Malcolm Galdwell

Here is the link to a lecture by Malcolm Gladwell about creativity and precocity. If you type in Malcolm Gladwell in the search engine at newyorker.com, you will find other lectures and interviews with him as well. Just look for "Audio"

Nettie will be back in Bremen this week

Dear Students,

I just wanted to let you know that I was in the hospital for the last 10 days (Heart muscle infection, due to the flu I had) but am back home now. I will be back in Bremen on Wednesday. We are supposed to have a quiz then--I posted info about it on the blog week before last. Michael says that if students have not all received the warning, we can take the test next week.

Look forward to seeing you again this week. Sorry about having to cancel classes.

Message from Michael re: Oral Exams

We have oral-exam times provisionally ready, and are just waiting for confirmation from the FZHB regarding room availability. Once rooms are confirmed, I will do two things:

1. post on the Practical-Language board (opposite A3100) the times for those who have to take their oral presentations BEFORE the end of the semester,

2. post in the same place the general dates/times for everyone else. At this point, students will have to consult Andrew in his office (A3100) to sign up for an oral-presentation timeslot. He is usually there from about 9 a.m. to about 1.30-2 p.m., but does have a lunchbreak.

Anyone leaving Bremen on or before 4th July: the special listening-comprehension test for these people will be on Saturday, 27th June, starting at 11.30. These people's oral presentations will then follow in the afternoon (details as indicated above).

N.B. I assume EVERYONE who needs an early date has contacted me by now, since the deadline was 15th May.

Upcoming Quizzes

The FIRST test on two-star items from "What's the Difference?" will be on Units 1-7. You will have 20-25 minutes to do the test IN CLASS in the first meeting after Reading Week.

The SECOND test will be on Units 8-13. Students will do this together with the Listening Comprehension part of the module exam.

IMPORTANT INFO from Michael

Deadlines for scheduling exams if you need to leave Bremen earlier:


1. who MUST leave Bremen before the module exam on 4th July?
Michael Claridge needs
-->names
-->matriculation numbers
-->whether HF/NF/FBW
-->when you are leaving
-->the reason for leaving
at the very latest by Monday, 18th May, so as to fix things with the Prüfungsamt and fix a replacement date. Bona fide reasons are required, which means something like going to Australia or New Zealand to study.

2. who (apart from those under 1. above) will no longer be in Bremen after 10th July or even earlier? We will need to fix oral-exam slots for you... Be prepared by mid-June, as we must squeeze you in around the usual teaching/marking loads.
Again, Michael needs
-->names
-->matriculation numbers
-->whether HF/NF/FBW
-->when you are leaving (if before 11th July)
-->the reason for leaving (if before 11th July - the first day after teaching stops)
at the very latest by Monday, 18th May, so as to fix rooms and dates.

If you are affected by either or both of these, send Michael an email (claridge@uni-bremen.de) with the subject line "4th-semester ESC Abschlussmodul exam", and the information I've asked for above.

Must cancel class again

Sorry, I need to cancel class again. I'm very sick with some sort of virus. Waited till now to write because I kept hoping I would be better by tomorrow. Will post more abotu the class in the next couple of days. Now I just need to lie down.

Wednesday, May 6th Lesson Cancelled

Dear Students,

Due to an emergency, I need to cancel tomorrow's lessons. Sorry about this. If you know anyone else in the class, please pass the word, since not everyone looks at the blog.
Thanks!

p.s. will post more here in the next couple of days, so you know what to prepare for next week's class.

Insiders and Outsiders--Class and Race in America

(The title above is a link) This is a This American Life Episode that includes some fascinating and diverse interviews done by the famous interviewer Studs Terkel, with Americans from various decades, including reflections on what life was like during the Great Depression and about attitudes toward race and class.