There is a saying which we Swedes think and say about ourselves. The saying is: “Swedes are afraid of getting into arguments”, and especially with strangers or people we don’t know well. Therefore, to be able to communicate with Swedes in a successful way, there are a few things you probably need to know.
Continue reading "Sweden says: Sure... (but do we agree?)" »
Hello
This is Staffan and Melita writing in an attempt to present some of the Swedish doxa.
In case you don’t recall doxa is a term referring to something that´s accepted as an obvious truth by a certain group. Something that everyone´s excepted to know this stuff showing lacking knowledge in anything doxa related will result in an “de fattar du väll”. It basicly means that you’re stupid for not knowing that.
Doxa can refer to assertions regarding everything from religion to social interaction, we will be focusing upon the latter.
Regarding the doxas of speaking in Sweden we usually “take turn” while speaking. Meaning that one participant usually speaks without being interrupted until they’ve finished their trail of thought. These speaking turns are usually simply ended by one part falling into silence, thereby signaling to the other speaker to continue or respond. In Sweden we sometimes us non words such as “uumm” to lengthen are speaking turns even when were temperedly out of things to say. These “uumm”:s are usually only a few seconds in length, a prolonged “uumm” may be taken as a sign of dimwit.
Prolonged silence between to parties is considered awkward, often a sign that parties have little interest in speaking with each other or have bad personal chemistry.
Regarding people we’ve recently meet it is standard in Sweden to use first names always. Even if you are talking to you’re teacher for you’re first time theirs no need for titles. No special rules exist regarding conversation between sexes or classes. When among new acquaintances it is inappropriate to mention go deep into ones personal problems. If asked by an acquaintance how you are feeling at the moment it is standard to always answer positively.
A strange new cultural phenomenon taking form in Sweden regarding privacy are the conversations held on cell phones. Things that would not be polite to mention while talking directly to a stranger is among some considered completely okay to say in the presence of these as long as the person you’re talking to is on you’re cellphone and happens to be someone you know closely.
It is considered rather elitist to mention ones income and rude to ask others about theirs.
Newly made friends usually avoid conflicts especially regarding religion and politics.
Moral doxa is that it’s unnecessary to strike ones children, words are considered to work as more civilized substitutes. In Sweden striking a child even your own is actually illegal and may result in the child being removed from their parents.
Regarding sexes female work leaders, politicians and teachers are in no way considered peculiar in Sweden. Tragically though there is still a difference in wages regarding sexes in Sweden.
It is doxa in Sweden for almost everyone to have home computer and very few lake cell phones, teens are also assumed to have face book pages. Driving licences are common among those above the age of 20, and by thirty it is rare not to poses your own car.
Despite all this an environmental mindset is seen as rather virtuous.
The Swedish languish has quite high context, the context is slightly higher among women.
In the Swedish culture it’s very acceptable to go out drinking and considered rather social.It is however very tabu to come drunk to work and can be seen as a bit sad to get caught drinking alone.
Well that's all we can think of for now. We hope our communication goes smoothly.
After 3 great years at this web address, the CCR blog is making a lateral move to ccr.stanford.edu/ccrblog/ -- part of an effort to dodge accumulating SPAM.
This portion of our blog will remain as an archive of our great work over the past few years, but please visit our new address to see what we're up to more recently!
Today we have our last video-conference of the Fall between Orebro University in Sweden and Stanford University in California. We tried to listen to student feedback and revise the lesson plan so there were fewer tasks to complete this time. Instead, students can spend more time working with each other and discussing the doxa or cultural values conveyed by their texts.
This time, on the Stanford side, the texts are student generated Visual Arguments - sharp, creative visual depictions of the Stanford Research-Based Arguments. On the Swedish side, the texts are cultural blog posts.
The students are examining visual argument strategies, what messages they convey, how they work rhetorically, and what might need to be revised in making a successful visual argument.
Participants - can you please post a comment and give us your feedback on this session? YOUR WORDS WILL SHAPE FUTURE SESSIONS
• What did you learn about VISUAL rhetoric today and how you can convey an ARGUMENT visually
• What was most memorable moment or element of the video-conference exchange? What surprised you the most?
• Explain your CCR Image - how did you create it? What does it mean?
• What new insights do you have about diverse cultures or ways of working together that you can use for your future?
Thank you!
Be sure to include your name and institution.
Continue reading "Sweden and Stanford discuss Student Produced Visual Arguments" »
Hi.
We chose to write about the swedish king since it has came to our attention, during other maratech meetings, that some americans had they idea that sweden was a lead by a king that accted as a dictator. This is however not the case at all. in fact - the swedish king has no power what so ever and are not even allowed express his politcall views, due to the risk that his opinon may influence some swedish people.
Instead the actual power are possesed by politicians elected by the people in public elections every fourth year. In Sweden we offen have very high participation in our elcetions, the usual sats is that about 90% of the people vote. The swedish constitution is strongly influated by Montesques theories, about dividing the power into 3, one that makes laws (the parliament), one that executes the laws (the goverment) and one that looks to the laws beeing followed (the courts and the police force).
The primary function of the swedish king is instead to represent the country in different situations.
It is debated in Sweden if we want to remain a monarchy and keep the king and recent studies say that about 60% of the swedish people want to keep the king.
We hope to have a nice discussion with our american friends about this topic. Forgive eventuall wrong spellings or bad english in general. ;) /Grettings from Linus and Sebastian, Group B
Picture of the Swedish king Carl XVI Gustaf
http://denriktigasportbloggen.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/kungen.jpg
”Mellanmjölkens land” is a well known phrase in Sweden and used so often that it’s somehow of a cliché. So what is the implicit in the phrase? “Lagom” is a keyword in Sweden or you may translate it with just right or maybe moderate (there's no one-to-one translation of lagom).
Everything you do in Sweden has to be just right, average or moderate, it’s bad if you stand out from the crowd, and the best thing is to stay in the middle with no opinions and just follow the flow. A person that strives after “just right” or moderate will not develop to his or hers maximum potential, the best thing is to aim much higher than possible to achieve.
Is the phrase accurate or is it just a cliché? You can see it from two sides. Yes, we are very keen of what other people thinks of us. Still Sweden is one of the leading countries with regards to taking care of the environment and we are very persuasive that other countries follow the same road. And that’s kind of a stand out.
//Sebastian&Sami
These are four of the buildings in our campus. Next to the building is a picture of a person representing the style of the students attending each house.
First, we have ”Musikhögskolan”, in which the music students reside. Next to it is a girl Ola saw in the library this afternoon. ”Perfect!”, Ola thought, ”she’ll be perfect for representing the music students!”.
Second, is ”Forumhuset”. In here there are a lot of rhetoric students and other humaniora students.
The third is a picture of ”Långhuset”, which roughly translated means the Long House, which is a pretty good name considering its lenght. The coridor feels neverending – and here’s a picture of it. The people residing this house are mostly economic students, and such. We didn’t find any good pictures of an economic student, which isn’t strange, given this is the first Monday after payday, which means they are all at home being hung over from the wekend’s escapades.
Prismahuset, is the next house. In here we find the nurse students. This is a picture that says it all!
Over and out from Ola och Olof, Group A
There is no good word in English for “Fika”. The closest we can think of is “have some coffee”. In Sweden we “fikar” everyday, at least once a day but usually several times. If you go shopping, meet friends, just hang out or when you’re at work, in school, on your first date and especially when you visit someone you always fika, otherwise you haven’t really seen each other. Fika is a very important part of the Swedish culture. We would like to describe fika as a simple way to hang out, see each other and to keep up. Usually you drink coffee or tea together with something to nibble on. In Sweden we love sweet things like all kind of buns, chocolate cake, cheese cake, cookies etcetera… MMmmmm-MMmmm!!! But you can also fika with ice-cream as well as a sandwich or a smaller lunch, or anything you like.
There is no good word in English for “Fika”. The closest we can think of is “have some coffee”. In Sweden we “fikar” everyday, at least once a day but usually several times. If you go shopping, meet friends, just hang out or when you’re at work, in school, on your first date and especially when you visit someone you always fika, otherwise you haven’t really seen each other. Fika is a very important part of the Swedish culture. We would like to describe fika as a simple way to hang out, see each other and to keep up. Usually you drink coffee or tea together with something to nibble on. In Sweden we love sweet things like all kind of buns, chocolate cake, cheese cake, cookies etcetera… MMmmmm-MMmmm!!! But you can also fika with ice-cream as well as a sandwich or a smaller lunch, or anything you like.
Going around downtown Cairo, we chose to zoom in on Tahrir square, yet what we are about to discuss is found all over Cairo. Within the same neighborhood, within the same street, when choosing to fulfill a very basic necessity; eating, the choices are right there, across from one another, costing one and half pounds for a chopped liver sandwich and fresh juice of your choice-(according to the season as well), in our case it was pomegranate for 3 and a half pounds or if you walk about 5 minutes to Estoril, you can get a mixed grill plate for 60 pounds.
What seems to be alarming is not so much the difference in prices, yet it is the lack of awareness that certain types of food even exist among a certain strata of the society (that in fact represents the majority of it) Those standing around buying a liver sandwich in a lot of cases regard having meats in a meal quite a rare event, let alone be aware of different types of seafood, or perhaps even understand what Chinese, Indian, or Japanese food is. Yet, at the end of the street are those dining in Café Riche, who are very much familiar with and enjoy international cuisine.
However, it does not simply seem to be all about what you can afford to eat therefore, you are aware it exists, it’s the fact that your income sort of declares a certain background, in which you live and don’t have a chance to explore outside or elsewhere. You stick to what you know and what you grew up eating. Specific types of food that are very inexpensive are what you mostly eat. And you don’t even think about what’s being served in the restaurant down the street. Even if you wonder, you never step in, or question. It’s almost like a self imposed mechanism, where you completely block out what you know you can’t afford to have.
Surprisingly still, at the end of the day, regardless of how much money you can afford to spend on food, you find the majority of Egyptians choosing “balady bread” (local bread made in Egypt) over French baguettes.
N.B: Please look at Extended Entry for photos.
Continue reading "Food choices- Sarah Ibrahim and Menna Maged" »
Today, students are connecting three ways across three continents. From the American University in Cairo, Egypt to Orebro University in Sweden, all the way to Stanford University in California, students are video-conferencing in real time to discuss cultural blog entries and differences in living accommodations, education, and cultural values (doxa).
According to the Lesson Plan, students will first introduce themselves and then discuss their blog posts that show aspects of their culture.
After sharing their differences, they will be creating a brochure TOGETHER as a team --> and composing a visual argument to launch their imaginary new company.
Students, please take a moment to write a comment on this blog entry with your response to your experiences connecting today. Be sure to include your name and institution.
• What did you learn about rhetoric and cross-cultural communication today?
• How did you resolve any technical difficulties (we know you had some!) What was your solution?
• What was most memorable moment or element of the video-conference exchange? What surprised you the most?
• Explain your GROUP BROCHURE - how did you create it? What does it mean?
• What new insights do you have about diverse cultures or ways of working together that you can use for your future?
Thank you!
This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.
By: Iman El Hofi and Jailan Al Sharif
In Egypt, as in other countries around the world, the extent to which people are educated affects their food choices. The poorer classes in Egypt tend to focus on adding high calorie ingredients within their food such as sugar, oil, butter, and spices. Certain kinds of desserts that are primarily baked during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan are known as katayif and konafa. They contain ingredients such as honey, milk, cream, and cooking butter. The majority of the AUC student population comes from privileged families, which means that their education included learning about the health dangers that junk food could lead to. It is important to note that there are people in the privileged classes who do prefer excessive amounts of the above ingredients. However, it is more widely popular amongst the poorer classes.
Deprivation plays a significant role in the food choices that poor classes make. This is because they receive prolific donations mostly during the month of Ramadan and during Islamic celebrations such as Eid El Adha and Eid El Fitr in comparison to the rest of the year. Therefore, they tend to make the most of these situations by eating to their heart's content. However, education does play just as significant a role as deprivation for not everyone in Egypt is regarded to be in the realm of extreme poverty. There are different levels of poverty just as there are different levels to the middle class and the wealthy class. There are many people who have access to different types of high calorie deserts and regular food throughout the course of the year.
Education is minimal in the field of food and health. However, people's awareness of the dangers of junk food is steadily increasing. Yet, there are those who will add spoonfuls of sugar to their tea or other traditional drinks such as the karkade. Stubbornness from some people can lead to typical responses to health alerts such as: "I only live once so I shall eat what I want and hope for the best as God is with me." This saying means that life is too short. One should not restrain themselves from any pleasures such as in the form of food. Such people who live by these sayings end up with diabetes and other life threatening diseases. Others may focus on adding not sugar but excessive amounts of spices to anything that they eat. They end up suffering from diseases such as hemorrhoids. Even then, their lack of education affects them as they believe that by not changing their eating habits and by only taking their medication, all will work out for them in the end.
As previously stated, educational awareness of the dangers of junk food is increasing amongst the poorer segment of the Egyptian society. However, more effort is required in order to reduce the cases of diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure that many Egyptians suffer from. It is important that the Egyptian government assign doctors to form one-on-one sessions with patients and their families to inform them how they can improve their eating habits. Campaigns are also an important part of alerting the public about leading a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, it is important for Egypt to participate with the global economy in order to reduce high vegetable prices. Right now, fatty foods such as macaroni and rice are cheaper than vegetables or protein foods. The message needs to be clearly sent to the patient that the medication will not always save their health.
Hi guys!
My name is Rachel and I'm researching how different sexual lifestyles are portrayed in Middle Eastern and American food advertisements. I was wondering if you guys could help me out by answering a few questions in response to the pictures above? It would be a HUGE help for my research and it would be really interesting to hear some cross-cultural responses to these questions.
1. To what extent do you see physical or emotional ideals portrayed in these ads? What are these ideals and how do these ads speak to how these ideals can be attained?
2. Do you see sexual appeal as a rhetorical strategy at work in either of these ads? If so, how?
3. To what degree do you feel the women's appearances are venerated or emphasized in these ads?
4. Do you see traditional religious values esteemed in these ads? If so, how? Do these values reinforce or shape your own values?
Thank you guys so much I really appreciate it! Hope all is going well at AUC =)
-Rachel
There are many pictures that surprised me except few ones like the one about Egyptian family! The pictures that surprised me the most were about families from Chad, United States, Ecuador, Bhutan and Germany. The picture about Chad surprised because of the few amount of food in the picture and the huge difference between the food expenditure of one week between this family ($1.23) and all other families from different countries. The photos of the American families surprised me because they are different from each other in terms of different food types and expenditure although they are in the same country. The picture of the family from Ecuador surprised because their food recipe is Potato soup with cabbage and all their food is mainly vegetables in the picture so how do they survive without food that contains proteins like meat. The picture of the family from Bhutan surprised me way more than the picture of the family of Ecuador as the family from Bhutan also rely mainly of vegetables but they are more in number and their food expenditure in one week is even less than the family of Ecuador by $26.52. I was surprised also by the picture of the family from Germany because of the big amount of food in front of them and there is only one man in the family.
Today we are holding the first of three video-conferences between Stanford and Orebro Sweden. Our focus today is getting to know each other and conducting a rhetorical analysis of website and cultural artifacts (objects and clothing).
We started off in a large auditorium room with all groups connecting, then the students met in small groups working on a lesson plan , and they created team names to share with the whole class again back in the virtual auditorium.
Students, please take a moment to write a comment on this blog entry with your response to your experiences connecting today. Be sure to include your name and institution.
• What did you learn about rhetoric and cross-cultural communication today?
• What was your GROUP TEAM NAME and rationale for your name?
• What was most memorable moment or element of the video-conference exchange? What surprised you the most?
• What new insights do you have that you can use for your rhetorical analysis work, your research project, or future intercultural communications?
Thank you!
Continue reading "Orebro-Stanford: first of three connections!" »
Hi AUC students!
I have a question for you guys. I'm researching the impact of the "green" (environmental) fashion trend across cultures, and I'm wondering if you could help me by telling me a bit about what you have experienced in Cairo. In America, being "green" is currently somewhat of a fashion trend: lots of people wear shirts that promote recycling or "going green," and many celebrities have begun to endorse environmentalism. This has led me to wonder, however, if the trend has to do more with fashion than actual environmental function.
What do you think? What is the "green" trend like in Cairo? Do you feel that it is important to appear environmentally-conscious? If so, does this pressure influence your choices as a consumer? And what is your perspective on the "green" trend in the U.S.?
I would love to read your comments. Thanks for your help!!
-Kelly
Hey guys! I'm writing a paper on how advertisements for food function in the Middle East versus in the US. I was wondering if you could help me out by answering a few questions? It would be really cool to get a perspective from people who actually live in the region.
1. To what extent do ads in your society portray ideals to be attained?
2. If so, do you feel that in your society sexual undertones in advertising make the product more appealing?
3. To what degree do you feel women’s appearances are venerated in your society (specifically in ads)?
4. Is sexuality considered a strong component/reason for pride?
5. To what extent are traditional religious values esteemed & do you think they play a role in advertising? Do they reinforce or shape your values?
Thanks so much I really appreciate it!!
-Rachel
Aya Aboul Fotouh
Dania Ghoniem
Jailan Al-Sharif
Samantha Devinck
RHET201
Stanford blog project
How much processed food does the population eat?
How much processed food do you have access to?
When I conducted some internet research on the amount of processed foods that the Egyptian population ate, I found out that the results varied depending on the item consumed. For example, the percentage of Egyptians that consume processed vegetables witnesses an increase of 20% each year. Despite this increase, there are still many people struggling to obtain vegetables due to government regulations and policies that affect vegetable prices, which are in many cases for the disadvantage of the Egyptian citizens.
Hey everyone,
Today in class, we had a special Halloween party! We were encouraged to come to class in costume, and we had food (a whole variety- bananas, candy, granola bars, cupcakes, apples, pumpkin bread, and apple cider). It was great to be able to hang out, talk with each other, and generally relax during an otherwise stressful time. This is definitely just one more reason why we love Stanford!
This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.
The topic I chose for my paper is urban literature. I have always been interested in urban literature because of the number of African American people that praise the genre. This is an interesting topic to talk about because it deals with a whole bunch of issues that is not written about in other books and if it is mentioned in other books, it is not done so explicitly as in urban fiction novels. I have no clue what I want my thesis to be. There are so many aspects and issues involved in this one subject and I have not the slightest idea of how I will narrow it down and come up with my own thesis. I am focusing towards how black women are represented in urban fiction novels. In this paper I want to explore both sides of the controversy that exist within this topic. I want to figure out the true nature of this genre and see how it has change the world of literature whether it being for the better or worst.
Having the AUC located in the heart of the Middle East, “Egypt”, means that its students will be following an Arab style of clothing since Egypt is a purely Arab country. Despite such fact, AUCians are well acknowledged with ongoing worldwide fashion trends and that what makes the AUC one of the most distinguishable universities in Egypt; its amazing mixture of Arab and non-Arab fashion styles. Below are some of the popular fashion trends followed by the differently cultured students and which are as follows:
Here, we have the eye-catching Gladiator sandals. Why are they on the top-of the AUCian fashion list? Well, they have their unique styles which as you can see can reach the ankle line and therefore be hidden under the trousers as well as be wrapped around them. Not only are they found in various colours that range from astonishing pinks, explosive purples, electric blues, calming whites to classical blacks, but also, they are surprisingly comfortable since they are usually made from comfortable materials such as leather. In addition to the sandals, we have the head bands which are seen an important accessory to the diverse AUCian outfits. What makes them that famous is the “hippy” look they provide as seen in the photo above (right figure).
Speaking of accessories that are related to one’s profile face, are the Ray-Ban sunglasses. Whether they are in their classical shapes or modern ones, they definitely suit both sexes as seen in the above left picture. Nevertheless, when it comes to skinny trousers either cotton or jeans, they are worn by males, yes, males and not just females unlike what is usually perceived by many.
Leggings”, a word that indeed can’t escape an AUCian female closet. Why? Because it goes well with all seasons; summer, winter, spring and fall. They are called leggings since they actually customize the leg’s shape. Despite the fact that they might be of a thin textile, they are astonishingly warming during cold days. Although in the above pictures the leggings’ colour is black, you can find them in cheerful colours like red, purple and even yellow. Oh! Here we find again the Gladiator sandals spicing up the leggings and the skinny jeans as well.
We just can’t forget about the books and that’s where the cross bags come to take an essential part in our clothing. It all started simply as laptop bags and with their enormous spread over the AUC campus, they became a desirable trendy look. They can be plain casual like Vans or with classical designs such as Louis Vuittons. Speaking of classical style of clothing, the classical shoes come along as seen in the above pictures with Kareem wearing the brown and Youssef wearing the black.
Those were just few of the AUCian trends that largely depend on the ongoing global changes in the fashion industry. However, being an AUCian, means you just have to be yourself whether you follow these looks or not. In both cases, you are still going be an AUCian...
Mirna Awad and Amr El Abd
The employment fair event has been taking place since the year 1986. The American university in Cairo was the first university that introduced the employment fair event in the Middle East. The caps office which is the Career Advising and Placement Services is responsible to organize this twice a year one day event. This Caps office spreads out information booklets that include the names of all the participating companies with their vacant job positions before the event’s initiation. The event’s aim is to acquaint graduate students with the possible career life they are tending to take. It also builds up relationships between those students and the corporate world. Furthermore, it’s about presenting our graduate students’ skills and qualifications to the participating companies which are recruiting for certain employees. Thus we can say it’s a mutual event where both parties are satisfied. From the companies’ side, they can find their employer’s needs in our students. While from the students’ side, they are offered unexpected great highly paid jobs, and this of course is also beneficial for the university as it reflects its image on its well qualified students.
Continue reading " Employment Fair Event in AUC BY: Farah Omar &Nourhan Wael" »
Hey peeps, this is Osman and Hamza and we're talking about some different groups in AUC. AUC is one of the places in the region where you can find a collection of various groups having different beliefs. The existence of students from different cultures allows the campus life to be enjoyable. However, every student tries to find the group that supplements his beliefs. Therefore, students that share the same beliefs create their own group. That is how diversity shows up. Examples of these groups are the Gucci corner group, the theatre majors, the science majors, the “G-spot” and the Goth cave group. The variety of groups around the campus is extremely wide and they are all very different, yet share similar aims.
One of the most interesting things about AUC is its clubs and organizations. It has a wide variety of clubs such as community service, entertainment and educating clubs. One of these clubs is called AYB, Alashanek Ya Balady. It is an Arabic word which means “for you my country”. It is a student-led community service club which mainly aims to achieve sustainable development at Ein Elsera which is a poor district in old Cairo where people have some problems like low income, computer illiteracy and language problems. This club has started at AUC since 2002, but now it has four chapters in other governmental Egyptian universities. AYB consists of two main bodies. The first one is OC, stands for organizing committees which mainly works on campus. They are divided into smaller committees which are responsible for AYB’s public relations in campus, raising fund and making documentaries about AYB. They also design flyers, posters, banners and booths. This picture shows AYB booth which was for “Be Positive” campaign which urges students to be positive and do their best to improve their country.
Aucians have been waiting for a long time for the opening of the sports center in the new campus in Katameya. They endured a lot in the old campus due to the limited facilities that were provided. For this reason they were waiting for the new sports center to fill up their expectations and cover their needs. In fact, the new sports center provides a lot of facilities to AUC society, both students and staff. There is an outdoor zone containing two basketball courts and two handball courts.
![ncees1[1].jpg](http://www.stanford.edu/group/ccr/blog/ncees1%5B1%5D.jpg)
AUC was first established in 1919 in downtown Cairo, this part of the busy city was known for its ancient artifacts and beautiful environment surrounding the campus but due to the rapidly growing population and the narrow streets and since most of the population concentration is located in central Cairo and Giza it was very difficult to maintain a smooth flow of traffic around the university campus, this caused many problems to the students, professors and even to the public, it was impossible to sustain proper class timing. Also the pollution became intense in this area due to the very large number of vehicles. Also the fact that many of the government's headquarters are located in this area caused even further complications. All these difficulties made the university board consider moving to a new campus in a place more suitable not only to make it easier for the students and the professors but also to help decrease the over crowded streets in this part of Cairo. After long discussions and debates the board reached the conclusion that they should move to a more suitable, newer area. The decision was reached to build a new, bigger more advanced campus in new Cairo which is a city newly formed and considered as an extension to the capital. It is located south east of Cairo, with the new city’s vast areas and facilities it was able to attract a very large number of business and schools to re-open there. With AUC leading by taking this huge step of moving out, not only did it serve the public in this crowded part of Cairo by decreasing the pressure on this area but it also leaded other universities to do the same and encouraged many businesses to open in this new area and also investors were stimulated and started building huge resorts, houses and living areas. This all was a great step in helping diverse the Egyptian population in new areas. The new AUC campus also was a great positive to the university's capabilities and facilities. The larger space of the new campus enabled a lot more, now AUC has enough space to build more labs and better classes and larger lecture halls and conference rooms; this opened a door of opportunities to the university to expand its teaching programs, and research programs now not only will it now be able to accept more student but AUC is now able to introduce medical school and pharmaceutical school, and in the very near future these schools will be established. AUC’s new campus is also environmentally friendly this is a great positive in helping our country decrease its greenhouse gas emissions. The over all view is that AUC's step towards moving into new Cairo created life in an area once people knew as the desert and transformed it into a new place full of life for the good of our country.
By:
Beshoy Tarek Malaty and Hussein Mohamed
Written by: Aya Salama and Silvana Philip
(http://egyptclub.whwebsolutions.com/wp-content/themes/Ancient%20Egypt/images/Header.jpg)
In the minds of many, Egypt has always been the land of the pyramids, Cleopatra, king Tut, "the mummy "and " the mummy returns". The mystical appeal of the ancient Egyptian civilization has lured many to try and know better about it and study it more closely. And where closer can one ever study it that in the land of the pharaohs itself! The American university in Egypt is one of a selected few (probably one of two) of American affiliated universities that offer an Egyptology major world wide. Among the different departments of AUC, Egyptology is considered one of the most unique and interesting departments. The department presents a wide variety of courses concerned with the dawn and development of the Egyptian civilization. Students study different topics such as construction, hieroglyphic language, medicine, religion and many other aspects of this great civilization. For its uniqueness, the department attracts Egyptian and foreign students alike who share the passion of studying ancient Egyptian culture and history.
Greetings from across the Atlantique! If any of you guys ever came to Cairo, you probably noticed that it’s a polluted city. Where else would you see a bus blowing more smoke than a big fire? In order to avoid polluting our city even more, the American University in Cairo developed an environmentally friendly campus. Other than classrooms, meeting halls and buildings our campus also has a lot of greenery. There are 1,216 date palms such as the ones shown in the photo and a lot of grass areas. Being surrounded by this kind of environment is a pleasant experience when you live in a crowded and polluted city such as Cairo.
Greetings from across the Atlantic! If any of you guys ever came to Cairo, you probably noticed that it’s a polluted city. Where else would you see a bus blowing more smoke than a big fire? In order to avoid polluting our city even more, the American University in Cairo developed an environmentally friendly campus. Other than classrooms, meeting halls and buildings our campus also has a lot of greenery. There are 1,216 date palms such as the ones shown in the photo and a lot of grass areas. Being surrounded by this kind of environment is a pleasant experience when you live in a crowded and polluted city such as Cairo.
Also, the AUC campus is a pedestrian area. This allows us to take a break from the very crowded streets all over the city even if we have to walk around all day in the sun. The only other way of getting around on campus is the golf carts which are not pollutant. But unfortunately they are reserved for faculty members.
The AUC also encourages recycling. More than 75 percent of the stone in the wall that circles the campus “was recycled from stone that would otherwise have been discarded as waste”. Other than that example, as you can see in the picture, our university also tries to sort garbage. This will later help recycle some of the things thrown away such as paper that will otherwise be a problem to the environment.
These are some aspects of our environmentally friendly campus. I hope I didn’t scare you away with the bus story. Cairo is still a great place to visit, after all it is the land of the great pharaohs. Talk to you soon!
YOUSSEF Youssef (This is actually my first and last name, I didn’t write my name twice)
Source: http://www.aucegypt.edu/newcairocampus/Pages/default.aspx
One can witness from the upper pictures how the streets in Cairo most of the time look like. People keep complaining how much time they spend in their cars in order to get anywhere because the streets are always a mess. “Official statistics estimate that 8000 people are killed and 32,000 hurt on Egyptian road accidents each year” (Egypt Car Accidents) . This is due to Egypt’s share in bad roads and people not following the rules. For example on the highways here in Egypt such as the “Mehwar” and the “Ring Road” you can find people crossing the streets while the cars are driving with a very high speed. Moreover the trucks and the buses that are old and insecure to drive are a cause of these accidents too. “According to one study the accident rate in Egypt is about 34 times higher than in the European countries and roughly three times higher than countries in the Middle East”(Egypt Car Accidents.) Our first semester in AUC at the new campus in new Cairo was in fall 2008. Almost everyday there was at least one student who had an accident on his or her way to college. Most of the time, it was either on the “ring road” or “road 90”. Road 90 is a 10km long road that connects the ring road with college. Cars always drive with a very high speed on it while there are u-turns, people crossing the street and a lot of cars and buses that drive the wrong way. These factors caused a lot of accidents and harmed a lot of people.
This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.
For my research project I am greatly interested in the fear of a teacher shortage that is currently looming over the educational system in the United States. This worry can be easily seen at the college level through all the federal incentives being offered to those who consider teaching - with everything from grants to volunteer educational work that leads to certification. This subject greatly interests me because I am thinking about becoming a teacher if my original goal for a major does not work out. A shortage would also limit competition, giving valuable advantages in the job market while also doing something to better serve our communities; however, if this concern does not bear fruit the surge of new teachers will put further stress on the system and many educators will be out of work.
This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.
A topic that I feel very passionate about currently is illegal immigration in the U.S.- specifically immigration policies and bias within them. I am researching immigration policies throughout history, to see what has changed and what has not, and possibly why. Exploring the idea of the U.S. targeting certain immigrant groups as opposed to others, to me seems extremely interesting.
Some issues surrounding this topic are border policies- the controversy of securing the borders. Laws that are keeping immigrants out of the U.S. rather than making it easier for people to enter the country legally, and apply for citizenship. The rights of illegal immigrants in the U.S. (access to education, employment (the use of E-Verify and whether it be enforced)). I think my point could be proven by comparing the treatment and the experience of Mexican immigrants entering the United States illegally and people of other countries. The wall built separating Mexico and the U.S. is huge evidence and in my opinion serves as a sign of discrimination, something I also plan on discussing.
As I read about much it is costing to keep illegal immigrants out, from wall construction, to new technology that verifies ones citizen status, I came across the alternative being that the U.S. invest in Mexico in order to prevent illegal immigration.
My position on some of these issues is that many of the U.S. immigration policies/laws specifically unfairly target illegal Mexicans. These laws are shaped in a way that show they are not welcome in the country, this group of illegal immigrants are made inferior to the rest of American society.
Illegal immigration directly connects to the overall theme of ‘Immigration in the U.S.,’ it is a major concern and an ongoing debate currently in not only the United States, but worldwide.
This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.
http://www.stanford.edu/about/speak.html
Greetings from the Farm! This is Asli, Jonathan, and Kelly, three “frosh” at Stanford University. Even though we’ve only been here a month, we’ve already been exposed to many of the wacky sides of Stanford. While it’s true that most freshmen here were admitted based on stellar SAT scores that reflect an ability to communicate well, formal English is a rare thing once you’re actually here. Whether you’re grabbing a coffee from the CoHo, hanging out with your RoHo or even hosting a ProFro, knowing your Stanford lingo is one of the first and most important skills to pick up.
The fact that Stanford students use so many abbreviations may make it sound like we’re always in a rush. However, the opposite is true: students here are typically pretty relaxed. Our lingo reflects Stanford’s laid-back and sometimes quirky mentality. Why say “Memorial Auditorium” when “MemAud” sounds so much cooler? We’re writing to you right now from our PWR class, which stands for “Program in Writing and Rhetoric.” We look forward to communicating with you and learning about your schools. Maybe you can come visit us at Stanford and try some EANAB’s (equally attractive non-alcoholic beverages)! But if you come during “Dead Week” (study week before finals), don’t be scared off by our primal scream (a midnight stress-relief tactic)! Talk to you soon!
P.S. For more Stanford slang, check out www.stanford.edu/about/speak.html
This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.
Hey! How’s it going across your respective pond? We’re Molly, Helena, and Ketaki and we’re from Washington State, Montana, and Northern California. We’re all freshman at Stanford, and we really like it here. One of the main things about Stanford that’s so great is the freedom we have to explore our interests and try new things; no one is expected to have a major until two years after they’ve started here. This philosophy extends beyond the academic portion of the campus to sports and other extracurricular activities.
Stanford culture is different from anything we’ve ever experienced. Even though everyone here has achieved something incredible, most people are extremely humble and relaxed. It’s easy to make friends because people are open to new possibilities. Even other parts of California aren’t necessarily as laid back and accepting as Stanford. It’s such a surreal feeling to ride your bike past palm trees and fountains every day on the way to class. All of us are still getting used to the idea of actually being students here!
I hope you like your school as much as we enjoy Stanford. We’re really looking forward to video conferencing with you!
And, as they say in California: PEACE out, yo! If you're ever in the Bay, don't hesitate to hit us up for some fro-yo!
- Molly, Helena, Ketaki
This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.
Greetings from Stanford! Our names are Aliya, Zanny, and Meredith and we are freshmen here at Stanford. Yesterday was a big day on campus. It rained for the first time this quarter, the first rain we experienced as freshmen. We did not know how to react. “I never thought it rained in California!” “Oh my god, my bike seat is soaked!” “Yay, puddles!” Students’ reactions were a mix of horror, disbelief, and excitement. Sure, most of us complained about the wet and cold weather, but—to be honest—we all enjoyed the change of pace. Most Stanford students ride their bikes to class, and you can imagine the effect of sleeting rain on the average bicyclist. Each of us responded differently to the weather. Zanny was feeling rebellious and decided to tough it out and bike to class. She was extremely disappointed with this decision; her hood wouldn’t stay up and she was drenched from head to toe. Meredith decided to go all out with the rain gear. She put on rain boots and a raincoat and carried an umbrella as she walked to class, to scared to bike. After witnessing a spectacular bike collision as she was unlocking her own bike, Aliya decided that the safest bet was the long trudge to classes, with or without an umbrella.
The rain affected more than just our travel plans. The gloomy weather required many cups of hot cocoa, cider, and tea; incessant rain forced all of us to change out of drenched clothes several time. We communed with our peers in dorm lounges, sharing our horror stories and complaints as well as our hopes for brighter days ahead.
This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.
int main()
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Here at Stanford, we are chill most of the time, or so it seems. We live under the warm Californian sun. It’s warm 90% of the time and clouds always look lonely. So it’s really hard not be relaxed when you’re not solving differential equations, and even sometimes when you are. But we somehow manage to find time to work and time to relax, which is essential to surviving as a student. We aren’t competitive but we are ambitious. We come to Stanford with high expectations of ourselves and don’t cut ourselves short by pushing each other down. It’s a collaborative environment because we know we need cooperation in order to be successful. But it’s not just about working and being successful in our own eyes. Our difficult workload is always balanced by the tendency to enjoy the sun and each other’s company.
This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.
No, really, it is more than you'd imagine!
Hello! Our names are Lea, Raina, and Christopher, three freshmen at Stanford University. We’ve been having an amazing time here, getting to know our fellow classmates. We love the fact that everyone trumps the stereotype of simply being a good student.
While we’re all passionate about academics and intellectually curious, we also have whole other identities as artists, athletes, actors, activists, and aesthetes. It is always so exciting to learn about our classmates’ lives, loves, and accomplishments, both inside and outside of the classroom. Everyone is so impressive! For example, one student holds the Guinness World Record for juggling, while others own their own companies and non-profit organizations. Most impressively, everyone is very humble about their accomplishments, always willing to take a moment to share about their life experiences or to explain a homework concept to others.
We also know how to have a good time! Late night conversations, parties, fountain hopping (we run around at night and jump into various fountains on campus), art and comedy shows, and spirited sports games only begin to cover some of the quirky, fun-filled, fantastic experiences that we have had so far!
This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.
We come from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities. For instance, of our group of three students, one is from a public school in Indiana, another grew up in Taiwan, and another has moved 14 times between four countries. Stanford is a very active campus and has many student-athletes. The sun is almost always shining and we are always outside. We consider ourselves more laid back than our east coast peers; less competitive and more friendly. Everyone here is treated with the same respect. Even between boys and girls, different races and ethnicities, and different levels in school. Everyone is so excited to be here and to meet other people here. We present ourselves as people rather than a list of accomplishments. We tend to become good friends with people before we find out the amazing things they have done. As a community, we are a little quirky. For instance, Stanford student love to go “fountain-hopping” where we all run around and jump into fountains. We also have an annual tradition of “full moon on the quad” where everyone gathers and kisses as many people as they can.
This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.
Hi this is Andrew and David: two average Stanford Freshman with a need to explore!!
Steam tunneling has been a long existing tradition at Stanford. Beneath the campus that so many have called home there is an intricate catacomb of tunnels that wind under the engineering building and center of campus. One can find themselves coming up in one of 250 connected buildings including a chapel at the far end of the quad. Recently almost every known entrance to the steam tunnels has been locked shut keeping eager Stanford students away from their beloved tradition due to the possibilities of lawsuits or injuries. It isn’t uncommon, however, to see one of
these locks cut or a manhole cover open. I believe this is a metaphor of the Stanford community. There is a strong sense of tradition that many value more than the risks present in pursuit of such tradition. Stanford students are curious, eager to explore even the darkest of places and navigate their way through a catacomb of life. They are assertive, keeping a watchful eye over everything in their community, and not afraid to protest something they find unreasonable or even unjust.
This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo in Egypt, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.
Being bored at Stanford is impossible. Stanford has an intellectual community, but it is very friendly, welcoming, and open. Everybody at Stanford has a “baby” – they have something they are really passionate about and they put a lot of time and effort into pursuing it. Stanford prides itself on not taking itself too seriously. Instead of having a formal marching band, the band dresses up in crazy costumes for sports games and makes inappropriate formations and instead of marching, everyone runs crazily between formations. Stanford is not only an intellectual community but also emphasizes extracurricular activities and sports: the students are very well-rounded. Students take an interest in each other’s lives. The campus is often referred to as the “Stanford Bubble.” Almost everyone lives on campus and the campus itself is like a little city. Most people rarely venture into the nearby affluent suburb of Palo Alto. Having all the students on campus promotes a strong community feeling, also shown in the inclusion of the whole student body in events instead of having exclusive parties or meetings. There is a lot of emphasis put on exploration and fun in addition to academic achievement. Having a great experience is a huge part of Stanford life out of the classroom.
Continue reading "Bubbles and Babies: Excitement on the Stanford Campus" »
This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.
Stanford has 8,000 acres of land and is the second biggest campus in the world…so it’s really BIG.
We think the dynamic between Stanford and its surrounding area is really interesting The town outside Stanford called Palo Alto is a fairly small town full of silicon valley techies. Although the biggest city, San Francisco, is an hour away, the campus is still incredibly active and friendly in its bubble.
Stanford students enjoy their tight knit campus community, but they also reach out often to neighboring communities with education or volunteering efforts. Student traditions include frolicking in the fountains as well as spelunking in the steam tunnels.
Continue reading "8,000 Acres Is Not Enough: Stanford Reaching Out" »
This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.
Hey, we’re Paige and Atira, and we’re freshmen at Stanford University! Upon our arrivals at Stanford, the first taste of Stanford life we received was when we approached the doors to our dorm, carrying all our life belongings in two large suitcases. The initiation into the dorm consisted of a loud megaphone welcome from multiple people clad in coordinating t-shirts and mardi gras beads. After the loud wake-up call, they gave us t-shirts of our own, a room key, and a bag of information regarding New Student Orientation. This was our official joining into the Stanford community. A month later, dorm life continues to be the focal point of life on campus. The sense of belonging and collaboration translates into the dorm as well as academics. There’s a competitive atmosphere, but everyone is encouraged to work together towards a greater goal.
Continue reading "Dressing up in the Dorms: Living at Stanford University" »
This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.
The topic above fits into public health because health coverage is key in the overall health of a country- since it will ensure the health of those who can afford, or are offered health insurance. Also, it contributes to the control of other health issues, because it will mean that more people will be able to prevent illnesses. There is a lot of debate today about whether they United States should move into a Universal Health Care System and I think it is important to understand what the two sides of the debate are. Health care affects everyone because it can dictate whether we, or our families will be able to stay healthy in the future. A cancerous growth in someone who is insured can be found at a check up and a life can be saved. A person who cannot go see a doctor as freely will probably not find out until they are in a late stage, and not much can be done to save their lives.
This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.
This country was built on blood, sweat, and tears, but not by the hands of citizens. When we think of an immigrant we have nothing to say but the negative aspects that they bring when they come to America legally or illegally. We don’t come to think about all the things they do that help our economy and country grow. Immigrants are important to our country because of the work power they posses, and the determination that they have that citizens just may no posses. There are so many reasons why immigrants should stay in this country and yet instead of embracing them we just find more ways of trying to push them away.
I think that all of us as a society fail to realize the importance that immigrants have to our country, and I would like to explore that. I feel like when we think about an immigrant we have nothing good to say, and think of how bad they make our economy. Yet I want to know what people don’t see in immigrants. That they are hard working people and they have families. I want to find out what positive effects do they have on our lives, society, and country. How they help us be better. What would be some drastic consequences if we lost all the immigrants that we have today.
How many jobs do we really lose when an undocumented worker works in the US? If illegal immigrants are so wrong to work, than why do people still depend on them so much, and hire them for work? Just questions to wonder about when I am researching on my paper, may also be on what are the wages of people that live around immigrants? Would they be higher? Or lower? If an illegal immigrant was to pay their taxes would that effect the economy that much greater? A question that makes me really wonder about immigrant workers is. If America today seems to be in the worst shape in years? I wonder how terrible the conditions must be where immigrants are from for them to come all the way over here to find a job?
The way I plan on researching for my paper topic is by using information that I have already found from my blog postings along with the scholarly articles that I will be gathering within the next few weeks pf my posts. I will look around I=on the internet for statistics, and numbers stating hard facts by using numbers, I plan on using the CUNY database to further my search just in case I do not find enough information for my topic, or enough quotes, citations, and proof. I may also want to look at popular articles that may be on the internet, or in the paper, or read up on other immigration blogs to get different perspectives, and emotion towards the subject. Try to find out how other people may feel about immigrants, and what they think should happen to them. With all t his information gathered I plan on having a well organized, detailed essay with in the upcoming months.
What I might find the most difficult about this research paper may be looking for scholarly sources that support this issue. I feel like I might not find what I am looking for unless I truly look, which I plan on doing. My greatest fear may be not having all my thoughts together. I also think that my downfall would come if I don’t find enough information on why immigrants are helpful to this country. As of right now I have a good idea on what I’m set out to do. I think with a little bit more work and effert I can organize myself, and work off the information I find, I can produce a well written research paper.
This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.
The proposal for my essay is the positive and negative effects of digital medical records. I believe that this is important because this new technology will greatly affect the performance of medical facilities everywhere. I think that both sides of the argument should be explored along with the opinions of doctors supporting both sides.
There are doctors that believe that digital medical records will make them better doctors and help them make fewer mistakes. Hospitals can even save time and money by utilizing this new technology.
There are also doctors that believe that this technology is harmful to the practice. There are some older doctors that think that today’s doctors are relying too heavily on technology and cannot perform decent physical examinations without the help of some sort of new technology.
I think that this is interesting because people are always thinking that new technology will always be an improvement for the ways things were done in the past. Even I believe that digital health records will be a new way to improve medical facilities. There will always be people that prefer the old way of doing things and there might be some truth to that but only the future will be able to tell whether this new technology will truly be a new useful tool.
This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.
Rationale: The topic I am working on is how the loss of sleep affects the human body. This topic deserves my extended attention because it is a topic that I am very familiar with, and know a lot about some the effects of sleep loss. Another reason is that I want to see if there are long-term effects or short-term effects (or both) to the loss of sleep. I picked this topic because sleep loss is a health related issue.
Working Thesis Statement: Sleep is a necessity of human beings. It is recommended that everyone should get about eight hours a day. Sleep is important because it gives people the energy to do what they need to do throughout their day, whether it is going to work or cleaning the house. But what if some people can’t get their recommended eight hours of sleep every day? How will this affect them, and their way of life if they can’t find a balance to their sleeping habits? Sleep depravity is a serious issue that can result in some harmful effects like loss of memory and the weakening of the immune system.
Hello, we are five students from Stanford University collaborating with the American University in Cairo as part of a Cross Cultural Rhetoric (CCR) project. We are writing about the international obesity and malnutrition crises for our class on food science and politics.
Professor Paul Zimmet of the International Diabetes Institute warns that “obesity is no longer a problem limited to America…but has reached the scale of a global epidemic.” In a world with 300 million obese people, how is it possible that over twice that number are malnourished globally? This indicates that it is the allocation of food, rather than the abundance, that is problematic.
This blog was written by a group of five freshmen taking an introductory course with a focus on the rhetoric of food science and politics in the Program of Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University.
As the world population increases exponentially and the economy fluctuates wildly, the global food shortage is fast becoming one of the most terrifying and seemingly insurmountable crises that humanity has ever faced.
Responses and solutions have been proposed on all sides. The international scientific community has begun to focus a great deal of energy on biotechnology to promote greater crop and livestock productivity; governments are looking to cooperate in the development of legislation that will protect both the agriculture industry and the consumers who depend on its products; non-profit organizations are attempting to interact with those directly affected by the food shortage to develop localized solutions in self-sustainability and agricultural and economic independence.
