Learning Language

Genie

Most psychologists and linguists believe that human have a natural ability to learn language until about age 12 or 13. After that age, they cannot learn a new language as well as their original language. But how can we prove this theory?

One answer is Genie. Genie was a girl who spent all her childhood in a small, dark room. Her parents locked her in there and never talked to her. When she was rescued, she was 12 years old and could not talk at all. Many people were interested. Could she learn language, even though she knew nothing?

She learned some words, but she never learned grammar. For example, she could say "Me milk" or "House Want Go" but she never became more advanced. This seemed to prove the theory that language must be learned by age 12 or 13, or else a child will never be able to fully master it.

Chimpanzees
Some chimpanzees have been able to learn some language.

1. Washoe learned 130 signs in American Sign Language (normally used by deaf people).

2. Nim Chimsky learned 150 signs in sign language.

3. Kanzi learned 360 words using a special keyboard system.

However, chimps do not understand much grammar, and their abilities are only about as good as a 2.5-year-old human.

History of Architecture

Egyptian (3000 BC - 900 BC)
Wood was not widely available in the arid Egyptian landscape. Houses in ancient Egypt were made with blocks of sun-baked mud. Flooding of the Nile River and the ravages of time destroyed most of these ancient homes. Much of what we know about ancient Egypt is based on great temples and tombs, which were made with granite and limestone and decorated with hieroglyphics, carvings, and brightly colored frescoes. The ancient Egyptians didn't use mortar, so the stones were carefully cut to fit together.
Classical Greek and Roman (850 BC - 400 AD)
Greek and Roman architecture made extensive use of columns, topped off with a frieze and pediment. See the diagram below for the names of the different parts of a Greek building.


Gothic (1100-1450)
Gothic architecture was popular in Medieval Europe. Builders used pointed arches and elaborate stonework. One of the earliest Gothic buildings was the ambulatory of the abbey of St. Denis in France, built between 1140 and 1144.

Renaissance (1400-1600)
In Europe during the Renaissance, builders loved to use symmetry and geometry to create well-ordered buildings. This building is by the famous Italian architect Palladio.
Baroque (1600-1830)
The Baroque style was very complicated, with many twists, turns, and intricate designs and details. This is the style of the famous Versailles Palace in France, where the French king lived.

Neo-Classical (1730-1925)
During this time, architects tried to copy the classic buildings of Greece and Rome. Of course, the style was not exactly the same as in the ancient world, but it was heavily influenced by it. One famous example of Neo-Classical architecture is the U.S. Capitol building.

Neo-Gothic (1905-1930)
At the beginning of the 20th century, architects were influenced by the old Gothic buildings. Many of the first skyscrapers were built in the Neo-Gothic, or "New Gothic" style. This is the Tribune Tower in Chicago.


Art Deco (1925-1937)
Art Deco is the "New York" style. It is simple but elegant, and it was used on many famous skyscrapers in New York. Think of the Empire State Building, with its powerful, tall, rectangular, design. The picture below is the Chrysler building, another famous New York building.
Modern (1900-present)
Modern architecture created whole new ways of thinking about spaces, with strange new designs that challenged the past. This is a museum at Cornell University.

Post-modern (1972-present)
Post-modern architecture is a combination of the wildness of Modern architecture and the more subdued traditional forms of architecture. It is old and new put together. However, many critics think that a lot of post-modern architecture looks ugly.

Symbolism in the Seder

The Meaning of Passover Foods

Passover is a Jewish holiday that celebrates when the Jews escaped from slavery in Egypt. During Passover, each family eats a meal called a Seder. Each food in the Seder has a special meaning.

Matzoh (or Matzah)

This unleavened bread reminds Jews that they needed to leave Egypt very quickly, following God's final plague sent to convince the Egyptian Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave the country. Tradition says that the Jews left so quickly that the bread dough in their pans did not even have time to rise. It was quickly baked in its unleavened state and wrapped to go. Hence, the three matzahs that are eaten during the Passover Seder are also brought to the table wrapped in a napkin.

Maror

The Maror or bitter herbs that are on the Seder plate are there to symbolize the bitterness of the Jews' years of slavery in Egypt. In America, this is often either thin slices of horseradish or small pieces of various varieties of lettuce.

Harosset

This mixture of apples, figs, dates, nuts, cinnamon and wine (there are many recipes) is on the plate to remind Jews of the endless building projects they engaged in in Egypt.

Beitzah

A hard-boiled egg that is on the plate to symbolize the renewal of life and the Jews eternal existence as a people.

Karpas

In America, this is traditionally either parsley or celery that I served with a bowl of saltwater (is “tears”). The family dips the vegetable into the saltwater in memory of all the tears the Jews have shed.

Zeroah

The meal itself. It is often lamb and, even when it is not, there is often a lamb shankbone on the table to symbolize the traditional sacrificial offering. In America, the actual Seder meal is as likely to be a beef brisket or a roasted chicken, as it is to be lamb.

Wine

During a Passover Seder, four glasses of wine are consumed at very specific parts of the Seder celebration. On the fourth round, a special glass is also poured for the prophet Elijah – and the doors of the home are opened briefly to allow his spirit to grace them with his presence. Elijah prophesied the coming of the Messiah.

McDonald's in Japan

From Big Mac to Rice Burger — McDonalds in Japan
December 10, 2009
The first McDonald’s in Los Angeles in 1954 was not more than an ordinary looking drive-in where people could get cheap hamburgers and did not need to tip the waitresses. At the time it was Ray Kroc, a salesmen of paper cups and mixers, who signed a contract with it’s owners, Dick and Mac McDonald, to further spread the McDonald’s concept. In 1974, the analysis of the McDonald’s company was the following:

The basis of McDonald’s success is serving a low-priced, value-oriented product fast and efficiently in clean and pleasant surroundings. While the Company’s menu is limited, it contains food staples that are widely accepted in North America.

Ray Kroc was a risk taker who believed in the simple formula of the clean and cheap McDonald’s restaurants. The Big Mac was introduced in 1968. In 1976, the 4000th restaurant was opened in America. Right now, McDonald’s has globally spread to 118 different countries.














McDonald’s has gone a long way from being just a simple drive-in. In 1971 the chain reached Japan and it immediately was a huge success. McDonald’s Japan was the same concept as McDonald’s America, but they did adjust the menu a bit to suit the Japanese taste. For example, McDonald’s introduced the Teriyaki Burger, the Rice Burger and the Green Tea Ice-cream.
Except for the slight changes in menu, there are other differences between McDonald’s America and Japan as well. This has to do with the way McDonald’s was received by the Japanese consumer. In Japan, McDonald’s food is actually considered a snack instead of a meal, and therefore has never posed a serious challenge to the Japanese lunch or dinner market. There are several ways to explain this conception of McDonald’s food as a snack. First of all, McDonald’s food cannot be shared: sharing is an important part of the Japanese dinner or lunch time because it brings a sense of community.

Secondly, McDonald’s food consists mostly of meat and bread. To the Japanese, meat has always been a part of the Western diet and not of their own traditional lifestyle. Therefore, the combination of meat and bread is in fact quite alien to the Japanese. In addition, the fact that McDonald’s food lacks rice makes it unsuitable for a proper dinner or lunch: according to Japanese, a real meal always includes rice, which is not only seen as good nutrition but also as a metaphor for Japanese national identity.

McDonald’s did not only introduce a new type of food to Japan, it also introduced a new way to eat. These table manners are actually the opposite of the Japanese way to eat. At McDonald’s, you eat whilst standing instead of sitting, and you use your hands instead of chopsticks. Also, McDonald’s made it more common to drink soda’s directly out of the bottle and to eat ice-cream. Although all these things were previously considered very negative, McDonald’s gave a positive twist to to them. But in the public sphere the “new” forms of etiquette gradually became the norm; the fashionableness of eating fast food wore thin as the restaurants became a routine feature of everyday, working life. McDonald’s became an ordinary feature within Japanese society.

McDonald’s was initially a symbol of America; or, a symbol of America as perceived by the Japanese. It gave people a chic and exotic feeling. Nowadays, McDonald’s has actually become ‘local’ in a certain way.

McDonald’s is indigenised by the Japanese. Japan adapted McDonald’s to suit it’s own society. McDonald’s is a place to have a quick snack. Japanese can eat a Teriyaki or Rice Burger, drink Oolong tea, and read the Japanese McJoy magazine. McDonald’s is embedded in Japanese culture now, and the concept of McDonald’s is not interpreted the same way all over the world: each culture, like Japan, fits this into society the way they find appropriate. In the end, it cannot be denied that there is a difference between a Big Mac and a Rice Burger.

Syllabus

International Cultures I
2010 Second Semester

Course Syllabus

Mr. Christopher Cox

Class: International Cultures I

Grade: 2

Text book: Many Peoples, One World

Objectives

We live in a global world. As the future moves forward, it will become increasingly imperative for people of different cultures to interact in order to cooperate on major global issues that affect everyone. It is thus important to understand the different cultures in the world, in order to more effectively understand and work with individuals from other countries.

Moreover, it is enriching to study the ways that other human beings eat, dress, speak, live, work, and create. There are an infinite number of ways to live one's life. It is refreshing to explore ways that other cultures live their lives. By examining the art, religion, government, customs, and traditions of other people, we can learn more of what it is to be human.

Thus, this course has two goals: (1) to expose you to information about different cultures, and (2) to provoke reflection and discussion about different cultures, so that we can better understand our world.

Grading

None, but negative/positive student comments and evaluations will be given as necessary.

HW Assignments:

Homework will vary. Assignments could include:

1. readings from the textbook

2. readings on the blog

3. written assignments or presentations

Presentations:

Because groupwork is such a major part of class, it is expected that students will become familiar with building short presentations within a class period. However, there will be a few major presentations that students will be given a week or so to prepare for. Details will be given in class.

Website:

There will be class readings posted on the class website. Please visit the class website regularly at www.internationalcultures1.blogspot.com to read the material for the next class.

Course Outline

Text book: Culture: Past, Present, and Future

Month	Topic	Lesson Plan
Aug-Sept	Meeting the Needs	Week 1: Introduction and Food Week 2: Architecture Week 3: Clothing Week 4: Religious Interactions Week 5: Language & Health

Midterm: October 4-8

October

Government, Economy, and Education

Week 1: Presentations: Meeting the Needs Week 2: Economy & Culture Week 3: Government & Culture

Nov-Dec

The Arts

Week 1: Education & Culture Week 2: Presentations: Government, Economy, and Education Week 3: Visual Art Week 4: Music Week 5: Theater & Performance Week 6: Final Presentations

Final: December 13-17

Note that the midterm and final will not be graded; but are only for individual evaluation, and to assess what students have learned so far.