and personable (yes, I had to look it up). So, Gentle Students, where might Urdu be spoken?

 A bit of history, good people ...  

As you are aware, things do not happen in isolation. Among the largest influences on what goes on in life is the history of, for example, a people, an area, or a person. Naturally, India has had a relationship with Pakistan (to its west), yet the relationship has at times been a troubled one. Here we have a very informative look at the history of India-Pakistan relations, courtesy of our friends at BBC.

As long as we're on the topic, you will recall from your World History class that one of the most famous people of the 20th century was deeply involved in that history. If you've never seen this film, I highly recommending doing so.

 Unit 7B — Let's Dance (October 4 & 11) 

Where to begin? We humans - being animals at heart - have always been moving, mobile beings.

More.

 Unit 9A — Reputations (November 22 & 29) 

As you'll recall, we recently talked about Napoleon, one of the more famous persons who ever lived. History is replete with such folks, including more modern ones and those in the distant recesses of history. Julius Caesar was, of course, a rather famous Roman emperor who has bequeathed us quite a litany (have you ever eaten a Caesar salad?).

Caesar, however, had nothing on Genghis Khan (or Chingghis Khan, as scholars seems to prefer). As you might expect, from our friends at National Geographic we have quite a trove of GK information, including lengthy story that appeared in the magazine in 1996. A second GK story of interest appeared just recently and provided a very scientifically-oriented facet: how rain played a major role in the conquests of the Good Mr. Khan.

Time for a minor tangent from the linguistics world: have you ever wondered how GK might be written in the Mongol language? To the right, Gentle Students... (yes, read it from top to bottom).

Finally, from the History Channel, we have this history of Genghis Khan.

 Unit 9B — The Mother Empress (December 6 & 13) 

Here, Gentle Students, we encounter a remarkable woman, Catherine the Great, who seized power in Russia and held it for some 34 years. She was not, however, Russian, instead being from a Prussian family from what is now Poland.

Catherine was quite a patron of the arts and amassed a sizable collection of artwork over her lifetime. Happily, that collection exists still today in the holdings of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in Russia. Have a look, Gentle Students, for it's well worth your time.

 Miscellaneous 

A small challenge for you, good people: how about giving up your cell phone and all of your other electronic devices for 90 days? One young man that did is Jake Reilly, featured in this interview and in the video below.

The abstract is here Abstract
In 2008, Nicholas Carr ...
(mouseover to read it).