2008 Blogs

Sleepless Anticipation...

10/08/2008

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I had a hard time sleeping last night. It was one of those times where you go to sleep, then wake up about 10 minutes later and your mind is racing. I kept thinking about the workshops I need to preare for faculty, and the courses I’ll be teaching English majors at Nha Trang University. It is difficult to prepare when you don’t know the reading level of your students and what they have covered previously. It’s also challenging when you are an American historian who has been asked to teach a course in American Literature. I’ve also been asked to teach a course in American Culture, but at least I have a minor in American Studies.

The pile of books I’ll be shipping to Nha Trang is growing–reference works, histories, biographies, anthologies, classic fiction, and more. When possible, I’m getting films that are based on the books, for instance, Jack London’s Call of the Wild and the 1935 Clark Gable film of the same name. Of course, the film deviates from the original story, but the basic ideas are there. Films with English subtitles are a must, I think. Last night I rewatched To Kill a Mockingbird (I had seen it many years ago). What a moving and powerful story. I wonder how students in Vietnam will react to it, and what questions they’ll have after viewing it. Earlier in the week I watched Hoosiers, making lists of concepts we can discuss, for instance, what is a pep band, the role of cheerleaderss (perhaps the class can practice its English by doing some cheers), and how important sports can be to a town’s identity. There are many more, of course!

It’s a good thing that I am an early morning person, because I understand that the English Club, about 70 or 80 students strong, meets on Sunday mornings at 7 a.m. (probably due to the heat later in the day). I wonder how that would go over at I.U. East?

Okay, enough ruminating for today. I need to get to work on those workshops!