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EFS 693B - STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Listening and Communication

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EFS 693B
Week 9 Notes
 

I. Opening: Concluding the Friends episode and discussion of comedies. Note, for practice with Indian accents, try Outsourced (comedy): http://www.hulu.com/watch/178528/outsourced-pilot?c=Drama#s-p5-so-i0. This is about an American running a call center in India. (See also Frogger and 'novelties' to understand some of the references).

II. Comments on FlashACE: www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/efs/FlashACE/; Picture ID Quiz #5

III. Small group discussion: prep for this week's report

1. What specific strategies and techniques (parts of procedures) have you found most useful this quarter?

2. What types of online materials have you personally found most useful? Why?

3. Besides what you mention in (1) and (2) above, how has your use of the computer/Internet for learning English changed as a result of this course?

IV. Listening to TV Dramas: Desperate Housewives -- http://www.hulu.com/watch/85647/desperate-housewives-pilot?c=Drama#s-p5-n1-so-i0

Dramas are a very popular form of entertainment on television (which these days means not only broadcast and cable TV but also watching new episodes or even reruns online and older ones on DVDs).  As a means of being exposed to language, particularly conversational language, dramas are often better than comedies. This is because the language in general is more real, since the goal is to tell a story and develop characters, rather than to tell jokes. Note, however, that each type of drama has its own specialized vocabulary that you will need to become familiar with. 

During the daytime, the primary dramas are the so-called soap operas. These shows, such as General Hospital, are on every day. There are four main types of “prime time” (evening) dramas. Family/friends dramas like Greek build on interpersonal relationships, particularly among young adults. They are basically evening soap operas. Another type is the law or crime drama, often built around a mystery. Here, the streets and the courts provide the dramatic setting: examples include CSI. Then we have the medical shows, like Grey’s Anatomy or House. These bring in the stories of life and death as doctors and nurses help save (or fail to save) the sick and wounded. Finally, there are science fiction and fantasy dramas, like Sanctuary. Less common types include business settings and political dramas (see Commander in Chief below). Increasingly, we see shows that mix comedy and drama, sometimes in rather strange ways. An example of this type of show is Desperate Housewives, about a group of suburban women and their lives, families, and relationships. It is interesting to note that two of  the most popular drama types from the earlier days of television in the 1950s and 60s have largely disappeared. These are westerns and war shows.

Contemporary dramas can offer some insight into American culture, particularly urban culture. However, they tend to distort everyday life by focusing on the sensational, and some have a high degree of violence. If you want to watch dramas for listening practice, they are a good source of conversational English patterns, slang, and idioms. As noted above, in many ways the language is more realistic than in comedies, where the characters’ speech is often full of double meanings for the sake of humor. It is best to find a show and watch it consistently so that you get used to the characters, recurring vocabulary, and locations.

A good source for all these shows is Hulu (www.hulu.com), where you can search for free, captioned episodes. If you happen to have a Netflix subscription (www.netflix.com), you will have many additional options. DVDs of some of these shows are also available at Green Library.

V. Looking ahead: final picture ID test next week.

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Homework:

1) This is your final week for the independent project, again for a total of three hours minimum, divided in whatever way you think would be best. You can try a TV comedy or drama if you want in addition to whatever else you're doing, but note that this must be in addition to the assignment in (3). Get the report form here and be sure to answer all the additional questions on it. Your reports are due Monday March 12 at 8:00 pm, preferably through Coursework.

2) Go to www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/efs/FlashACE/. Go through FlashACE Advanced Lessons 4-5, simulating the test conditions (i.e., listen just once, and answer within 10 seconds--if you get the answer wrong, go on to the next item anyway. Don't look at the text). After you finish, go back and check your answers carefully, listening multiple times and checking the text for each.

3) Listening to TED Talks. I have collected two sets of TED Talks, divided roughly by level and theme. Pick the one that you think would be the best match for you and then let me know how it goes (see the report form): see www.stanford.edu/~efs/693b/TED1.html.

4) Optional, (for independent study). Watch a TV drama. If you're not sure which one you want, go to http://www.hulu.com. Watch parts (5 minutes or so) of at least three of the videos below. Then select one to watch a full episode of, using captions as needed. Consult the Wikipedia link to find out about the characters and the story before you watch. then, watch the show semi-intensively, using whatever procedure you think is appropriate to a) keep you interested and b) improve your comprehension, knowledge, and processing. Be sure to use the captions as effectively as you can--don't just have them on or off all the time.

Other options (these have only the most recent episodes available for free--others are available on Hulu Plus)

Additional options

5) We'll meet individually this week for 30 minutes--be sure to prepare any questions you might have. Final Class: There will be a 50-item picture identification test at the final class next week.

Last modified March 10, 2012 by Phil Hubbard