Cultural studies:- workshop by Dr. Kalyani Vallath

Here I'm talking about Dr. Kalyani Vallath Mam. She belongs to Kerela. Especially she comes for teaching cultural studies and also a net/set class. Her personality is very good. Her tone is very good in the teaching line. Her speech is very clear and we can understand very easily. Her nature is very good and that is very important. I'm really impressed with her personality and many other things.

1. What is your understanding about the concept of cultural studies?

We have different culture and we are different types of people in our India. Culture means how we live and where we stay in what we eat and wearing etc

2. How would you explain a layman about cultural studies?

We have culture and tradition, mam gives an example from Assam's poverty and slavery and they cut animals and eat with the blood. 

3. If you are asked in interview to teach cultural studies - How would you introduce it?

First of all, I'm asked about culture and tradition and then said what is cultural studies. 

4. How many examples from the sessions were so catchy that you will never forget it? Write about it.

Mam gives so many examples for a better understanding of cultural studies. She gives high-class examples and also gives on the middle class. Suddenly mam wants to drink water but she said I don't like bottled water because this is polluted and attached to corruption. 

5. Anything else...

The overall session is very good. Sir arranged food for guests, teachers, and students. This seminar is very important to everyone because Mam talking about culture and our tradition. Sir managed everything perfectly. After completed mam's lecture, sir sent a link of feedback and after give feedback sir sent the certificate of the workshop.

Language lab review

Language lab software in computer:-

I supposed to first go through Language Lab software in the computer in the lab of the department as well as we have to go through the Language lab software in NAMO E TAB which is provided by government of Gujarat. In all tablets, there has a language lab and much other useful software.so, here I am defining my ideas about both. 

Language lab software is very important to us because this software gives so much information about grammar and other points. This software is difficult and different but knowledge-wise is software is really good. So many points are very good in this software. When we are starting this software at that time some points are very disturbing. Because this is very difficult to understand. 

When I start this software I'm so much confused. I'm troubled a lot in the password and other things. After all, we need this information that's why this software is very important. 

Language lab software gives so many points and levels like level 1,2,3, and very important points are grammar and skills  Listening, speaking, reading, writing 

Most important is that phonetics. This feature gives the correction of our words. This is very important to clear our voice and pronounces it. This feature gives the high and low voice of perfection. 

NAMO e-lab:-

The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities. 

Learn English with the British Council and you'll be learning with the world's English experts. They have been teaching English for more than 75 years and have helped more than 100 million people in 100 different countries improve their English skills and build their confidence. 

You can learn English by talking face to face lessons in this teaching center at online courses and learning tools.

This app provides us with so many examples of learning English. That's why they create so many points because we can understand very easily. 

When we try to give an answer to that time we can feel relaxed because this app is very easy to give an answer. We can arrange multiple choices. And give the right answer. 

In this app, we also give true or false. This is very easy to give an answer, read and understand and then think what they asked and give your answer to what you understand in this app. 

Both:-

Both are very easy when we understand but when we are unknown for this app and features that time we are very confused and we don't understand anything. First of all, we try to understand what they asked and then start this app and software. Very hard features and difficult others points but understanding wise both are good and informative ideas.

One night @ the call center by Chetan Bhagat

Social realism:-

Chetan Bhagat is known as a contemporary writer who focuses on generally youth and social issues. One thing I notify that his novel leads us to the reality of society and the problem of youth and relationships. Normally when the young generation grew as much fast at that time they have a lot of problems like a jobless, love affair, carrier, status…etc. They confused so that they sometimes don’t take proper decisions then they face frustration. Here in the novel, Chetan Bhagat has the ability to read the mind of youth and society very well way so he becomes a lovable and readable writer. In the novel call center as a play role of society and there all characters as presenters of social mindset. Moreover, youth have a desire for freedom from all boundaries. Youth also sometimes broke the social parameters for achievement. In the novel youth didn’t like to work under the boss and few characters suffered from marriage and family relationships so somehow struggle for their unfulfilled dreams. Thus in the novel all types of social scenarios captured by the writer.


Globalization:-

We can’t escape from the effect of globalization because surrounding the world all factors influenced by globalization. Thomas Friedman said that “The world is flat; Globalization is the integration of capital, technology, and information across national borders, in a way that is creating a single global market and to some degree, a global market.” It’s both the side effect on the world level. I can’t say only positive effects happen at the global stage because its negative impact happens also. In the novel, one of the references notifies that homogenization of worker who works at the call center. There was more link point about globalization is an issue of language, development of technology and struggle between man and woman for equality represented by various characters into the novel. So that in the novel characters affected by globalization. 

Journalism:- Feature writing & Lead writing

Lead writing:-

In journalism, the beginning sentences of a news story are everything. Called leads or “ledes,” they must convey essential information, set the tone and entice people to continue reading. If you're interested in becoming an expert journalist, understanding how to write a lead is a key skill for your toolbox.

How to write a lead sentence or paragraph: 

1.Determine your hook. ...

2.Be clear and succinct. ...

3.Write in the active voice. ...

4.Address the reader as “you.” ...

5.Put attribution second. ...

6.Go short and punchy. ...

7.If you're stuck, find a relevant stat. ...

8.Or, start with a story.

Why lead is important in a news story?

The first and most important paragraph of the news story is called lead. Readers will normally judge a story on newspaper by its lead. If it does not grab their attention, they will not read on. It summarizes the contents of the story and conveys its mood and a sense of urgency

What is a feature in journalism?

Feature articles provide readers with a written analysis of a certain topic. These articles are intended to serve readers with the writer's interpretation of a story, unlike news stories, which simply provide the facts. Feature articles appear in several different forms.

Types of Feature Stories in Journalism

• Informative Feature. This type does not use many of the fiction writer's devices, since its purpose is to inform more than to entertain. ...
• Personality Sketches. ...
• Personal Experience Story. ...
• Human Interest Feature Story. ...
• Historical Feature. ...
• Interpretative Feature. ...
• Popularized Scientific Feature.

Why is feature writing important?

Features are more in-depth than traditional news stories and go beyond providing the most important facts. ... Communication professionals write feature articles to provide in-depth exposure for their client or organization. A feature can increase a client or company's visibility and even help find new key audiences.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie born on 15 September 1977) is a Nigerian novelist, writer of short stories, and nonfiction. She has written the novels Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), and Americanah (2013), the short story collection The Thing Around Your Neck (2009), and the book-length essay We Should All Be Feminists (2014).

These talks by Chimamanda Adichie

* The Danger of Single Story

* We Should All be Feminist

* Importance of Truth in Post-truth Era

* The Danger of Single Story

In this video talks about our lives, our cultures are composed of many overlapping stories novel is Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.  The single-story creates stereotypes and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story. Of course, Africa is a continent full of catastrophe. There are immense ones, such as the horrific rapes in Congo and depressing ones. She also tells that the consequences of the single-story are this: It robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasis how we are different rather than how we are similar. She ends with her talk on that when we reject the single story. When we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.


* We Should All Be Feminist:-

We Should All Be Feminists is a personal, eloquently-argued essay from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award-winning author of Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah. Here Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often-masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author's exploration of what it means to be a woman now and of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists. We Should All Be Feminists is licensed for publication in 32 languages.

* Importance of Truth in Post-truth Era:-

In this video, Chimamanda Adichie observes that generally, people in the twenty-first century has a lot of things around them to get confused or rather to believe in it so easily that sometimes, it may happen that the information they carry maybe not pure or correct. We are repeatedly told these days that we have entered the terrifying new era of post-truth, in which not just particular facts but the entire truth might be facked.

To sum up the entire talks by Chimamanda Adichie I liked the views upon We Should All be Feminist. Adichie's version of feminism means acknowledging that women have and continue to have gotten the bad end of things, politically and socially, all over the world,” she says. “Feminism means not only acknowledging that but wanting to make it better.” Moreover, these talks are connected with Postcolonial and African literature. From a postcolonial perspective, the average Nigerian does not have the luxury of nursing what Adichie calls "a single story" about France. It is in their interest to know that France has bookstores.

One thing Black women artists have taught us is the importance of acknowledging our intellectual histories and those who dreamt the futures we enjoy, and our responsibility to dream more liveable futures for those behind us. When Adichie affirms in the interview "I think of myself as coming from a tradition," and names her literary precursors, she overlooks the feminist and postcolonial theorists who made her possible & they are part of her heritage.

Meantime, Adichie's novels Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun are forms of theorisation, if we understand stories to be involved in analytic work. To misquote Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, theories, like stories, lend us a second handle on reality. Adichie's Purple Hibiscus lends us an analytic handle on the familiar paradox of African nationalist icons who gave us so much, but took away so much more because their visions of freedom were one-dimensional

Aspects of mythic Hero in Harry Potter

Aspects of mythic Hero in Harry Potter 

The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell outlines the aspects that a character must possess in order to be considered a mythic hero. Although society
terms many different people who perform certain tasks heroic, a true mythic hero must fit into a certain mold. A hero must first be “the man of self-achieved submission”. The hero is one of virtue and morality in all situations and these two aspects remain evident throughout all of the hero's struggles. He also exhibits an underestimated appearance that is the result of a humble and even terrible beginning of life. Harry Potter of the Harry Potter series shows these characteristics beginning with his own humble beginnings. In the collected work of essays based on the series, The Psychology of Harry Potter, Goodfriend comments on the terrible circumstances in which Harry Potter is brought up: “Harry is a great wizard. But often, greatness is bred from childhood strife and results in interpersonal loneliness and separation in adulthood”. Harry Potter is gifted, but it is not because he was brought up in an inspiring and caring world that fostered magical growth. Harry is forced to live with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and horrid cousin Dudley, otherwise known as the Dursley family. The obvious hate the Dursleys feel towards him is glaring. Their obvious disdain towards Harry is, unfortunately, a common occurrence, and it seems the Dursleys would rather choose to ignore Harry than recognize him as a member of their family: “The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn’t there-or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn’t understand them, like a slug”. Harry’s “family” chooses not to recognize him, and because of his magical abilities, he is treated as not only an outcast of the family but as a despised being who is intruding on their “normal” lives. 

Why Harry is considered a Hero?

 why Harry is considered a hero.?

 To simply distinguish a character as a hero by referring to him as one is not enough. When viewing the texts closely, it is extremely evident why Harry is referred to as a hero and how his early journeys initiate him into the path of a hero. Campbell talks of clear and defined events that propel the hero. “The so-called rites of passage, which occupy such a prominent place in the life of a primitive society are distinguished by formal, and usually very sever, exercises of severance, whereby the in is radically cut away from the attitudes, attachments, and life patterns of the stage
being left behind” . Chapter one of this thesis explores the aspects of a hero. Not just anyone can be a hero. There are predetermined factors and events that create a hero. Chapter two discusses the refusal of the call. More often than not, the hero refuses his initial cause to adventure and the results of the refusal can be devastating to his journey. Chapter three shows the influence of the supernatural guide in the hero’s path to destiny. Next, chapter four covers the first threshold the
hero must cross in order to initiate his journey. Lastly, chapter five covers the belly of the whale; the place wherein the hero is rejuvenated so he can finish his battle against evil

Thinking activity on Arundhati Roy

1. If you are asked about Arundhati Roy. What will be your answer? 

Suzanna Arundhati Roy is an Indian author best known for her novel The God of Small Things, which won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the biggest-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. She is also a political activist involved in human rights and environmental causes

Roy returned to Delhi, where she obtained a position with the National Institute of Urban Affairs. In 1984, she met independent filmmaker Pradip Krishen. who offered her a role as a goatherd in his award-winning movie Massey Sahib. Later, the two married. They collaborated on a television series on India's independence movement and on two films, Annie and Electric Moon. Disenchanted with the film world, Roy did various jobs, including running aerobics classes. Roy and Krishen eventually separated. She became financially secure with the success of her novel The God of Small Things, published in 1997.

Roy is a cousin of prominent media personality Prannon roy the head of the leading Indian television media group NDTV She lives in Delhi.

2. If you are asked about two novels by her, what will be your answer? 

God of small things:-

In addition to her commentary on Indian history and politics, Roy evaluates the Indian post-colonial complex, or the cultural attitudes of many Indians toward their former British rulers. After Ammu calls her father a "wiper" in Hindi for his blind devotion to the British, Chacko explains to the twins that they come from a family of Anglophiles, or lovers of British culture, "trapped outside their own history and unable to retrace their steps". He goes on to say that they despise themselves because of this.

A related inferiority complex is evident in the interactions between Untouchables and Touchables in Ayemenem. Vellya Paapen is an example of an Untouchable so grateful to the Touchable caste that he is willing to kill his son, Velutha, when he discovers that Velutha has broken the most important rule of class segregation that there be no inter-caste sexual relations. In part, this reflects how many Untouchables have internalized caste segregation. Nearly all of the relationships in the novel are somehow colored by cultural and caste tension, including the twins' relationship with Sophie, Chacko's relationship with Margaret, Pappachi's relationship with his family, and Ammu's relationship with Velutha. Characters such as Baby Kochamma and Pappachi are the most rigid and vicious in their attempts to uphold that social code, while Ammu and Velutha are the most unconventional and daring in unraveling it. Roy implies that this is why they are punished so severely for their transgression.

The ministry of utmost Happiness:-

The timing was very perfect with Roy's novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, after a frenetic tedious gloomy Autumn day and completely overwhelmed. The anecdote pleasingly unfolds India’s clashing confusion of tradition and progress, Hindu and Muslim, wealth and poverty. Roy has made a vigorously

This book is fabulous full of vivid characters, and deep insight. It grabbed and held my interest, and stimulated my mind and imagination. Arundhati's prescience in writing about Kashmire plight is accentuated by India's current attempt to gain control of the region.

Thank you.... 

Thinking activity on Education and Technology

Teacher and students are make a good relation through by internet. They work best and gives there perfect performance in a any stage of education 

Video - 1: Sir Ken Robinson: Changing Paradigm                                             

The Country on earth at the moment is reforming public education. There are so many types reasons responsible. One of the reason is economic. Here I have one question increase into my mind that How do we educate our children to take their place in the economies of the 21st century. How do we do that? How do you do that?

Normally, Ken Robinson has given whinges about the educational system without presenting even one creative, usable solution to the problems that he reports -- problems that every one of us is acutely aware of. Anyone can criticize the system but few can fix it.

video Ken Robinson focused on changing education system, economic and role of culture. Moreover he added that only degree and certificate is not justify ability but there skill and representation  also more important. According to my point o view nowadays educational institute like a store & shop and teachers are playing role of shopkeeper but here question is that what happen about student ? They sometimes pay fees and getting certificate. In some cases  doesn't become part of education process. As a result students learning outcome got difference way.Here I agree with idea of ken Robinson because If used technology in education system so that my be learning outcome get better rather than traditional method so why education is not provided with help of technology ?

Video 2:Sugata Mitra: School in the cloud- SOlE

He talks about this above video that how technology and education are interwoven. Or he says that through the platform of the technology students know education very well and they also interested to do how the use of the technology even the slum students also can do without any help.

The beginning of this video, he talks ....
Where did the kind of learning we do in schools, where is come it from & you can look back far in the past, but if you look at the present school days, it is quite easy to figure-out where it came from.

It can from about 300 years ago & it came from the last and the biggest empire on this planet.

imaging trying to rum that show, trying to rum the entire planet- without computer, without telephones, the data, hand-writteen or the pieces of paper & travelling by ships. But he says that....the Victorian did it - what they did it was amazing. They created a global computer, made-up of people, it still with us. Today is called 'Bureaucratic Administrative Machine'.

In order to have that machine running you have that lots of people, they made another machine to produce those people- " The school".

Then he further talks about ...
  
   ' Schools are we know them are Obsolete '

Education system is not broken, it's wonderfully constructed, it just we don't need anymore, it's outdated.

Then he further giving the example of The clerk and the computers ... Which are in every office & the people who guide those computers to do that clerical jobs, those people don't need to write beautifully by hand, they don't need to multiplied numbers by their head, they need to be able to read.

 He talks about the slums & thought that how on the earth those kids are ever going to write Computer Programmes?

Here he wants to say that one day he left his computer among the slums and no one of them had understand the english language or how to operate computer. But after sometimes he arrived at that place and shocked to see that the slums were learned the computer and operate also.

    That's how technology helps the people or the students to learn anything which they want.

Further adds that ...In future we don't need to  go at a school at all, if you need to know something you can find out in 2 minutes on the mobile or computers.

 Then he talks about ...

SOLE :- Self Organizing Learning Environment. They are basically....

Broadband + Collaboration + Encouragement & admiration.

Through these all we can see that put together all and through students started learning themselves.

Video 4:Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education

Salman Khan is the founder of the Khan Academy. He talked on the need to create alternative access to classroom content and how videos can be used to flip a classroom. While showing the power of interactive exercises, Salman argues for a change in the teaching paradigm: Using technology to "humanize" the classroom by flipping the traditional classroom script  given to students video lectures to watch at home and do "homework" in the classroom with the teacher as a facilitator, coach and mentor.

The Khan Academy and Salman Khan has also shared some 2,200 video courses and reaching more than a million learners monthly. In his lecture he given his vision for interactive, self-paced, evolved learning. get Abstract suggests his inspired, and inspiring, lecture to corporate learning specialists and other educators.


Normally students believe that Mathematics, science, geography....etc subject never learn through video or online courses but Khan academy prove that. Moreover flip learning also flexible for the students because of they learn through flip whenever or wherever. I think audio- visual also more helpful to understand heavy subject. I am learning basic grammar course by khan academy app. There are all courses freely available also so that no need to give excuse of premium.

Video 5: Marc Prensky: Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

Technology and its development is ongoing process. From very ancient time we are using technology in one or another way. Like the era of change begins from the discovery of Telephones. We use to communicate with peoples who are living far away. Broadcasting introduce new varieties of language, like the language of news reading, weather report is different. We use various tools like internet, google, email, blogging, Facebook for communication. These all new technologies developing new style of English language. They have distinctive English style. Like each tools includes different numbers of characters, it differs from text messaging to twitters for various purposes.

Video 7: David Crystal: The Biggest Challange for English Language Teachers in the times of Internet

To pace with language change is a biggest challenge for teachers because language is changing so fast with the help of internet. The teachers are not familiar with the new talent because their generation is over. The other problem is Globalization. As if teacher only rely on one kind of English that is British English and taught accordingly to their students then, the students were not able to get other languages when they come in contact with the global market where people from different region speaking different language with different accent. There is vast majorities with varieties of accent and dialogues. There is need to improve listening comprehension and reading from the very beginning.

Video 8: David Crystal: Texting is 'Good' for English Language

Texting is a kind of language, and it is never bad to improve language through texting. But peoples are holding varies myths regarding texting and consider it bad the reasons are:-

i) Texting is done by kids only.
ii) Text messages with abbreviations entirely abbreviate these messages.
iii) Messaging is invented by the kids, its a modern thing.
iv) Kids don't know how to spell
v) There is generation of illiterate because kids don't know how to spell correctly

These all reasons are just reflecting the narrow mindedness of the people. These are not facts. It is not only kids, but mostly things are done by adults. More than half generation are using mobile and everyone is doing messaging. Literacy is important, and it needs more and more practice which technology provides. The more we text the better our literary skill improved.

Task on quality and authenticity of web resources

This blog is about our views or a kind of feedback we can say About"Workshop on quality Authenticity of web resources" Which was organised at our English department by Dr.Dilip Barad.

          Now we are live in social media generation. And we know that we can't live without our devices. Our devices. Internet is like half part of our boly. We can't live without internet 1 day. 

          For using so many websites and we check that, that is autistic or not. How it useful to us. 

          Urkund is most wanted in English department. For checking plagiarism by Dilip barad Sir. Urkund is give plagiarism and we see that how much we ccp in other websites. Ccp is not good for anyone. 

          I want to really thankful to Dilip barad Sir to organize this workshop. And taught us authentic websites and useful informations.

Thinking activity on mass media communication

Now in our  generation communication is very important.

Through by:- 1. What's app
                         2. Facebook
                         3. Instagram
                         4. Twitter
                         5. YouTube... Etc

We are connected through this social media apps. Now we know that we are never reach everywhere everytime.

That's why we used this types of many apps. And this apps very useful to us.

What's app:-

Im used what's app for Connect with my old friends and my family. I have so many friends but i can't talk with them everyday face to face that's why im use this app for talk with them. Mostly im use what's app, because im like use what's app batter than others app and I mostly like to do massages better than calls. 

Facebook:-

Facebook is very fast and very important app. Because when I have not mobile numbers for connecting my friend and family members that time im message through by this app and we connect each other. Im rarely use facebook but when I use for sharing my on views. And connect for who they don't connect to me easily. 

Thinking activity : In the context of A grain of wheat

          Ngugi Wa Thiong’o known for showing his concern for native poor people. In A Grain of Wheat also he showcases his concern towards the poor. The plot revolves around his home village’s preparations for Kenya’s independence day celebration, Uhuru day. This work presented a conflict between white and black. The West was known as a white civilized culture as well as they had the power to colonize the others. The rest are considered as nonwhite people and they were colonized by white people. This novel talks about the Mau Mau Rebellion and its Physical and Psychological impacts upon the mind of people.

          He stays in island. His behavior as like master. He has pet animal and bird as like dog, cat, parrot, his behavior with his pet as don't like friendly but as like master. He save one person then he give name Friday. He was not friendly behavior with Friday but his behavior with Friday as like master or owner

          This relationship we also  occurred  in a grain of wheat. In that time Britain was ruled on Kenyan. English language is used by English people. Natii people are not understand the other languages. So that thing is common in both novel.