IAP 2014 Activities by Category - Foreign Languages

Courtney Thomas, ESL Instructor

Jan/22

Wed

11:00AM-01:00PM

E17-122

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

In a casual and conversational setting, participants will discuss barriers to language learning and the importance of proper pausing in clear communication. After analyzing a speech in which President Obama uses the power of pauses to demonstrate control of his message, participants will practice similar techniques.

 

Sponsor(s): SpousesandPartners@mit
Contact: Nicole O'Hern, NOHern@ymcaboston.org

Staly Chin, Norman Cao

Jan/15

Wed

07:00PM-11:00PM

Next House TFL

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Come out and chill with us for ATS's midwinter movie marathon! Take a break from the intensity of IAP and relax while watching popular Asian movies! Don't understand Chinese? It's okay! English subtitles will be provided! Drop by anytime between 7pm-10pm at the Next House TFL!

 

Sponsor(s): Association of Taiwanese Students
Contact: Staly Chin, Next House TFL, (415) 308-4789, STALYC@MIT.EDU

Jimena Castro, Visiting Researcher at BU, Latin American Studies

Jan/09	Thu	11:00AM-12:00PM	66-148
Jan/16	Thu	11:00AM-12:00PM	66-148
Jan/23	Thu	11:00AM-12:00PM	66-148
Jan/30	Thu	11:00AM-12:00PM	66-148

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

Conversational Spanish for Beginners: These sessions will provide the basic skills for having a conversation in Spanish.  We will learn how to greet, talk about basic feelings and the use of present tense. 

Please email the instructor to participate.

Contact: Jimena Castro, jimenacastrogodoy@gmail.com

Jimena Castro, Visiting Researcher at BU, Latin American Studies

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

Conversational Spanish for Beginners: These sessions will provide the basic skills for having a conversation in Spanish.  We will learn how to greet, talk about basic feelings and the use of present tense. 

Please email the instructor to participate.

Sponsor(s): SpousesandPartners@mit
Contact: Jimena Castro, jimenacastrogodoy@gmail.com

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Jan/16	Thu	09:30AM-10:30AM	66-156
Jan/23	Thu	09:30AM-10:30AM	66-156
Jan/30	Thu	09:30AM-10:30AM	66-156

Jimena Castro - Visiting Researcher at BU, Latin American Studies

Dalia Leibowitz

Enrollment: Walkins allowed first week until class fills.
Sign-up by 01/10
Attendance: Participants must attend 80% of classes

Description: This class is designed to teach basic Hebrew skills, and is appropriate for those with little or no knowledge of the language. After finishing this course, students will be able to:

• Read Hebrew in print without vowels
• Present themselves in Hebrew
• Ask and answer basic questions
• Understand basic vocabulary and basic slang

A textbook is required beginning at the end of the first week of class. Hebrew from Scratch Part 1 can be purchased new at the Israel Book Shop in Brookline for approximately $40. For those who wish to order online, the ISBN is 965-350-112-7.

Walkins allowed during first week until class is full.

Sponsor(s): Hillel
Contact: Marissa Feinman, W11, 617-253-2982, Hebrew@mit.edu

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Hebrew For Beginners

Jan/06	Mon	06:30PM-07:30PM	8-205
Jan/07	Tue	06:30PM-07:30PM	8-205
Jan/08	Wed	06:30PM-07:30PM	8-205
Jan/09	Thu	06:30PM-07:30PM	8-205
Jan/13	Mon	06:30PM-07:30PM	8-205
Jan/14	Tue	06:30PM-07:30PM	8-205
Jan/15	Wed	06:30PM-07:30PM	8-205
Jan/16	Thu	06:30PM-07:30PM	8-205
Jan/21	Tue	06:30PM-07:30PM	8-205
Jan/22	Wed	06:30PM-07:30PM	8-205
Jan/23	Thu	06:30PM-07:30PM	8-205

The course will cover the aleph bet, reading and writing with vowels, a vocabulary including at least 100 words, and some basic conversation practice.     

Dalia Leibowitz

Josh Nupp, Assistant Dean, Global Education, Sean Gilbert, Managing Director, MIT-China

Jan/22

Wed

03:00PM-04:00PM

4-261

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

Hear about opportunities in China from representatives of several MIT offices, including Global Education, MISTI, and FL&L. We will discuss the MIT-China program, the Chinese Government Scholarship, and funding opportunities for summer and IAP Chinese language study abroad programs.

Sponsor(s): Global Education and Career Development
Contact: Josh Nupp, 12-189, 617-715-5331, jnupp@mit.edu

Piotr Marecki, dr.

Jan/21

Tue

06:00PM-07:30PM

14N-233

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none

Polish digital literature has a rich tradition to build on: from Polish experimental literature to avant-guarde filmmakers associated with Warsztat Formy Filmowej (Film Form Workshop) of the 1970s, including Bruszewski and the Oscar winner Rybczyński. Other precursor phenomena include Jan Potocki's “Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie”, interwar avant-garde and the work of concretist artists like Stanisław Dróżdż. Poland's contribution to the developement of world hyperfiction was the notion of sylwa (from the latin silva rerum), "a form more capacious”, very popular in XX century literature. The description of this form by Czesław Miłosz inspired Michael Joyce to write an essay on this subject. Polish digital literature develops alongside the phenomenon of liberature, which, since its beginnings in 1999, influences our understanding of the digital medium. A rather isolated position on the international scene and a separate, unique historical background contribute to the distinctiveness of Polish digital literature. The most important authors from this field (including Radosław Nowakowski, Robert Szczerbowski, Wojciech Bruszewski and Katarzyna Giełżyńska) will be presented during the lecture.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Piotr Marecki, 14N-233, MARECKI@MIT.EDU

Michael Toler, Archnet Digital Library Content Manager

Jan/28

Tue

03:00PM-05:00PM

3-133

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

The Arab Spring is the term given to the wave of demonstrations and protests that began in Tunisia in December 2010.  To date this massive wave of popular protests has toppled authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.  There have also been significant demonstrations in other countries, some of which have led to meaningful reforms, while others have led to civil war and strife.  In such times of crisis, music can be particularly important as a tool of communication and education that builds community, boosts morale, and rallies people to the cause.  One thing is clear, this is a revolutionary moment, and every revolution comes with a soundtrack. 

The still evolving soundtrack of the “Arab Spring” is a fascinating blend of local and international influences ranging from classical Chaabi music from North Africa to the electronic sounds of Rap.  Genres that have largely been robbed of their subversive power by the commercial music industry in the West, still pack a radical punch on the streets of the Middle East and North Africa.  Performers have been beaten, jailed, and even killed as part of government efforts to suppress popular uprisings.  This program will dive into the music of the Arab Spring and its antecedents through audio, video, texts, and multimedia resources.

Come discover the musicians that emerged as heroes of these protest movements and join a discussion of what the future might hold, given the rapid political and social changes in the region.

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Michael Toler, 7-238, 617 253-2955, MTOLER@MIT.EDU