Sunday, March 1, 2009
My Experience vs. Other Westerners
As I have been teaching classes and wondering about how to answer some of your questions, I have often found that it is difficult for me to answer because my experience might be very different from another westerner's experience. Understand that the United States is a very multi-cultural country and its many regions vary significantly. Life in Los Angeles is very different from life in Utah which is very different from life in the South which is very different from life on the East Coast. Yes, there are similarities. But know that culture and ethnicity vary in the United States.
Questions (and Answers)
Students, as I have mentioned before, this is my first semester teaching this class. Although the book is full of information about western countries and culture, I feel that the best way for you to learn about western culture is to ask me questions! If you have questions about western culture please ask me in class or you can write me an email and ask me to explain something in class. I have found that many of you have the same questions and if not I know that what you ask will be interesting to someone else. I will make a list for you to look at, and when you have more questions I will add those to the list. Thank you for your help!
Unit 15 Outline & Vocab
I. Intro to Canada
A. Population of 34 million, 90% of which live near Canada-USA border
B. Canada is 2nd in total area behind Russia
C. Similar to America in many ways including the way they speak
D. Official languages are English and French
E. Canadian identity can be hard to define and is changing; like many other western countries Canada is multicultural
F. Canada traces much of its institutions and identity to Great Britain
G. Become a political entity in 1867 and achieved independence in 1931
H. Longest undefended border in the world
II. The North—the Yukon and the Northwest Territories
A. Canada stretches to the arctic circle and to the north pole; this area is scarcely populated and is called “the land of the midnight sun”
B. Economy is based on oil and gas deposits
III. The West
A. Western-most province is British Columbia (BC) which is known for its mountainous landscape
B. Hydroelectric power is prominent here and logging is a huge industry
IV. The Prairies
A. This region is the breadbasket of Canada and is mostly flat prairie land
B. Wheat is grown here and many livestock are raised
V. Central Canada
A. This is the part of Canada that was first settled and includes Ontario and Quebec
B. The biggest cities in Canada (Toronto and Montreal) are in this region as well as Canada’s capital Ottawa
C. More than half of the population live in these two provinces
VI. Atlantic Region
A. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland constitute the Atlantic Region
B. Fishing is a significant part of the economy in these areas as is tourism as the scenery is spectacular
VII. Geography, History, Name
A. Geography determined the kinds of immigrants to the various parts of Canada (Irish to the Atlantic region, Scandinavian and Ukranian to the prairies, French in the South Central, and Chinese in BC)
B. Vikings arrived but did not stay about 1000 AD
C. French colonized Nova Scotia and Quebec in the early 1600s
D. The British started to venture into Canada in the 1670s
E. 1700s experienced a mix of British and French
F. Book gives several possible origins of the name Canada; sources I found all said Canada comes from Iroquois word meanings “village”
Vocab
Yukon
Northwest Territories
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Foundland
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Arctic Circle
North Pole
Land of the midnight sun
Tundra
Breadbasket
Toronto
Montreal
Inuit
Vikings
Igloo
Trapper
Beaver pelt
A. Population of 34 million, 90% of which live near Canada-USA border
B. Canada is 2nd in total area behind Russia
C. Similar to America in many ways including the way they speak
D. Official languages are English and French
E. Canadian identity can be hard to define and is changing; like many other western countries Canada is multicultural
F. Canada traces much of its institutions and identity to Great Britain
G. Become a political entity in 1867 and achieved independence in 1931
H. Longest undefended border in the world
II. The North—the Yukon and the Northwest Territories
A. Canada stretches to the arctic circle and to the north pole; this area is scarcely populated and is called “the land of the midnight sun”
B. Economy is based on oil and gas deposits
III. The West
A. Western-most province is British Columbia (BC) which is known for its mountainous landscape
B. Hydroelectric power is prominent here and logging is a huge industry
IV. The Prairies
A. This region is the breadbasket of Canada and is mostly flat prairie land
B. Wheat is grown here and many livestock are raised
V. Central Canada
A. This is the part of Canada that was first settled and includes Ontario and Quebec
B. The biggest cities in Canada (Toronto and Montreal) are in this region as well as Canada’s capital Ottawa
C. More than half of the population live in these two provinces
VI. Atlantic Region
A. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland constitute the Atlantic Region
B. Fishing is a significant part of the economy in these areas as is tourism as the scenery is spectacular
VII. Geography, History, Name
A. Geography determined the kinds of immigrants to the various parts of Canada (Irish to the Atlantic region, Scandinavian and Ukranian to the prairies, French in the South Central, and Chinese in BC)
B. Vikings arrived but did not stay about 1000 AD
C. French colonized Nova Scotia and Quebec in the early 1600s
D. The British started to venture into Canada in the 1670s
E. 1700s experienced a mix of British and French
F. Book gives several possible origins of the name Canada; sources I found all said Canada comes from Iroquois word meanings “village”
Vocab
Yukon
Northwest Territories
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Foundland
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Arctic Circle
North Pole
Land of the midnight sun
Tundra
Breadbasket
Toronto
Montreal
Inuit
Vikings
Igloo
Trapper
Beaver pelt
Monday, February 23, 2009
Good news everyone. With help from my awesome student Doris, I was able to set up QQ today on my computer. My QQ number is 1102988470 if you want to add me to your class or to your friends.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Unit 2 Vocab List
Head of State
Governor General
Parliament
Member of Parliament (MP)
Prime Minister (PM)
Opposition
Kohanga reo
Correspondence School
Agriculture
Hydro-electric power
Free trade
Trade barriers
Governor General
Parliament
Member of Parliament (MP)
Prime Minister (PM)
Opposition
Kohanga reo
Correspondence School
Agriculture
Hydro-electric power
Free trade
Trade barriers
Unit 2 Outline
I. Government
A. Governed by democratically elected parliament
B. New Zealand has no constitution but the Constitution Act of 1986 acts as one as it defines the duties of the three branches of government
C. Queen of England is symbolic head of state but Governor-General acts as the head of state
D. Single chamber parliament has 120 Members of Parliament (MPs) with six who represent Maoris
E. Elections are held every three years, 80% of people vote
F. Two main parties are the National Party (centre-right) and Labour Party (centre-left)
G. Prime Minister is the leader of the party in power, party not in power is called the Opposition
H. In 1996 New Zealand began the MMPR (mixed member proportional representation) giving each person two votes
I. Former Government Enterprises have been privatized
J. Local taxes are called “rates” which are paid by “ratepayers”
K. The three levels of local government are regional councils, territorial authorities, and Community Boards
II. Education
A. School is mandatory for children ages 6 to 16 and is also free
B. Board of trustees governs each school
C. Kohanga reo, or language nests, are schools that focus on Maori language and culture
D. Schools used to go from Junior 1-2, Standard, 1-4, and Forms 1-7 but now they use years 1-13
E. New Zealand has a distance education program for those that have special medical needs or live overseas called “the Correspondence School”
F. Students take exams in forms 3, 4, and 5 called the National Certificate of Educational Achievement
G. There are nine universities and 23 polytechnics in New Zealand
III. Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing
A. Agriculture plays a significant role in New Zealand economics accounting for 21% of exports; the government does not subsidize farming
B. Farmers raise deer, sheep, and cattle and grow kiwi-fruit, apple, pears, and many other fruits and vegetables; NZ also produces a large amount of dairy products
C. New Zealand has 50.2 million sheep, that means there are more than ten times as many sheep than people in New Zealand
D. Forests cover more than one fourth of New Zealand and forest products are exported to Australia and Asia
E. Fishing includes over 100 commercially significant species and accounts for 5% of exports
IV. Energy & Overseas Trade
A. Hydro-electric power produces 80% of the nation’s electricity
B. Geothermal steam and natural gas also contribute to energy sources but oil must be imported
C. New Zealand relies heavily on international trade and consequently relies on doing business free of trade barriers
D. Horticulture is important as NZ has pioneered new apple varieties and has developed the kiwifruit as well as other fruits not native to NZ
E. Manufacturing accounts for 25% of exports
F. 1.5 million international visitors come to NZ every year making tourism an important part of the economy
G. NZ’s four major markets are Australia, the EU, Japan, and the United States
A. Governed by democratically elected parliament
B. New Zealand has no constitution but the Constitution Act of 1986 acts as one as it defines the duties of the three branches of government
C. Queen of England is symbolic head of state but Governor-General acts as the head of state
D. Single chamber parliament has 120 Members of Parliament (MPs) with six who represent Maoris
E. Elections are held every three years, 80% of people vote
F. Two main parties are the National Party (centre-right) and Labour Party (centre-left)
G. Prime Minister is the leader of the party in power, party not in power is called the Opposition
H. In 1996 New Zealand began the MMPR (mixed member proportional representation) giving each person two votes
I. Former Government Enterprises have been privatized
J. Local taxes are called “rates” which are paid by “ratepayers”
K. The three levels of local government are regional councils, territorial authorities, and Community Boards
II. Education
A. School is mandatory for children ages 6 to 16 and is also free
B. Board of trustees governs each school
C. Kohanga reo, or language nests, are schools that focus on Maori language and culture
D. Schools used to go from Junior 1-2, Standard, 1-4, and Forms 1-7 but now they use years 1-13
E. New Zealand has a distance education program for those that have special medical needs or live overseas called “the Correspondence School”
F. Students take exams in forms 3, 4, and 5 called the National Certificate of Educational Achievement
G. There are nine universities and 23 polytechnics in New Zealand
III. Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing
A. Agriculture plays a significant role in New Zealand economics accounting for 21% of exports; the government does not subsidize farming
B. Farmers raise deer, sheep, and cattle and grow kiwi-fruit, apple, pears, and many other fruits and vegetables; NZ also produces a large amount of dairy products
C. New Zealand has 50.2 million sheep, that means there are more than ten times as many sheep than people in New Zealand
D. Forests cover more than one fourth of New Zealand and forest products are exported to Australia and Asia
E. Fishing includes over 100 commercially significant species and accounts for 5% of exports
IV. Energy & Overseas Trade
A. Hydro-electric power produces 80% of the nation’s electricity
B. Geothermal steam and natural gas also contribute to energy sources but oil must be imported
C. New Zealand relies heavily on international trade and consequently relies on doing business free of trade barriers
D. Horticulture is important as NZ has pioneered new apple varieties and has developed the kiwifruit as well as other fruits not native to NZ
E. Manufacturing accounts for 25% of exports
F. 1.5 million international visitors come to NZ every year making tourism an important part of the economy
G. NZ’s four major markets are Australia, the EU, Japan, and the United States
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
English/Chinese Sessions
If any of you are interested in doing one on one English I would be willing to meet with you for an hour. The meeting would be a trade: this means I would speak English with you for a full half hour or go over anything you want in English, and the second half hour you would be helping me learn Chinese! I am not sure how much time I will devote to this but I do want to learn Chinese while I am here. So let me know if you are interested. I don't know how much time I will have and if we do one session it does not guarantee that I will do more sessions. I want to test the waters. My friend Mike might also be interested, but you will have to ask him about it. One last thing, if you know of any fun activities going on in Huai Hua make sure to tell me! I want to experience Huai Hua to the fullest! You can be me eyes and ears and let me know what is going on. Thanks students!
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