III Year Lettorato Inglese -- Peterson-More 2017-2018

Homework to do before our next lesson on Wednesday, November 29:

- Cutting Edge pg. 34 all;

- Pudney, p. 106 passage number 3: translate paragraph 1 (lines 1-6).

III Year Lettorato Inglese -- Peterson-More 2017-2018

Thank you to all of the groups who gave their presentations yesterday and last week. I have been very pleased and also impressed with the work you have all done. 

I am sorry that we have had to reschedule and cut short some of the presentations due to time concerns. Yesterday I was disappointed that the last group, presenting the song "Hallelujah," had less time for their presentation than the others, and also that many students left before the presentation was finished - especially because the group had prepared a detailed and informative PDF which many of you did not get to see.

Before leaving, the group members said they would not mind sharing their file with the rest of the class. Accordingly, please find below links to the lyrics, and to the group's presentation:

Lyrics to "Hallelujah" (written by Leonard Cohen; covered by Jeff Buckley and other musicians)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l3m7AiKVfdbGkAi4sy0uRoshiuOGH0ZtPaXkLwgIKNM/edit?usp=sharing

"Hallelujah" presentation

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m081lQflV-ZHKwBTtS3dDQCwUwamfvvrk/view?usp=sharing

P.S. I also want to ask the other groups who have prepared PowerPoint files if I can post links to them too, in order to share with the rest of the class. Please let me know. Thanks!

III Year Lettorato Inglese -- Peterson-More 2017-2018

Notes about the class presentations

First of all, let me say I have been much impressed with the presentations given so far. As a class, you have chosen a variety of different songs, representing a range of musical genres, and each song has had an interesting – and at times even a powerful – message to communicate. You have all done a wonderful job presenting your songs. I want to thank you for your work and for teaching the rest of the class (and me too) through the songs and the contextual information surrounding them. I am sorry that during our last lesson I had to cut some of the presentations short, and I apologize to the students whose presentations had to be postponed to our next lesson.

IMPORTANT:

On Monday please arrive early so that we can begin punctually at 1:00pm. We will probably need the full two hours to ensure we can complete all six of the scheduled presentations.

To the groups who are presenting on Monday: please practice your presentations ahead of time, and time yourselves. Prioritize: once you have written down everything that you want to say, read through your notes and select the most important points to share with the class. Make sure to say those points first. And say them in the most clear and concise way you can. Each presentation should last approximately 15 minutes total – including the times it takes to play the song. If you reach 18 minutes, we will have to cut short the presentation and move on to the next group. All of this means that each student should speak for about 3 minutes, and possibly even less. Right now you might think that is a short time, but if you practice well, you can say and share a lot of information in 2-3 minutes.

III Year Lettorato Inglese -- Peterson-More 2017-2018

Homework to do before our next lesson on Monday, November 27:

- Cutting Edge pg. 31; exercise 4 + exercises 1a & 1b

- Pudney, p. 104 passage number 1: translate paragraphs 2 & 3 (lines 7-21);

- Read the following article/blog post written model Zoe Brock describing her encounter with Harvey Weinstein at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998 (not 1997 as she inadvertently wrote).

Scroll down past the updates in italics (corsivo) directly to the original article, posted on October 10.

It begins just above the first pictures, with the words: “I was only 23 when I was ‘Harveyed’. It was 1997.” Afterwards, please read the updates at the top of the post. Lastly, browse the reader comments if you like.   

https://medium.com/bullies-assholes-i-have-known/harvey-weinstein-and-i-at-the-hotel-du-cap-57e5883cde36

III Year Lettorato Inglese -- Peterson-More 2017-2018

Pudney – suggested translations (from previous homework assignment)

Sentence number 50 (pg. 102):

They finished restoring /completed the restoration of that building years ago, but they haven’t been able to prevent illegal occupation by squatters.

Passage number 1, paragraph 1 (pg. 104):

Tension is rising in Cyprus, / Tensions are rising in Cyprus, where a 26-year-old Greek Cypriot was killed yesterday on the ‘green line’ which has cut/divided the island, including the capital, in (into) two from east to west since 1974. The two Cypriot communities began to class last Sunday/ have been clashing since last Sunday and over/more than 50 people have been wounded in the fighting up to now.

III Year Lettorato Inglese -- Peterson-More 2017-2018


Dear students,

Here is the homework to prepare for our next lesson on Wednesday, Nov. 22.

- Cutting Edge: Study pp. 120-121 and do all exercises on pp. 122-123.

- Pudney: Translate sentence number 50 (pg. 102) + passage number one, lines 1-6 only (pg. 104).

IMPORTANT: In addition, in case you do not have them already, before next Monday November 27, make sure to get the writing materials for our course (both of which are available as photocopies at the Centrocopie Mirafiori):

- Introduction to Academic English (third edition), Pearson Longman Publishing.
- The writing section from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (ninth edition), Oxford University Press.

III Year Lettorato Inglese -- Peterson-More 2017-2018


Dear students:

Below is the link to the additional article to read before our next lesson on Monday, Nov. 20.

https://af.reuters.com/article/africaTech/idAFL8N1NH0HQ

OFFICE HOURS (RICEVIMENTO) ON NOV. 8 CANCELED/CHANGED

MY NEXT REGULAR OFFICE HOURS WILL BE WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15.

Unfortunately I have to cancel my regular office hours scheduled for tomorrow Wednesday, November 8 at 14.45-16.45. Although I will be at the university in the morning and early afternoon for lesson between 11.00 and 13.00, I am under the weather (sick with a cold) and therefore cannot stay late

If I feel well enough, I will be my office between 13.00 and 14.00. You may look for me in the office during that time.

I Anno Lettorato Inglese -- Peterson-More 2017-2018

LESSONS CANCELED ON NOV. 8 AND NOV 13.

THE NEXT LESSON WILL BE WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15.

Dear students, unfortunately I have to cancel our lesson scheduled for Wednesday, November 8. Although I am in Rome, and will be at the university in the morning and early afternoon, I am under the weather (sick with a cold) and cannot stay on campus until 7:00pm.

In addition, the lesson scheduled for Monday, November 13 is canceled due to travel.

Please check the blog again the upcoming days. I will post some additional homework exercises for you to do before our next lesson.

III Year Lettorato Inglese -- Peterson-More 2017-2018

Directions for our first semester in-class presentations (ideally starting the week of November 13)

(1) Work in groups of 4 students.

(2) Each presentation should last approximately 10-15 minutes total.

(3) I encourage you to play all or part of the song (5 minutes or less), while projecting the lyrics on screen.

(4) Every person in the group must speak during the presentation; equal time for each student.

(5) The overall goal for each presentation, taken as a whole, is to offer an interpretation (or more than one interpretation) of the song’s meaning (or meanings). Be specific, thorough, and clear.

(6) Highlight (i.e. call our attention) to specific lines, phrases, or images in the song to illustrate your interpretation: analyze the meaning and/or the poetry in the lines you choose to highlight. Explain why they are significant, poetic, and/or beautiful.
(7) Also indicate any lines that do NOT fit or could actually contradict your overall interpretation of the song.

(8) Where relevant, analyze the use of poetic or rhetorical devices in the song's lyrics – such as metaphor, simile, metonymy etc. as well as the use of idiomatic expressions, puns, or play-on-words.
(9) Perhaps your song aims to convey a message to listeners – as opposed to telling a story or relating the personal experience of the 'narrator' (i.e. the narrational, singing voice, which does mean simply the singer). If this is the case, discuss whether you and the other members of your group agree with the message and to what extent, i.e. in whole or in part. Do you share the ideas expressed in the song? Can you identify with narrator's feelings? Why or why not?
(10) Where necessary, discuss the historical-cultural context behind the song and its contents and/or the circumstances or historical moment in which it was written. For instance, what were the specific circumstances behind Bob Dylan's composition of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"? (It was part of the soundtrack for the film... which is about.... Therefore the song...).
(11) For some songs it may be important to discuss their reception by the public – i.e. the reaction provoked among the song's listeners and the general populace or public at large.
(12) Is the song as relevant today as when it was first written (or more or less so)? If so, why? If not, how and why has its relevance changed?
(13) You may also want to discuss the interaction of the music and the words. How do these two elements of the song complement or contrast with each other?

(14) Here are some hints for choosing your song. Pick a song that: has a message; and/or tells a story; and/or that you find poetic; and/or that you find difficult to understand; and/or that could be open to multiple interpretations/meanings.
(15) Your song must be approved by me beforehand.


If you are having trouble selecting a song, here are some suggestions:

Bob Dylan – “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” or “House of the Rising Sun”

Bob Marley – “Redemption Song”

Bruce Springsteen - "The River"
Dead Prez – “Police State”

Fugazi – “Smallpox Champion”

Gil Scott Heron – “The Revolution will not be Televised”
Interpol – "Pace is the Trick"

Jack Johnson – “Drink the Water"
John Lennon – "Instant Karma" or "Mind Games" or "Working Class Hero"
Lowkey – "Obama Nation"
Louis Armstrong – “(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue”
Nouvelle Vague – “In a Manner of Speaking” or “The American” or "God Save the Queen"
Otis Redding – “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”

Pink Floyd – “Money”

Radiohead – “2+2=5”

The Rolling Stones - "Mother's Little Helper"
The Stooges – "Search and Destroy"
The Strokes – "Machu Pichu"or "Tap Out" or "Hard to Explain" or "Life Is Simple In the Moonlight"
Sonic Youth – “Swimsuit Issue” or “Tunic”

Sublime – “April 29, 1992”

Tupac Shakur – “Changes” or “Dear Mama” or “Keep ya Head Up”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – "Dudley" or "Warrior" or "Turn into"

For additional inspiration, you could check the following list of 50 protest songs:
http://www.radiox.co.uk/features/x-lists/music-changed-world-50-best-protest-songs/

III Year Lettorato Inglese -- Peterson-More 2017-2018

Dear Students,

I hope you enjoyed a pleasant holiday this past Wednesday. For our next lesson, on Monday Nov. 6, please do the following:

- Pudney sentences 32-35;

- Cutting Edge Student’s Book pp. 20-21 (in case you don’t have the listening CD’, you may read the audio script of listening exercise 2.2 on pp. 163-164). For information on cleft sentences, you may consult online sources, such as:  http://dictionary.cambridge.org/it/grammatica/grammatica-britannico/word-order-and-focus/cleft-sentences-it-was-in-june-we-got-married;

- Cutting Edge Workbook p. 13