World News 4.30

• VENEZUELA: Crisis deepens as a military truck runs over protestors (Global News)
• CHINA: Hong Kong man beaten after spoiling Avengers: Endgame (Yahoo! News)
• BRAZIL: New president doesn't want gay tourism, but welcomes you "if you want to come here and have sex with a woman" (Out)
• SAUDI ARABIA: Thirty seven men are executed by the Kingdom in a single day (New York Times)
• FRANCE: Miss France hopeful fatally hit by tractor-trailer (New York Post)
• COLOMBIA: Colombian star, Maluma, achieves greatest international exposure yet with Madonna collaboration (YouTube)

 

Week 15: Kenya

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Week 15: Kenya
Mon 4.29/Wed 5.1
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop
Due: ; REFLECTION 6A OR 6B (TUESDAY); RESEARCH PROJECT (DRAFT 2—BRING ELECTRONIC VERSION)

Upcoming;

Week 16: Russia
Mon 5.6/Wed 5.8
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop

Week 17: Australia (Finals Week 1)
Mon 5.13*
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop; Course review
Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (FINAL DRAFT—EMAIL BY 5 P.M.)
*Final class meeting of the semester

Week 18: Japan (Finals Week 2)
Final exam meeting time: Tue 5.21 @ 7:15-9:30 a.m. (Location TBD)
Class: ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 5 P.M.)

World News 4.24

• SRI LANKA: The nation mourns the deadly Easter day bombings, as Islamic State claims responsibility (AP)
• UNITED KINGDOM: A giant baby Trump blimp, five-times bigger than usual, is readied for the POTUS' July visit (Guardian)
• DR CONGO: Park rangers' gorilla selfie pics go viral (BBC News)
• CHINA: Scientist successfully inject human genes into monkeys' brains  (Independent) 
• CANADA: So far, legal marijuana sales are flat (Barron's)
• FRANCE: Billionaire backlash as the rich are questioned for their willingness to help Notre Dame, but not aid more social problems (USA Today)

Reflection 6B: The Straight Dope—Understanding Drug Laws Abroad

Note: For Reflection 6, choose only one topic—A or B.

In the United States, 100% of all recreational drugs are illegal—Marijuana, recreational or medicinal, may or may not be legal depending on the state. But how do laws (and attitudes) differ in those countries we might visit? If Americans travel abroad with the intent to use drugs, what should they know? For example, how can a seemingly drug-casual society actually spell trouble for tourists engaging in narcotics? Even if one travels without the intent to use drugs, why is it important to know a place's laws about drugs and alcohol?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "Seven Destinations Where Drug Tourism is Thriving" (Oyster)
• "Drinking and Drugs in Portugal: Tips to Stay Safe" (Portugal)
• "The World's Scariest Places to be Busted for Drugs" (The Fix)
• "The Most Dangerous Places to be a Drunk American" (Thrillist)
• "The High Lands: Exploring Drug Tourism Across Southeast Asia' (The Atlantic) 
• "The Countries with the Harshest Drug Penlties in the World" (The Independent)

Required:

• MLA Style
• 250 words

Due: Mon 4.29 (Note Monday due date)

Reflection 6A: We ARE the World—How Can I Help?

Note: For Reflection 6, choose only one topic—A or B.

While learning more about the world can be interesting, it can also be overwhelming, even a bit depressing. War, poverty, natural disasters—it seems our planet is plagued by an endless string of life and death challenges. It's enough to make you throw up your hands and give up on humanity. Still, it's important not to forget that there are a whole lot of people out there working really hard to make the world a better place. From poaching to HIV to human rights, everyday millions of people are joining to combat some of our most pressing problems. For this reflection, profile 2-3 of the following international aid organizations. What do they do and why? Who or what benefits from their work? And finally, which organizations most draw your attention? What are some of the ways you could help?

Write about three of the following:

• Habitat for Humanity
• Oxfam
• UNICEF
• Freshwater Action Network
• The Clinton Global Initiative
• Human Rights Watch
• Kiva
• Oceana
• International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
• The Peace Corps
• 10x10
• The Global Fund for Women
• Plan
• The International Ant-Poaching Foundation 
• Free the Slaves
• Refugees International
• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Wildlife Conservation Society
• Amnesty International 
• UNAIDS
• Doctors Without Borders
• Conservation International 
• Cousteau
• The Jane Goodall Institute
• The International Lesbian and Gay Organization
• UNWomen
• World Wildlife Fund
• ONE
• The Prince's Trust
• Greenpeace 
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
• Sea Shepard International 

Required:

• MLA Style
• 250 words

Due: Mon 4.29 (Note Monday due date)

Week 14: United Kingdom

Piccadilly Circus, London

Week 14: United Kingdom
Mon 4.22/Wed 4.24
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop
Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (DRAFT 1—BRING ELECTRONIC VERSION)

Upcoming:

Week 15: Kenya
Mon 4.29/Wed 5.1
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop
Due: ; REFLECTION 6A OR 6B (TUESDAY); RESEARCH PROJECT (DRAFT 2—BRING ELECTRONIC VERSION)

Week 16: Russia
Mon 5.6/Wed 5.8
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop

Week 17: Australia (Finals Week 1)
Mon 5.13*
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop; Course review
Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (FINAL DRAFT—EMAIL BY 5 P.M.)
*Final class meeting of the semester

Week 18: Japan (Finals Week 2)
Final exam meeting time: Tue 5.21 @ 7:15-9:30 a.m. (Location TBD)
Class: ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 5 P.M.)

World News 4.16

• FRANCE: Presidents Macron vows to "rebuild Notre Dame within five years" (Guardian)
• BRAZIL: NYC's Museum of Natural History cancels gala honoring Brazil's new president (NPR)
• CHINA: Alibaba's founder endorses the hotly-debated "966" work plan of 12-hour work days, six days a week (CNN) 
• MEXICO: Mexican president to establish a "Robin Hood" institute to return riches seized by corrupt politicians and gangsters (Reuters) 
• UNITED KINGDOM: Researchers discover that the ancestors of the builders of Stonehenge were from Greece and Turkey (National Post) 
• SOUTH KOREA: Why EXP Edition is the KPop's most controversial group (Vice)

Week 13: Mexico

Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City

Week 13: Mexico
Mon 4.15/Wed 4.17
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop
Due: RESEARCH PROJECT OUTLINE (BRING 2 HARD COPIES)

Upcoming:

Week 14: United Kingdom
Mon 4.22/Wed 4.24
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop
Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (DRAFT 1—BRING ELECTRONIC VERSION); REFLECTION 6

Week 15: Kenya
Mon 4.29/Wed 5.1
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop
Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (DRAFT 2—BRING ELECTRONIC VERSION)

Week 16: Russia
Mon 5.6/Wed 5.8
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop

Week 17: Australia (Finals Week 1)
Mon 5.13*
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop; Course review
Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (FINAL DRAFT—EMAIL BY 5 P.M.)
*Final class meeting of the semester

Week 18: Japan (Finals Week 2)
Final exam meeting time: Tue 5.21 @ 7:15-9:30 a.m. (Location TBD)
Class: ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 5 P.M.)

World News 4.10

• CHINA: Shazam! falls to Hong Kong thriller, P Storm, at Chinese box office (TheHollywoodReporter)
• NORWAY: Scandinavian country refuses to drill for billions of barrels of oil in the Arctic (TheHill)
• RUSSIA: Amid international outcry, Russia agrees to free cetaceans from "whale jail" (Al Jazeera)
• UNITED KINGDOM: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex now have an official Instagram account (Vanity Fair)
• CANADA: PM Trudeau's poll numbers in free fall after scandal (Reuters)
• SOUTH AFRICA: Suspected poacher killed by an elephant and eaten by lions (ABC News)

Week 12: India

Taj Mahal, Agra

Week 12: India
Mon 4.8/Wed 4.10
Read: FOREVERS—Part 4: Up and Out
Class: Multimedia presentations; Library research session (Details TBA)
Due: ARISTOTELIAN APPEALS

Upcoming:

Week 13: Mexico
Mon 4.15/Wed 4.17
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop
Due: RESEARCH PROJECT OUTLINE (BRING 2 HARD COPIES)

Week 14: United Kingdom
Mon 4.22/Wed 4.24
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop
Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (DRAFT 1—BRING ELECTRONIC VERSION); REFLECTION 6

Week 15: Kenya
Mon 4.29/Wed 5.1
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop
Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (DRAFT 2—BRING ELECTRONIC VERSION)

Week 16: Russia
Mon 5.6/Wed 5.8
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop

Week 17: Australia (Finals Week 1)
Mon 5.13*
Class: Multimedia presentations; Writers workshop; Course review
Due: RESEARCH PROJECT (FINAL DRAFT—EMAIL BY 5 P.M.)
*Final class meeting of the semester

Week 18: Japan (Finals Week 2)
Final exam meeting time: Tue 5.21 @ 7:15-9:30 a.m. (Location TBD)
Class: ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT (SUBMIT VIA CANVAS BY 5 P.M.)