This is the PPP for our next class: slides 1-21 inc. are repeated from the PPP you already have (though their design has been somewhat edited).
Slides 22-28 are new.
Enjoy your weekend
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viernes, 9 de septiembre de 2011
ICI Writing
In "The Free Radio," how does the narrator, the teacher sahib, embody some of the ideas posed in Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed?
By Eliana Bentivega
The teacher sahib is an educated old man who cannot understand Ramani’s decisions. He is highly critical of the young man’s acquaintances and also disapproves of the thief’s widow the boy married. The old man is outraged to learn that Ramani agreed to be sterilized and deprived of his manhood. Even if the sahib opposes such restriction of human rights, he does not intervene to help Ramani. The teacher does not seem to realize that Ramani has actually no choice in taking part in the Family Planning Program. However, instead of promoting Ramani’s reflection on this issue, the European educator becomes angry and criticizes him for making such a foolish decision. In Freire’s words, such people ‘instead of nurturing life, they kill life; instead of searching for life, they flee from it, and these are oppressor characteristics.’
By claiming that ‘you can’t teach such people,’ the teacher sahib implies that uneducated people as Ramani are conditioned by their lack of education, and, thus, condemned to a vicious circle of ignorance, poverty, and suffering. In this way, the teacher sahib is far from what Freire would call a revolutionary educator, whose efforts coincide with those of the students to engage them in critical thinking. Such educator has a sincere trust in people and their creative power. However, the teacher sahib does not trust Ramani’s capacity to think, question, and transform his present oppressive situation. The educator’s hopelessness can be related to the former imperial discourse of domination which determined that backward nations needed to be subjugated because they were unable to govern themselves. Poor and uneducated, formerly colonized people are oppressed and have no choices in a society which does not encourage them to develop critical thinking and awareness of their oppressed condition.
In conclusion, Freire’s work poses an interesting framework to analyze the role of the teacher sahib. The old man fails to understand Ramani’s oppressed condition when the former chooses to condemn the latter for undergoing a vasectomy rather than guide the young man towards reflecting critically about the implications of such decision. Moreover, the educator acknowledges he is hopeless as he believes Ramani is not capable of thinking critically and making the right decisions to succeed in life. His failure in understanding and trusting Ramani places him in the position of an oppressor who expects poor Indian people to be doomed to an eternal state of subjugation.
In "Imaginary Homelands" Rushdie states that "description is a political act." Why can we claim that "The Free Radio" is a political description?
By Mara Arias
Salman Rushdie´s story "The Free Radio" is about a young naive rickshaw driver, Ramani, who is compelled to and deceived into undergoing sterilization. Previously, in his collection of essays “Imaginary Homelands,” Rushdie had stated that literature does not only seek to portray reality but that every narrative description is itself a political act. According to Rushdie’s words, “The Free Radio” can be considered a political text because it deals, first of all, with public affairs. Rushdie tells Ramani’s story against the background of India’s political scene in the mid 1970s.
First, the State of Emergency is a crucial event in "The Free Radio." This twenty one-month period in 1975 is one of the blackest phases in Indian history during which the security of the country was deemed to be threatened by internal disturbances. During the State of Emergency civil rights were suppressed, elections were banned, and people were imprisoned without charges and tortured. Likewise, the Youth Movement, a government ally, was resurrected and a Family Planning Program was launched which attempted to force people to undergo surgical sterilization. All these measures, an intrinsic part of the historical context of India, had a great impact on Ramani´s life.
At the beginning of the story, Ramani fell for a woman ten years his senior who had five children of her own. Because of his submissive personality, Ramani was easily deceived by this older woman and by his friends as well to have a vasectomy done. Forced sterilization in exchange for payment, food, clothing, or other valuable items was one of the governmental policies intended to control population in India. First, Ramani was persuaded by his wife to be sterilized because she had already raised five children and did not wish to have another one. Second, Ramani was forced by his friends, members of the Youth Movement, to have the vasectomy done under the Government´s false promise of obtaining a reward, in this case, a new transistor radio which Ramani was never given.
To conclude, "The Free Radio" can be deemed a political narrative because it deals with public life in India in 1975 through Ramani’s life. During the State of Emergency, a large percentage of the Indian population, especially young poor uneducated people like Ramani, underwent sterilizations. They gave away their ability to start a family because they had been indoctrinated into believing it was their duty as citizens to help the Government limit birth control and contribute to a more prosperous country. Sadly, although they were guaranteed valuable items in exchange, these were only rarely given.
miércoles, 7 de septiembre de 2011
A Common Sense Decision, by Mara Arias
Most people have heard the phrase ¨common sense¨ at least once in their lifetime. However, its definition may not always be exact. Some may define common sense as rational decisions applied to practical matters. Others may state that common sense involves the knowledge and experience most people already have and which is based on their previous experiences, intuitions, opinions, or beliefs. Some dictionary definitions also use the terms good sense and sound judgment to refer to common sense. Common-sense ideas can be applied in every-day life and especially at schools where both teachers and students frequently need to use their good reasoning.
I clearly remember how boring English classes used to be in high-school. Learning new vocabulary was the most hideous part of it all. New words were introduced in what it seemed to me meaningless exhaustive lists which we had to copy down and then memorize for the following class. What is more, as no context was provided, I was almost always unable to understand how all those words were actually used. Years have passed by since I finished high-school and nowadays I am myself a student- English teacher. A few days ago, I was introducing a new unit in the course pack about frequent-ordinary places in a city. It was then that I had to face an activity in which an endless list of words was given for the students to copy and memorize. Although the situation looked grim I came up with a great idea. Instead of giving my students the type of vocabulary lists that I had hated so much at high-school I would give them the opportunity of naming all those places in a city they did not know or they were interested in learning about.
That was a truly valuable experience. For the first time, students were in charge of drafting a list of new vocabulary items with words they wanted to learn. Therefore, my students were highly motivated to participate in class in order to acquire new knowledge. This activity turned out to be utterly meaningful for them and for myself as well. As I encountered a problem in the classroom, I followed my common sense to solve it. Based on my previous experience, I took a sensible decision and I encouraged my students to become active participants in their own learning.
Feudalism
Dictionaries/Glossaries of feudal terms
- Feudal terms: http://mahan.wonkwang.ac.kr/link/med/ecyclopedia/feudterm/feudal-dictionary.htm.
- Glossary of feudal terms: http://medieval.ucdavis.edu/20B/Feudalism.html
- Anglo-Saxon and feudal terms: http://www.chobham.info/glossary.htm
- Medieval Words: http://thescriptorium.co.uk/glossary.php
- General dictionary with pronunciation guide: http://www.merriam-webster.com/
Internet Medieval Sourcebook:
Modus Faciendi Homagium and Fidelitatem (The Manner of Doing Homage and Fealty), circa 1275. Online at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1275fealtyhomage.asp
The Modus Faciendi Homagium et Fidelitatem {The Manner of Doing Homage and Fealty} sets out both the proper words and the proper ceremonies for the swearing of homage and fealty by free tenants {i.e. noblemen/vassals}. It first appears in {English} Common Law statute books written between 1275 and 1290. Thereafter its rate of appearance increases in every period, being included in 54% of the statute {i.e. law} books written through the mid-fourteenth century.
This text is part of the Internet Medieval Source Book. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts related to medieval and Byzantine history.
Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use.
© Paul Halsall, August 1998. halsall@murray.fordham.edu
lunes, 5 de septiembre de 2011
IHI - Bibliography
Please, Observe MLA Rules.
Culpin Ch.; and D. Linsell. Past into Present 1 -43 AD -1400. Hong Kong: Collins Educational, 1999.
Shuter P.; and J. Child. Skills in History - Book 1. Changes. Oxford: Heinemann Educational, 1987.
Culpin Ch.; and D. Linsell. Past into Present 1 -43 AD -1400. Hong Kong: Collins Educational, 1999.
Shuter P.; and J. Child. Skills in History - Book 1. Changes. Oxford: Heinemann Educational, 1987.
sábado, 3 de septiembre de 2011
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