Introductions (& Philosophy) ELL 2035 Introductions (& Philosophy)

Introductions How are you doing? (How are you? I’m fine thanks…and you?) What’s your name? What year are you in? What’s your major? minor? hometown? Why are you taking this class? How many classes do you have today? How long is your commute to school? Do you live in the dormitory? Have you joined any clubs? What did / will you do on the weekend? … I’m good. I’m okay. I’m not bad. I’m tired. My name is… I’m in the (1st) year / I’m a freshman My major is … I’m taking this class because… I have … classes today. It takes me .. (minutes/hours) to get to school. No, I live in … Yes, I have. I joined … This weekend I will …

What topics are acceptable for making small talk? 1. shared situation – When do you have MT? 2. weekend – What will you do on the weekend? 3. weather – Is it suppose to rain today? Does the micro dust affect you? 4. events – Did you watch the Olympics? 5. news – Did you hear about…? 6. entertainment – Have you seen…? 7. sports – Are you a KIA Tigers fan?

What topics should you avoid (when first meeting someone from a Western culture)? 1. age – When were you born? 2. marital status – Do you have a wife? 3. money – What’s your salary? 4. religion – Do you go to church on Sunday? 5. politics – What do you think of the President? 6. anything negative – This class sucks! 7. anything negative about their appearance - You look so tired today. Are you getting fat?

Eastern and Western Philosophy

Education the East the West Know your juniors/seniors. Class harmony (group harmony) is important. Freshmen orientation is very important. Students may feel awkward asking questions or visiting the professor’s office. The teacher (used to be) is king / queen. Most students will attend university. Students act differently to their juniors from their seniors. Class participation is encouraged. Students can question and disagree with the teacher (but still respect the teacher). There are fraternities (clubs for men) and sororities (clubs for women). Students are encouraged to take a gap year (a year off between high school and university). Able to call the professor by his/her first name. Majors are chosen because students want to choose them, not because of 수능 (university entrance exam) score.

Discussion 1. Why are you attending university? 2. Why are you taking this class? 3. Would you like to study abroad? If so, where would you like to go? 4. Do you want to go to graduate school? 5. What is your impression (or experience) of the differences between Korean (Eastern) universities (schools) and Western universities (schools)?