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Tuesday, February 14, 2006

FEP II Sem Assignment

I BA FEP Semester II

Optional English Assignment – II

Translate a poem or a short story from your mother tongue to English. Give the name of the poet/writer. Give a report in about 100 words of the difficulties you faced while translating.

Date of submission: 3 Mar 2006

Guidelines for Submission:

· Although there is no word limit try and limit the entire exercise to maximum of five written pages

· You may also produce a printed copy in Times New Roman, 12 font size with 1½ line space.

· While submitting the translation please attach the original copy of the poem or the short story.

· The covering sheet of the assignment should have the following details: Name of the college, assignment code (CIA 2b), assignment title, your name, Reg. no, name of the teacher in-charge and date of submission.

· Please write/print you assignment only on one side of the A4 size paper.

· You are free to take the assignment beyond the expected criteria. Such efforts will be appreciated.

· Do not submit the assignments prior to the date of submission unless you are going to be out of town. Those who are going to be out of town can submit the assignments online. My email: ajpinto42@yahoo.co.in

· Late submissions will be rejected.

· Avoid copying.

· Remember to give the reference at the end of your assignment of the books, articles and websites that you have referred to. The following pattern may be followed: Author’s name with the last name first, a period, name of the book underlined, a period, Place of Publication, colon, name of publication, year of publication, page no.

o E.g.: Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand, (1998) My Experiments with Truth, New Delhi: Penguin.

o In case of a website give the name of the writer, date of the publication/posting article, and the complete URL of the site referred to.

o If you are directly lifting some lines quote them. If you are using some idea write it in your own words but acknowledge it.

· In addition to submitting your assignment in hard copy you may also post your assignment at the end of assignment notice on my blog http://anilpinto.blogspot.com

Monday, February 13, 2006

IFEP Phonetics

Sorry Guys/gals

blogspot posting does not accept ipa font. I have displayed a copy on the notice board. Another copy is on my table.Those who wish to have a photocopy may do so.

All the best! Create

Two Old Men : I BCom D

The Two Old Men

Leo Tolstoy’s story, Two Old Men, deals with Elisha Bodrov and Efim, two old Russians and their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The two set out on their much-awaited journey with initial hick ups. They pass through a number of villages and witness extreme conditions of human living. In one village Efim stays back to nurse a sick and dieing family back to health and in the process loses all his money. Unable to proceed further due to lack of money he returns, but with a sense of fulfilment. Elisha manages to visit the holy shrines but comes back without peace of mind.

The simple story is steeped in Christian ethos. One can read the teachings of Christ in the story: of helping the neighbours, seeing god in the fellow human being, doing the will of god than chanting his name, helping the needy, honesty and so on.

PS If you wish to post some comments, pose questions you are welcome.


A Noiseless Spider

A Noiseless Spider

Pointers

The spider which is a subject in the first paragraph becomes metaphor in the second paragraph. It turns out to be the metaphor for the contemplation of poet’s own soul in search of connection with the divine (over soul) The common physical experience of watching a spieder weave its web, transforms into a spiritual one in the second stanza, typical of Walt Whitman. Note that the soul does not require the usual channels of pristocracy to reach the oversoul. It has to find its own channels. In addition, each soul must also find its own way of connecting. Transcendental philosophy to which Whitman subscribed to believed in intuitive knowledge/ability in reaching the divine/over soul.

PS: IF you wish to post some material in the comment section you are welcome. Your questions comments are also welcome.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Certificate Course in SEmiotics

Department of Media Studies

Christ College, Bangalore

Announces

Certificate Course in Semiotics

By

Dr William R Da Silva

Dept of Mass Communication (PG Section)

Duration : 16 Hours

Dates : 10 – 20 February (Mon- Fri)

Time : 04.15 pm to 6.30 pm

Venue : Media Studies Lab

(Block II, Room 121)

For more details Contact: Anil Pinto, 9845891933


Semiotics: Semiotics is the science of signs. It deals with not only with the ‘explicit systems of communication such as language, the Morse Code, and traffic signs and signals but also a great diversity of human activities and productions – our bodily postures and gestures, the social rituals we perform, the clothes we wear, the meals we serve, the social ritual we perform, the clothes we wear, the meals we serve, the buildings we inhabit, the objects we deals with’, movies, advertisements and literature all of which function in diverse kinds of signifying systems.

The course will give a theoretical understanding of Semiotics and help the participants make semiotic analysis of cultural productions.

Dr William R Da Silva: Born in Mangalore taught at St Joseph’s Seminary, Mangalore, Mangalore University, Goa University, University of Hamburg, Germany, Osnabrook University, Germany, Manipal Institute of Communication, Manipal. He was also on the staff seminar of London School of Economics. His academic work and research spans over Theology, Philosophy, Sociology, Anthropology, Literature, Linguistics, Translations, Communication and Media. He has written and translated over 40 books. Konkanni Bible translated from Original Hebrew and Greek is his magnum opus. It happens to be the only bible translated from original tongues in the Konkanni language. He has a rare feet of working on 16 languages. Currently he is the Director of Sandesha School of Konkanni Studies, Mangalore, Senior Professor, Dept of Communication (PG), Christ College, Bangalore, and Visiting Professor, Osnabrook University, Germany.

II Sem BBM MIdsem exam pattern

Christ College, Bangalore

I BBM

II Semester

English

Time: 2hrs Max. Marks: 50

Part A

I. Answer any TWO questions in about 400 words. 2x10=20

Two out of four

II Answer any FOUR of the questions in about 200 words. 4x5=20

Four out of five

Part B

III. Paragraph writing 2x5=10

All Questions Compulsory

--------------------------------------------------------

Portion:

The First Meeting: Sujata Bhatt

Fuelled: Marcie Hans

I have a dream: Martin Luther King

Those People Next Door: A G Gardiner

Asleep : Earnst Jandl

Paragraph Writing

I FEP II Sem Mid Sem exam pattern

Christ College, Bangalore

I BA

II Semester

Applied Phonetics II

Time: 2hrs Max. Marks: 50

I. Transcribe the following words and mark the stress ½x20=10

II. Transcribe the following words and mark their syllable division ½x10=10

III. Rewrite the underlined words in the following sentences and mark the stress according to their function. ½x10=10

IV. Transcribe the following sentences, underline the weak forms and divide the tone groups and mark the intonation. 10x2=20

Friday, February 03, 2006

Hi. All.
You have an essay type question on The Guide and a few short notes. To answer these questions you need to know concepts like modernity and colonialism, post colonialism. At least you should know what is modernity. I have posted a short write up on modernity. Please read and try to understand it. If you apply that explanation to what happens to and in Malgudi you have your answer.

There are also questions on Women’s writing in India by Susie Taru and K Lalitha and ‘Politics of Failure’ by SV Srinivas. I am posting my notes on ‘Politics of Failure’ on the blog. (Vicky, III FEP) typed them for you). My 12-page notes no Women’s writings was typed by Neha Doshi of I FEP but the floppy she gave me the material in doesn’t open. Let me try it again. However, I am leaving two photocopies of that notes on my table you may pick it photocopy and leave it back on my table for others to use. But I must warn you about my handwriting. Reading the manuscript can be injurious to your eyes and brain!

All the best gals and guys!

PS: Very sorry for the delay in posting. I had promised, esp. Shashank to put up the posting by 9 am. Due to the virus threat College has closed the net. I had to search for a cyber cafe. Posting now from Cyber cafe.
Modernity:
Modern, Modernism, Modernity: All these are different concepts. Modern at one level can be used as against traditional. For example: modern house. However, this concept can keep changing. A modern house today may become ancient, old, traditional 25-50 years from now.
Modernism was a reactionary movement especially in the realm of literature, art, architecture that occurred in the early 20 century. It radically questioned the traditional social organisation, morality and traditional concept of human self. E.g. Freud offers a new insight into human self as id, ego, and superego and unravels the libidinal self. Talks of the conscious and subconscious. This conception of man is different from the way religion or the evolution theory gave. DH Laurence talks to new sexual morality unknown to the west. Modernism was a reaction to modernity led by rationalism, scientific thinking etc.

Modernity
: modernity was an outlook or frame of mind/thinking shaped by the rapid development in urbanisation, industrialisation, unprecedented development in science and technology that began in the eighteenth century. This is also called enlightenment thinking. Some of the important features of Enlightenment - liberal humanism, rationalism, belief in natural law, deep faith in scientific and technological progress, and linear and evolutionary understanding of history. (Liberal Humanism that we talk about in ‘Politics of Failure’ is a fall out of Enlightenment. The intellectual response or reactionary thinking fostered by enlightenment is Modernity.

Difference between Enlightenment and Modernity: Enlightenment is a philosophical or intellectual movement. Where as modernity is how enlightenment physically manifests in reality. E.g. When the British came to India they came with enlightenment philosophy which believed in rationalism etc (refer to the features of enlightenment mentioned in the previous paragraph) because of that modernity entered India. E.g. Urbanisation, happened, a linear history based on the western model was written which began with the so called Vedic period and ended with the British rule which said from the Vedic period to the British period history has been progressing, evolving. India has been gradually developing and so on. (Many of even today hold these beliefs)

Anil Pinto, Dept of Media Studies, Christ College, Banglaore

Politics of Failure

POLITICS OF FAILURE
S. V Srinivas
-Liberal humanist project of English Departments of elite institutions
-Liberal humanism: A cultural – political position holding up the essential decency of human beings and which promotes democracy, individualism, tolerance, rationality. It glosses over inequalities and differences which are the result of socio-cultural conditions
-Theses English depts exclude and marginalise various categories – of people of texts, of theories. E.g.: for discrepancy between liberal, rhetoric and teaching practice : high failure rate in English courses especially SCST students
- High failure, high dropout converges of two histories :
English in colonial + post colonial India
Post independence education policies
Hence fostere elitism at the expense of primary education
-Purpose of Colonial English education-to create a small class of intermediaries who would then educate the ‘masses’ in the vernacular
-Power + prestige of English created academics and bureaucratic elite
-Postcolonial India. Eng still marker of privilege
-Accessibility to higher education has not increased for people. Governments have perpetuated this condition
-1986 education policy created rural elite
-Much of higher education funding by government goes to central universities
-English language available only to ‘exclusive public schools’ not govt schools.
-As a result Higher education is available only to those not compelled by their economic situation to seek employment
-Present system based on limited accessibility to higher education- compared to the number of students possessing minimum qualification. M.A 50% + required + toppers in entrance test. All this truly selects meritorious students.
-Limited access higher education, ‘merit and excellence’ of individual students + ‘high standards’ of institution a suspect. It shifts states responsibility of its failure in making education more widely available to disadvantaged students. The latter are blamed for their ‘lack of competence’ or lack of interest. In the process, government is absolved of blame for its inadequacy but seen as engaged in positive task of promoting talent and higher standards.
-SC/ST reservation rendered useless by insistence on high standards + hostility of upper class teachers and their administration.
-Obstruction offered to the acquisition of ‘knowledge’ in the discipline by using alienating texts and uncongenial classroom methods. This closes several career options to disadvantaged students like faculty positions. Reserved quota not filled due to non-availability of candidates. This keeps higher education in bureaucratic hands.
-Successful students are to take the blame. The investment is constant despite strength. Successful students internalise the institutions version of individuals excellence and merit and categorise the unsuccessful as ‘uninterested’ or ‘lacking in initiative’
-Legitimate demands of the adversely affected students ignored and few attempts are made to find workable solutions to the problem.
-To break the cycle of exclusion and domination, thus characterises failure. Student should make a sustained intervention.
-Change from within by students who resist authoritarian pedagogies+ teachers of administrators who have to resist their own will to power.
-Shouldn’t our nation prosper.
-Failure not ‘natural’ because of lack of interest but ‘politics’(-power struggle)
-Elitism

Anil Pinto

Thursday, January 05, 2006

III JPEng, FEP notice

Notice to III FEP and JPEng Students

The remaining essays will be taken up in the following order.

The Politics of Failure - 1 hr
On the Abolition of the (sic) English Department - 1 hr
Minutes on Indian Education - 1 hr
Interrogating the Post-Colonial 2 hr
Shall We Leave it to the Experts 2 hrs
Why I am not a Hindu - 1 hr
Marxist Criticism - 3 hrs

All classes will be lecture-cum-discussion based. Hence, please come to class having read the essays.
04.Jan 2006

II BCom 'A' IV Sem Assignment

IV Semester CIA Assignments
II BCom A

CIA-3: Topic: English spoken in Christ College Campus. The analysis may be based on usage, preferred words, slangs, accents, mannerisms that go with certain expression, expressions, mother tongue influences, pronunciation etc.

Evaluation Criteria: Quality of the analysis, presentation, language, creativity.
Date for submission: January 12, 2006

Guidelines for Submission:
• All students should post it on my blog http://anilpinto.blogspot.com A hard copy of the assignment may also may be submitted.
• Please post your assignments at the end of your assignment notice on the blog. Please sign in as anonymous. Remember to type your Full Name, Register No and date of posting.
• The covering sheet of the hard copy assignment should have the following details: Name of the college, assignment code, assignment title, your name, Reg. no, name of the teacher in-charge and date of submission.
• You may use pictures, graphs and illustrations. Please write only on one side of the A4 size paper.
• You are free to take the assignment beyond the expected criteria. Such efforts will be appreciated.
• Do not submit the assignments prior to the date of submission unless you are going to be out of town
• Late submissions will be rejected.
• Avoid copying.
• Remember to give the reference at the end of your assignment of the books, articles and websites that you have referred to. The following pattern may be followed: Author’s name with the last name first, a period, name of the book underlined, a period, Place of Publication, colon, name of publication, year of publication, page no.
o E.g.: Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand, My Experiments with Truth, New Delhi: Penguin, 1998.
o In case of a website give the complete URL of the site referred to.
o If you are directly lifting some lines quote them. If you are using some idea write it in your words but acknowledge it.