Comments on two blog posts due Monday, January 30, 2012

By next Monday you will need to write comments on two of your fellow students' postings about Switzerland.  To receive full credit for your responses, you will need to write a thoughtful response, including additional information related to the article, a comparison and/or an evaluative statement by the due date. 

When you add a comment, you will need to be logged into your blogger account, type in your comments, then scroll down after clicking on "publish comment" and enter the captcha so that your comment appears on the blog, if the author has not removed that requirement.  See the original handout for additional directions.

Article #2: Switzerland (due January 26, 2012)

For your second analysis, go to the swissinfo.ch website to find an article about Switzerland:
http://www.swissinfo.ch/

You will notice that swissinfo.ch publishes articles in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.  This link is to the English version.  A number of articles from different areas will appear in the center of the page. The current day's stories have an introductory blurb, the stores from past day's have a simple link. There are also links to other stories on the right.  Be careful to select an article about something in Switzerland.

Select an article that interests you, read the article closely, then address the following items in your written analysis:
1) provide a brief summary of the article
2) describe the cultural aspect in your article (Do not just summarize the article)
3) compare/contrast the information with the U.S. and/or your expectations. If something surprised you, include that as well with an explanation of why you were surprised.
4) evaluate the cultural importance in terms of what you know about Swiss culture and how it either did or did not change your perception of Swiss culture

Remember that you need to write 350-500 words in your analysis and provide citation information and a working link to the article.

Refer to the example I have posted below if you are not sure how to formulate your analysis.

Comments due Wednesday, January 18

If you have spare time this long weekend, you may want to begin looking at what your fellow students have written in their first article analysis.  By next Wednesday, you will need to write comments on two of the postings.  I have posted sample comments on the postings.

When you add a comment, you will need to be logged into your blogger account, type in your comments, then scroll down after clicking on "publish comment" and enter the captcha so that your comment appears on the blog.  See the original handout for additional directions.

Article #1: Deutschland (due Jan. 12, 2012)

For your first analysis, go to the Deutsche Welle or the Spiegel Online website to find an article about Germany:
http://www.dw-world.de/
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/

You will notice that Deutsche Welle publishes articles in many languages, German and English included, and that the link above takes you to the English site. On the left side of their English version home page menu, you can select "Germany" under the Top Stories heading. A number of articles from different areas will appear in the center of the page. The current day's stories have an introductory blurb, the stores from past day's have a simple link. The Spiegel Online site has blurbs for the day's articles. For both sites, be sure you select something about Germany.

Select an article that interests you, read the article closely, then address the following items in your written analysis:
1) describe the cultural aspect in your article (Do not just summarize the article!)
2) compare/contrast the information with the U.S. and/or your expectations. If something surprised you, include that as well with an explanation of why you were surprised.
3) evaluate the cultural importance in terms of what you know about German culture

Remember that you need to write 300-400 words in your analysis and provide citation information and a working link to the article.

See the example I have posted below.

Big Brother Is Watching You Watching Big Brother

The subtitle of this article is "Too much Reality," which is quite fitting. The article talks about the types of reality shows on German TV, comparing them to their American counterparts, while bemoaning just how far society has slid since they began to be aired. The article claims that, " Big Brother, now in its 10th season in Germany, has become the perfect metaphor for the changes in the television and media culture of the last 10 years," and compares the actual television show to Orwell's novel 1984, since everyone is watched almost everywhere. The article cites American historian Daniel Boorstin"s term "pseudo-event" as applicable to reality shows since they offer a more exciting version of the actual mundane reality of our lives.

I chose this article because I have never seen Big Brother, or hardly any other reality show on television. I have seen brief snippets of Survivor and American Idol, but never found any of them (except for Dancing with the Stars) to be interesting enough. I don't care who wins, and the competitions were stupid in my opinion. It is interesting that German television viewers seem to like the same sort of reality shows as many Americans, so much that some of the shows here have been adapted for German use. I do know from experience that American TV shows are frequently shown in Germany, often dubbed into German. The Simpsons is a runaway hit, South Park is another favorite, Bonanza was loved, and many other shows make their way to German homes.

One of the more interesting points (beside the startling reference to dwarf tossing), was that politician Kurt Beck and Interior Minister Otto Schily are cited as speaking out against reality shows and the negative effect they have on society and culture. I'm not sure whether the U.S. equivalent (Department of Homeland Security/Department of Justice) have spoken out publicly against reality TV specifically, though there is plenty of negative talk about the effect of TV on children, especially violent shows. It seems that both American and German cultures are concerned about influences that will erode the reputation of their "Culture."

This article (by Markus Brauck, Isabell Huelsen and Martin U. Mueller) can be read at:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,670500,00.html

What is German Culture?

In this first posting, reflect on what you know about German culture.  It may include information you have learned in school, stereotypes you have seen or read, music you have heard, German-Americana, as well as any other attitudes, practices or food you associate with German culture.
 As you write, address the following:
1. Describe what you think German culture is.
2. Compare what you know/think about German culture to American culture.
3. Hypothesize about the validity of your thoughts.

This posting is due no later than Friday, January 6, 2012.
Remember: by installing a logo on your home page, you will be able to move easily to your dashboard (see instructions on handout).

Home page for Winter Project

This is the home page for the winter project Deutsche Kultur, Nachrichten und Zeitgeschichte.