EFS 693B - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Listening and Communication
EFS 693B - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Listening and Communication
EFS 693B
Notes: 8 - 2
I. Opening: History of Memorial Day: http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=58b5a76a3931e1601178
II. Share your experiences with practicing vocabulary: www.flashcarddb.com; www.ichi2.net/anki; www.wordchamp.com. Explore the three flashcard sites. Pick one of them and put in at least 10 words from your independent project work. Come prepared to demonstrate your list.
III. Listening to TV dramas: Numb3rs: Pandora's Box. See www.cbs.com/primetime/numb3rs/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numb3rs. This drama is about two brothers, one of whom is a mathematical genius, who work together solving crimes for the FBI.
IV. Advice on Listening to TV Dramas
Dramas are a very popular form of entertainment on television (which these days means not only broadcast and cable TV but also watching new episodes or even reruns online and older ones on DVDs). As a means of being exposed to language, particularly conversational language, dramas are probably better than comedies. This is because the language in general is more real, since the goal is to tell a story and develop characters, rather than to tell jokes. Note, however, that each type of drama has its own specialized vocabulary that you will need to become familiar with.
During the daytime, the primary dramas are the so-called soap operas. These shows, such as General Hospital, are on every day. There are four main types of “prime time” (evening) dramas. Family/friends dramas like Brothers and Sisters build on interpersonal relationships, particularly among young adults. They are basically evening soap operas. Another type is the crime drama. Here, the streets and the courts provide the dramatic setting: examples include Law and Order and Numb3rs. Then we have the hospital shows, like Grey’s Anatomy or House. These bring in the stories of life and death as doctors and nurses help save (or fail to save) the sick and wounded. Finally, there are science fiction dramas, where humans and alien races meet in interstellar space (e.g., Stargate), people have super powers (Heroes) or strange events occur on Earth (e.g., Lost). There are a few shows which mix comedy and drama, sometimes in rather strange ways. An example of this type of show is Desperate Housewives, about a group of suburban women and their lives, families, and relationships. It is interesting to note that two of the most popular drama types from the earlier days of television in the 1950s and 60s have largely disappeared. These are westerns and war shows. They have been replaced by crime and medical dramas and science fiction shows.
Contemporary dramas can offer some insight into American culture, particularly urban culture. However, they tend to distort everyday life by focusing on the sensational, and many have a high degree of violence. If you want to watch dramas for listening practice, they are a good source of conversational English patterns, slang, and idioms. As noted above, in many ways the language is more realistic than in comedies, where the characters’ speech is often full of double meanings for the sake of humor. It is best to find a show and watch it consistently so that you get used to the characters and locations.----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homework: (Remember, our next class is Wednesday May 27. Have a great 3-day weekend)
1) Go to www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/efs/FlashACE/. Go through FlashACE Advanced Lessons 1-3. Do the lessons on three different days. This time, try to use it in whatever way seems to help you the most--note, though, that you can use it in different ways for different purposes. Be prepared to discuss your experience in the next class.
2) Continue with your independent projects. This week choose either the 3 x 40 or 6 x 20 option, but be sure to plan your week ahead of time and report how well you were able to follow your plan--use the form I emailed you last week. We'll try to meet next Tuesday to discuss your projects.
3) Complete the homework from last Wednesday. Explore the three flashcard sites: www.flashcarddb.com; www.ichi2.net/anki; www.wordchamp.com. Pick one of them and put in at least 10 words from your independent project work. Come prepared to demonstrate your list on Wednesday.