Culture Days

Since our Culture Days took place on Monday and Tuesday last week, it is high time for me to write about the presentations I watched and, more importantly, which topics I'd like to be tested on at the KGP.

Presentations I watched

Woodstock (US): Of course I've known before what Woodstock. What I didn't know, though, was in how many ways Woodstock had influenced not only music, but also the counterculture movement. The presentation provided a clear outline about the Woodstock's impact on American culture.

San Francisco

San Francisco's rise into popularity (US): Daniela gave a well-structured overview about the evolution of San Francisco. Since I have always loved San Francisco for its exceptional characteristics such as the Painted Ladies, the Lombard Street, the Golden Gate Bridge or the Cable Cars, I couldn't resist watching Daniela's presentation.

Homeland (US): Even though I haven't watched a single episode of Homeland before, I was curious to hear what it is about. had heard a lot about the series and how my friends became addicted to it. What I certainly didn't know about the series is how close to reality the series were.

Arab-Americans after 9/11 (US): I have never really thought about how the 9/11 incident affected Arab-Americans regarding their everyday life. Andreas did a really good job on illustrating the difficulties Arabs in America have to deal with. Thumbs up!

American Indian boarding schools (US): Although I knew beforehand what Judith would be talking about in her presentation, I found the presentation even more interesting than reading the paper. By adding appropriate photos to her presentation, she got across her message perfectly.

The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party (US): Not only did I love Lucinda's accent, but also her topic and her remarkable Prezi. The Boston Tea Party is an event I've heard of several times, but never really known what it is about. What I liked a lot about her presentation was that she pointed out today's opinion of both Americans and British.

Ernest Hemingway (US): Jerneja gave a short but clear overview of Hemingway's life and his most remarkable works. For me, it was great to hear what is typical for Hemingway's style of writing, as I wasn't aware of that before. Well done!

Native American Languages (US): Both intriguing and funny at the same time, Sara talked about some native American languages and how they influenced America's culture. What sounded really interesting to me was that some words or even name of states such as Oklahoma or Mississippi derived from a native American language - I didn't know that before.

Undocumented: Illegal Immigrants in the (US): Valeriya's Prezi was really good as she included statistcs and infographics to illustrate her points. In general, I enjoyed her presentation a lot. The topic is really intriguing and still relevant for Americans.

Health problems of the Irish Travellers (IE): Before watching this presentation, I had no clue that a minority group called "the Irish Travellers" even existed. Aside from telling us who the Irish Travellers are and where they live, Nina focused on the the health problems they have to deal with, such as deafness or asthma. Hearing about those people made me sad, but I liked Nina's presentation a lot!!

The Race Around Ireland (IE): I have never heard about the Race Around Ireland before, but Roman did a great job on telling us the most important facts about it. His presentation was both informative and funny and I could tell that Roman is an insider.

Leprechaun

The popularised Leprechaun (IE): Of course I've seen and heard a lot about Leprechauns before, but not about its history. So I was curious to hear where the tales originally come from. Linda did not only provide a clear overview over the Leprechaun's history, but also an explanation why the Leprechaun is actually called Leprechaun.

Irish as an official EU language (IE): To be honest, I've heard a lot about the Irish language before, so there were some points I already knew when Dolores talked about them. Nevertheless, she did a good job on putting everything important in a nutshell!

David Norris' contribution to the LGBT Rights in the Republic of Ireland (IE): Before watching Katharina's presentation, I didn't even know what LGBT stands for. Besides explaining this acronym, she told us how these rights were introduced in Ireland and that David Norris as definitely a person worth knowing.

Top five presentations

I would like to be asked about the following topics at the KGP (US):

Arab-Americans after 9/11

American Indian boarding schools

The Boston Tea Party

Undocumented: Illegal Immigrants in the USA

San Francisco's rise into popularity

Image Sources:

(1) http://staysf.com/upload/attraction/20080519164232_san%20francisco%20cable%20car.jpg

(2) http://www.crareacatholic.com/LaSalle/Resources/8th%20Websites%202013/MeLeah,%20Tanya,%20Hannah,%20Becca/Becca%20Fields%20Rev%20War/images/Boston%20Tea%20Party%201.jpg

(3) http://mkalty.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Leprechaun.jpg