Department of English

Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University



2202208  English Conversation and Discussion

 

Puckpan Tipayamontri

Office: BRK 1106

Office Hours: M 13 and by appointment

Phone: 0 2218 4703

puckpan.t@chula.ac.th

 

Section 2

M 11:0012:30 (MCS 401/18), W 11:0012:30 (MCS 401/5)

 

Tentative Schedule
*Red asterisks in front of an item indicates media clips for listening exercises in the course packet

*Pink asterisks in front of a class heading indicates in-person session in MCS 401/18 (Mondays), MCS 401/5 (Wednesdays), or BRK 414 (Nov. 18)

Week 1

Aug. 10

*1: Unit 1 Representing Disabilities
Reading
Discussion: Etiquette, rules and practices in English conversation and discussion; the importance of nonverbal communication

Aug. 12

No class (Mother's Day)

Week 2

Aug. 17

*2: Unit 1 Representing Disabilities  

Reading

Discussion: Types of disabilities; stereotypes; representation range; language; changing disability misconception and discrimination

Aug. 19

3: Unit 1 Representing Disabilities  

Reading

Discussion: Negotiation for meaning; nonverbal communication; avoiding distracting conversation fillers; the power of questions

Week 3

Aug. 24

4: Unit 2 Strength in Disabilities   

Reading

Discussion: Implications of a disability; positive impact of a disability

Aug. 26

5: Unit 2 Strength in Disabilities 

Reading

Discussion: Adaptation and compensation as assets; opportunity and contribution

Week 4

Aug. 31

6: Unit 3 Political Activism

Reading

Discussion: Political activism past and present; types of activism

Sep. 2

7: Unit 4 Online Safety

Reading

Discussion: Digital literacy; cyber crime

Do Not Track Experiment: Watch the personalized documentary Do Not Track with and without customized information. On the first watch or episode, do not provide your information when prompted, on another be as forthcoming as you can. How does this affect your documentary experience?
  • Classcast
    (Meeting ID: 919 1789 0997)
  • Class Comment and Continued Discussion

Week 5

Sep. 7

No class (Songkran holiday observed)

Sep. 9

8: Unit 4 Online Safety  

Reading

Student-Led Discussion: Naruepanat and Mingkamol
Follow Me: Each student plays both the following games. You can play as many times as you like. Before Monday, September 14 class, record your best number of followers for each game at this data comparison page.

Week 6

Sep. 14

*9: Introduction to Debates   

Reading

Discussion: Introduction to debates

Listening and Vocabulary Test 1 (10 points)

Sep. 16

10: Unit 5 Education  

Reading

Workshop: Debating culture and conventions
  • Classcast
    (Meeting ID: 983 5796 0636)
  • Class Comment and Continued Discussion

Week 7

Sep. 21

11: Unit 5 Education

Reading

Discussion: Debating workshop and practice; preparation; sources; procedure; arguments and substantiation; logical fallacies
  • Classcast
    (Meeting ID: 956 6280 9526)
  • Quiz (topical vocabulary, listening, argument, logic)

Sep. 23

12: Unit 5 Education

Reading

  • Ivory Tower, directed by Andrew Rossi, CNN Films (2014 documentary; video clip, 1 hr. 30:42 min.)
Practice Debate: Use the same rules as the assessed debates for practice.
  • Topic 1: The death penalty should be abolished.
    • Chair: Artittaya
    • Proposition: Renuvajra, Piengpaj, Thunrada and Warisa
    • Opposition: Pailin, Supriyathorn, Phoomin and Sarin
    • Adjudicators: Mingkamol, Naruepanat, Nattacha, Sasayamon and Thanyachanok
  • Topic 2: Homework should be banned.
    • Chair: Phoomin
    • Proposition: Thanyachanok, Sasayamon and Nattacha
    • Opposition: Artittaya, Mingkamol and Naruepanat
    • Adjudicators: Pailin, Piengpaj, Renuvajra, Sarin, Supriyathorn, Thunrada and Warisa
Discussion: Time management; argument; substantiation; research; using notes; giving feedback
  • Classcast
    (Meeting ID: 967 5441 0118)
  • Class Comment and Continued Discussion

Week 8

Sep. 28

*13: Unit 6 Addiction as a Disease

Reading

Discussion: What is addiction? What creates addiction? What are the drivers of addiction? What roles do people in the medical profession play in addiction?

Sep. 30

*14: Unit 6 Addiction as a Disease

Reading

Student-Led Discussion: Thanyachanok and Sasayamon

Week 9

Oct. 5

*15: Debates

Schedule

  • Topic 1: Survival skills should be included in the school curriculum.
    • Chair: Thanyachanok
    • Proposition:
      1. Sarin
      2. Phoomin
      3. Pailin
      4. Supriyathorn
    • Opposition:
      1. Renuvajra
      2. Piengpaj
      3. Thunrada
      4. Warisa
    • Adjudicators: Artittaya, Mingkamol, Naruepanat, Nattacha, and Sasayamon
  • Topic 2: You should not trust news.
    • Chair: Thunrada
    • Proposition:
      1. Thanyachanok
      2. Nattacha
      3. Sasayamon
    • Opposition:
      1. Mingkamol
      2. Artittaya
      3. Naruepanat
    • Adjudicators: Pailin, Phoomin, Piengpaj, Renuvajra, Sarin, Supriyathorn, and Warisa

Oct. 7

No class (Midterm week: October 5–9, 2000)

Week 10

Oct. 12

17: Unit 7 Addiction and Society

Reading

Discussion: Social players and solutions to addiction, beyond the social factors and policies regarding addiction

  • Classcast
    (Meeting ID: 922 9746 9845)
  • Class Comment and Continued Discussion

 
Quiz on the two episodes of "The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs"


Skit: In the incisive spirit of the Monty Python comedy sketch "Argument Clinic" (see transcript), student pairs write and rehearse a three-minute conversation/discussion about a conversation/discussion on needed issues about addiction or sex education to be performed during the October 19 classcast. In the Python sketch, the customer points out that "An argument is a connected series of statements to establish a proposition." He makes a distinction: "Argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says." Think about what a good conversation or discussion requires or entails and illustrate it by engaging with stimulating or challenging issues on addiction and/or sex education in your skit. What kinds of dialogue make for a satisfying conversation or discussion? How does one bring up a tantalizing idea? How does one consider it, comment on it, critique it, agree or disagree with it, give opinions about it, joke or cajole another into analyzing it, explore various angles of it, solicit new approaches to it, elaborate on it, develop it? Partners are: Pailin-Supriyathorn, Renuvajra-Piengpaj, Sasayamon-Thanyachanok, Thunrada-Warisa, Naruepanat-Nattacha, Mingkamol-Artittaya, and Sarin-Phoomin.

Oct. 14

*18: Unit 7 Addiction and Society

Reading

Student-Led Discussion: Artittaya and Nattacha

Week 11

Oct. 19

19: Unit 8 Sex Education

Reading

Discussion: Sex education over the years; laws and regulations; interpersonal relationships; resources

Skit: In the incisive spirit of the Monty Python comedy sketch "Argument Clinic" (see transcript), student pairs write and rehearse a three-minute conversation/discussion about a conversation/discussion on needed issues about addiction or sex education to be performed during the classcast. In the Python sketch, the customer points out that "An argument is a connected series of statements to establish a definite proposition." He makes a distinction: "Argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says." Think about what a good conversation or discussion requires or entails and illustrate it by engaging with stimulating or challenging issues on addiction and/or sex education in your skit. What kinds of dialogue make for a satisfying conversation or discussion? How does one bring up a tantalizing idea? How does one comment on it, critique it, agree or disagree with it, give opinions about it, joke or cajole another to analyze it, explore various angles of it, solicit new approaches to it, elaborate on it, develop it? Partners are: Pailin-Supriyathorn, Renuvajra-Piengpaj, Sasayamon-Thanyachanok, Thunrada-Warisa, Naruepanat-Nattacha, Mingkamol-Artittaya, and Sarin-Phoomin.
  • Classcast
    (Meeting ID: 988 1273 4510)
  • Class Comment and Continued Discussion

Oct. 21

*20: Unit 8 Sex Education
Reading
Student-Led Discussion: Pailin and Supriyathorn
  • Alexandra Siffferlin, "Why Schools Can't Teach Sex Ed," Time
    • "How I Learned about Sex: Dr. Ruth and Others Share Their Stories" (video clip, 3:37 min.; required viewing for discussion)

Week 12

Oct. 26

*21: Unit 9 Zero Waste?

Reading

Listening and Vocabulary Test 2 (10 points)

Oct. 28

*22: Unit 9 Zero Waste?

Reading

Student-Led Discussion: Renuvajra and Piengpaj

Week 13

Nov. 2

23: Unit 10 Patient Autonomy

Reading

Discussion: Patient rights and resources
  • Classcast
    (Meeting ID: 927 7998 5362)
  • Class Comment and Continued Discussion

Nov. 4

*24: Unit 10 Patient Autonomy

Reading

Student-Led Discussion: Phoomin and Sarin

Week 14

Nov. 9

25: Unit 11 Church and State

Reading

Discussion: The relationship between church and state; separation of church and state; religious symbols; freedom of religion; identity politics
  • Classcast
    (Meeting ID: 968 6558 2592)
  • Church and State Insights: Each student brings one of the following: word, quote, number, or image that has to do with the topic of our unit 11 on church and state to share in classcast. Prepare to speak for two minutes about the insight item that you have brought to classcast, introducing the vocab/term/concept, quotation, number, or image and explaining its significance in the issue of church and state. Use the research skills that we have discussed throughout the semester in choosing authoritative and accurate resources for information and for your item. Be sharp as well about using search terms for online work and for in-person library work that will lead you to relevant sources. For example, in addition to the unit title words church and state in queries, you might also use their synonyms or related terms like religion, religious beliefs/values, religious freedom, right(s), liberty/ies, faith, Christianity, Buddhism, politics, law, court, government, constitution, access, history, and context.

Nov. 11

*26: Unit 11 Church and State

Reading

Student-Led Discussion: Thunrada and Warisa

Week 15

Nov. 16

27: Unit 12 Mental Health

Reading

Discussion: Understanding our brain

Nov. 18

*28: Unit 12 Mental Health

Reading

  • The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, hosted by Stephen Fry, BBC (2006 documentary)
Listening and Vocabulary Test 3 (10 points; BRK 414)

Week 16

Nov. 23

*Final Conversation Tests

Pairs of students converse on given prompts.

Nov. 25

*Final Conversation Tests

Pairs of students converse on given prompts.

 

 


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Last updated December 28, 2020