M1: for next Friday (April 03)

Dear students,

For next Friday (April 03):

• We will continue our discussions on the article by Amartya Sen ("What Clash of Civilizations?"). Those of you who did not get the article can get it from the link below or come and get it from me in room Chastagnol on Monday (from 9 am to 11:30 am and 2:30 pm to 6 pm) and on Thursday morning (from 10 am to 1 pm).
  

• You have to answer the questions on the handout distributed last time: the audio reports are in the folder Listening Comprehension (in case this link does not work, switch to Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox or vice versa, in case nothing works, email me and I will send the audio reports - do not email me to have them a day before the class ie on Thursday):

http://9giga.sfr.fr/n/50-17/share/LNK219449b985acad206/

• There will be a short vocab quizz (first 4 pages of the handout "Governement and Politics") and on the vocabulary from the report from the BBC ("The Brain Drain from Africa"). Should you be absent that day, you are required to provide me with a valid and sincere justification, otherwise, you will get a zero. There will be no catch-up whatsoever!
  

Do check this site some time before Thursday to check where the class will take place next Friday.

M2: for next Friday (April 03)

Dear students,

For next Friday (April 03):

• We will finish our discussions on the article by Amartya Sen ("What Class of Civilizations?")
  
• We will start working on the "The Cost of Cotton", a report from the BBC
  
• Listen very carefully to this report from the BBC:
  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6564445.stm

• Highlight the main ideas, check the vocabulary and start learning it
  
• prepare 5 insightful, thoughtful questions and their answers: we will use them for class discussions and debates (I might collect a sample of your work on a random basis and they will be graded, in case this preparation work is not done or forgotten, it will be simply zero)
  

On Friday (April 10), there will be another vocab quiz (first 4 pages of the handout "Governement and Politics") and on the vocabulary from the report from the BBC "The Brain Drain from Africa".

Do check this site some time before next Thursday (April 02) to know where the class will take place next Friday (April 03).

Grades (Friday, March 27):

Vocab Quizz (/20)

Average grade: 14.2
Minimum: 03
Maximum: 20

List Comp (/20)

Average grade: 12.9
Minimum: 04
Maximum: 20

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor (mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

Message for the M2 group

Dear students,

As said last Friday, you will have a test on listening comprehension (TEOFL like questions-multiple choice questions (MCQs)) and it will be graded: listen to the audio reports from the following link very carefully because you will hear them only once next Friday (in case this link does not work, switch to Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox or vice versa):

http://9giga.sfr.fr/n/50-17/share/LNK219449b985acad206/

Last resort: email me in case nothing works, I will send these audio reports by email.

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor (mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

Next Friday (March 27)

Dear students,

Next Friday (March 27), in case the room F368 at la Sorbonne remains closed because of the strikes, we will have class at Institut de Géographie (191 rue Saint-Jacques, 75005 Paris):

• in room 402 from 5 pm to 8 pm (M1 and M2 groups)
  

• all the students from the M1 groups will have to come at 6:30 pm in this same room (room 402) because it was not possible to have this room from 8 pm to 9:30 pm

• To sum up: the M2 group will have class from 5 pm to 6:30 pm and then the M1 groups from 6:30 pm to 8 pm

Reminder: the M2 group will have their short vocab quiz. Should you be absent, to avoid getting a zero, bring or send a valid and sincere justification either by email or next class. Students who will come late will also get a zero unless they have a valid and sincere (written) justification.

M2 students: after 5:15 pm, I will not accept any students at all.

M1 students: after 6:45 pm, I will not accept any students at all.

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor (mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

Movie screening trasferred to Panthéon-Sorbonne

Dear students,

Since the rooms and amphis remain locked at La Sorbonne-Paris IV, the screening of the movie by Aparna Sen will take place at the following location at the same hour (7 pm) tomorrow (Tuesday, March 24):

Université de Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1)

12 place du Panthéon

75005 Paris

Amphi 3 (Galerie Soufflot)

March 20 in Chastagnol (M2) and Bibliothèque Boutruche (M1)

Dear students,

Next Friday (March 20), like what was planned last week, in case the room F368 remains closed because of the strikes, we will have class:

• in room Chastagnol from 5 pm to 6:30 pm (M2 group)
  

• in the Boutruche library from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm, near the History department's office, on the same floor (M1 groups)
  

Reminder: the M1 groups will have their short vocab quiz, should you be absent, to avoid getting a zero, bring or send a valid and sincere justification either by email or next class.

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor (mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

Movie Mr and Mrs Iyer by Aparna Sen next Tuesday (March 24) at 7 pm at La Sorbonne

The movie Mr and Mrs Iyer by Aparna Sen will be screened at La Sorbonne (amphi Milne Edwards) next Tuesday (March 24) from 7 pm to 8:30pm. You are all most welcome to come and join us. The movie will be screened in original version with English subtitles.

Here is a trailer (use Internet Explorer instead of Mozilla Firefox if this does not work):

An insightful article from The Hindu:

Which Mrs. Iyer?

By Rahul De (published Feb 8, 2003):

[http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/02/08/stories/2003020800041000.htm]

Other links and articles:

"Love in times of riots" by MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER (The Hindu, Feb 24, 2003):

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/02/24/stories/2003022401730400.htm

Wikipedia: "Mr. and Mrs. Iyer"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._and_Mrs._Iyer

Jopeph Stiglitz on Arte

There is an insightful documentary on Joseph Stiglitz recently broadcast on Arte, you can watch it again for free from this link (it will remain free only until next week - March 17):

http://plus7.arte.tv/fr/detailPage/1697660,CmC=2487508,scheduleId=2456910.html

Message for the M1 group (1st group)

Dear students (M1 1st group),

I would like to apologize for the mishap today. I was indeed late with my M2 students in room Chastagnol, just one floor below the Boutruche library. When I went upstairs at around 6:45 / 6:50 pm you had unfortunately already gone...

I did meet a couple of students from your group though and as convened with them, we will catch up next week.

So, students from the M1 group 1 are required to come at 6:30pm in room F368 (as usual) unless there are strikes and the like, and they will continue with the second group until 9:30 pm, so they will have three hours instead of one hour and a half.

As a result, the short quiz on the vocabulary is postponed to next week: the first two pages on "Business and Commerce" and "Politics and Government".

Also, listen again and very carefully to the report on "Brain Drain from Africa" and prepare 5 questions and their answers; we will use your preparation work for class discussions and debates. Check the vocabulary from the transcript and start learning it.

I apologize again for this mishap.

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor

English class maintained this evening (Friday, March 13)

Dear students,

Despite the fact that most of the rooms are closed today at La Sorbonne, there will be class this evening as usual:

• The class for the first group at 5pm (till 6:30pm) will take place in room Chastagnol (one floor below the History department's office, near the grades and announcements signs).
  

• The two next sessions at 6:30pm and 8pm will take place in Bibliothèque Boutruche (near the History departement's office).
  

Since I do not have all the students email addresses, could you quickly inform the rest of your classmates and friends that the English classes are maintained this evening?

Thanks in advance!

For next class: Friday, March 13

There will be a short test on the vocabulary; it will be on the first two pages of the two handouts titled: "Business and Commerce" and "Government and Politics". Check the link indicated on the previous post to have these two handouts in case you do not have them already.

Mounir Nassor (mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

Instructions for the report "Brain Drain From Africa" from the BBC

As I said earlier, to improve your listening comprehension skills, listen to this report at least twice without reading the transcript. Then, you can read the transcript and listen at the same time.

Check the vocabulary from Wordreference and start learning it:

http://www.wordreference.com/enfr/

Be ready for a class discussion/debate next class. I recommend that you prepare 5 important questions and their answers. We will use them for class discussion.

Mounir Nassor (mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

Link to the audio reports, handouts and other documents

Dear students,

Here is the link to the audio reports and other documents and handouts (in case this link does not work, use Internet Explorer instead of Mozilla Firefox and vice versa):

http://9giga.sfr.fr/n/50-17/share/LNK219449b985acad206/

Email me you have a problem, a question or if you need clarifications.

From now on, you are all required to check this site on a (very) regular basis.

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor
(mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)