2011년 3월 28일 월요일

Assignments for 23rd, March class.

1) Answer the questions on the conversation prompt discussed in class.

 - Do you agree with these quotes?
    I agree with these texts but actually, I don't follow these social rules.

 - When is a rule really just a suggestion? And when do suggestions morph into rules?

    When I have to make my OWN decisions, rules are just a suggestion. However, if a majority of people suggest and insist of something, their suggestion becomes a rule.

 - What are the consequences -good or bad- of getting "off the prescribed path" (breaking the rules)?

    Well, I guess that a good consequence is that I can make my own creative ways without a disturbance by other people and I won't be a person who just think about things in sterotype.  On the other hand, a bad consequence is that the society will be chaostic if everyone in the society doesn't observe rules.

 - What happens to those who break the rules?


   Some people who break the rules will become outsiders of the society and other social members will point a finger at them.

2) Post an exampe of the 'herd'mentality in action

 Meaning of "herd mentality" : How people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, follow trends, and/or purchase items.
Examples of the herd mentality : the early adopters of high technology products became herd mentality. Like "iPhone" in these days, this little mechine became necessity of mordern society to the young and business men.



3) On this day the expression 'OK' entered into the American vernacular. what does it mean and who is credited as being the first person to use the expression publicly.

 There have been numerous attempts to explain the emergence of this expression, which seems to have swept into popular use in the US during the mid-19th century. Most of them are pure speculation. It does not seem at all likely, from the linguistic and historical evidence, that it comes from the Scots expression och aye, the Greek ola kala ('it is good'), the Choctaw Indian oke or okeh ('it is so'), the French aux Cayes ('from Cayes', a port in Haiti with a reputation for good rum) or au quai ('to the quay', as supposedly used by French-speaking dockers), or the initials of a railway freight agent called Obediah Kelly who is said to have written them on documents he had checked.
A more likely explanation is that the term originated as an abbreviation of orl korrekt , a jokey misspelling of 'all correct'  which was current in the US in the 1830s. The oldest written references result from its use as a slogan by the Democratic party during the American Presidential election of 1840. Their candidate, President Martin Van Buren, was nicknamed 'Old Kinderhook' (after his birthplace in New York State), and his supporters formed the 'OK Club'. This undoubtedly helped to popularize the term (though it did not get President Van Buren re-elected).
The only other theory with at least a degree of plausibility is that the term originated among Black slaves of West African origin, and represents a word meaning 'all right, yes indeed' in various West African languages. Unfortunately, historical evidence enabling the origin of this expression to be finally and firmly established may be hard to unearth.

2011년 3월 23일 수요일

Assignments for 21st, March class.

1) Find 3 quotes of inspiration from Chapter 3 of 'What I Wish I knew When I was 20.'

 -It is often easier to have big goals than to have small goals. (think as big as possible)

 -Rules are often meant to be broken.

 -Break fee of expectations you have for yourself and that others have for you.

2) Define 5 of the idioms we discussed in class.

 - Fat chance : No possibility.
         I think he will have a fat chance of marrying her.

 - Air your dirty laundry : To talk about your private problems in public.
         Stop airing your dirty laundry. We don't want to know about it anymore!

 - Cut me some slack : Give me some break
          I couldn't sleep a wink. Just cut me some slack.

 - Chip on your shoulder : being upset for something that happeed in the past
          He was a man with a chip on his shoulder. Everone seemed in a conspiracy to slight or injure him.
          
 - X marks the spot : Perfect place
          On your map, X marks the spot where the race begins.

3) On this day, many years ago, Stanley went in search of Livingstone. Who are these individuals and what is their story? What is the famous quote attributed to this event?

  Stanley, Sir Henry Morton (1841~1904)
    He is an english explorer and journalist. He searched  Livingstone who was missing in the Africa and  resqued him. Also he discovered Nile River's fountainhead and the waterway of the Congo.

  Livingstone, David (1813~1878)
    English missionary and explorer. He was the first man who traveled across Africa.

 "Dr. Livinstone, I presume?" said Stanley and Livingstone responded
 "Yes, and I feel thankful that I am here to welcome you."

2011년 3월 22일 화요일

Assignment (More to a Smile Than Lips and Teeth)

1) What according to Dr.Niedenthal, is the scientific explanation for smiling?

 Accoding to Dr. Niedenthal, Smile is not just a expression of people's feeling. She says that smiles are the only the most visible part of an intimate melting down between two minds. Smiles have social function that strength social bonds and interactions between members of community.

2) How did Dr. Niedenthal and her colleagues begin to study the science of smiling?

  After the interview with a Russian reporter who made error about smiling, Dr. Niedenthal decided to study the science of smiling. She thought that smile has something more than just an emotional expression.
Dr. Niedenthal  began the study by scanning brain, cltural observation with her colleagues.

3) According to the aticle, is it correct to say a smile is simply and expression reflecting feeling of happiness?Explain.

  No. Smile has more meanings than just a simple emotional expression what shows happiness. There are many kinds of smiles which show other expressions: flirty, shy, interested, emarrased etc.

4) What are some of the categories smiles fall into? What are some distinguishing features of each?

  First, Happy Smile : The smile that usaully we think about. It expresses feeling of happiness.

  Second, Embarrassed smile : This smile is accompanied by lower chin. Just as name say, it expresses feeling of embarrassment

  Third, Smile of greeting : This smile comes with raised eyebrows. It can be shown when people greeting.

  Forth, Dominant smile : This smile shows hierarchy between members of society.

5) Is it possible that people use smiles to gain some advantage over others? How?

    Yes. When people want to gain some advantages over others, they use smiles. For example, when people did mistake  or want to ask for something to others, They smiles. In fact, they doesn't feel happy about the situation, but they USE smiles as a instrument that can help them to gain some advantage. And also, when people are asked, they expect people who want some help to smile. In our society, smiles became powerful instrument to make results that you wanted to be.

2011년 3월 14일 월요일

Assignments for 14th, March Class.

We can't limit ourselves before the things happen.
Many people in our society make limits to themselves. Isn't it dreadful that they make their own limits to themselves?
We are afraid of getting failed, and we avoid challenges. We don't know the results before we really take actions about it.

Many people think "red paper clip" as a red paper clip. Just like other clips. -may be the color of the clip will be fastinating but still it's just a clip-
But Kyle changed his thought about the value of one red paper clip. Maybe he started his exchanges for fun at the first time, but his dream did come true!!

We can't make limits to ourselves. If we believe in ourselves that we can make something, all of us start to have infinite possibilities. We give ourselves possibilities with changing our thinking.


Maybe until now, I am afraid of starting new. So I will clip my papers with my paper clip.
But, I think I can change my thinkings in someday and I will just do something absurd to others but make sense to me.

Maybe it can be collecting useless paper clips in others' drawers or desk. We can recycle clip to protect environment or we can donate clips for who really need it. -it can be whom so poor that can't afford buying a piece of paper clip or some country it really need clips to recycle it to other things-.


 p.s Others' havior toward you reciprocates your behavior toward others.

2011년 3월 8일 화요일

When We Have Plenty of Time...

When my partner has plenty of time, He want to do MILITARY SERVICE.

I want to tell him that he can consider many alternatives.

For example, He can be a teacher in the first place and he can do military service as a teacher for other soilders.
Or, he can just wait until he becomes 35-year-old.
In korea, when a man becomes 35, he doesn't have to do military service anymore.

But, both ways have to spend long times and It's not very easy to do these ways.

Or for the last option, he just give up his own social life and go for military service.