The letter "T"

I'm still not telling you the exact topic, but can give you some hints:
- if you have some print-outs about the topics we have covered, bring them to class
- if you haven't, you may want to brush up on the topics skimming through the blog
- it will be more about your ability to make associations than any memorised facts
- take some coloured markers with you


You'll learn the rest on Friday ;-)










Also, please remember to let me know what you would like to do for the Open Day at our institute.

Grzegorz and Kuba (III year) will be doing a didgeridoo presentation, I'm doing another one on Aussie personality.

I will need 2-3 people to take care of the make-up/dot-painting counter.

We have three rooms at our disposal. Grzegorz and I are taking 210, 207 should be a good place for Aboriginal art and the make-up, and then we still have 209. I should be able to provide another laptop + projector if you need them for your presentation(s).

Please use the comments below to leave your name and a short description of what you'd like to do.

*

The letter "S" - cont.

So after Easter break, here we go again. :-)




1. Sport

"Australian sport deserves quality piss taking or none at all."

Australians are a nation of active people and they like to joke that they spend more on excercising than on education, but it doesn't mean that they are going to worship their sportsmen and sportswomen blindly. They always retain a healthy dose of irony and humour.

Asked about cricket, they would say something like that:

Cricket is a game that moves about as fast as a Jamaican on valium. It involves watching 11 men in white clothes stand around a field for a few hours, then break to have lunch, stand around, then break again to have a cup of tea, stand around, then go home. The same thing occurs for another 4 days, and then after all that effort, both teams call the whole thing a draw...

Remember, "Australian sport deserves quality piss taking or none at all." So true ;-)


Australians pride themselves on inventing football. That's correct. Football. (see the link under science). However "footy" may mean different games in different states. More on that here.

AFL







2. Talking about sport, we can't possibly forget about Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.















But the main point is to be able to have fun.

Have a listen to this commentary. Pay attention to how Polish audience react to Aussie scoring goals, and how the commentators react to the goal scored by Poland. A bit eye-opening, eh?




3. Science and the inventive Australian mind.

Have a look at the long list of Aussie inventions.

Here is the history of one of them:



4. Subcultures

This is a trailer of a film that not only started off the great career of Russell Crowe but at that time was a very important voice in the discussion about Australian youth.




*

The letter S (part 1)

Many great topics begin with the letter "S" so we'll have to divide this class into two parts.

Here is what we're going to cover this Friday:

1. Australian Symbols

Begin with some serious reading here:




















And then visit my beloved site for a less "purist" take on Aussie symbols ;-)
(click the pic below)




















EUREKA FLAG VIDEO (backup)
GOLDEN WATTLE

2. In the second part of the class we are going to celebrate the life and heritage of Steve Irwin, or as we came to know him better - The Crocodile Hunter.








How could you just not love this guy? ;-)



First part of a great interview. You'll find part 2 and 3 on You Tube.

The letter "R"

As you remember we'll still need about 10-15 minutes to finish the programme on Australian accent.

For the rest of the class we'll be focusing on the following topics:

1. Radio

We have already seen what the wireless was like at the beginning of 20th century, with its aspiration to become the "new BBC". Follow the link above to learn more.





I'm not that much interested in names, dates and details. Instead concentrate on the impact that radio has had on the community in a country where many citizens live in very remote areas.

2. Religion

3. The Rabbit Proof Fence (the history of introducing new species: sheep & rabbits)

4. rocks and mountains







5. rivers (Murray-Darling)






*
**
***

QUICK TV TIP

11:50 tonight TV2 is showing Gettin' Square (Polish title "Wyrównanie rachunków" - doh!)

You won't get a more "Aussie film" than this one! Really recommended! :-)

I was screening it last year as part of our Film Club. You can read more about it clicking any of the links above.