Sandwich

So I figured quite a few people here must be interested in sports whether they like it or not (thanks CAS). I'm looking for a pair of decent quality wrap-around headphones that I can wear whilst I'm running and wondered if maybe anyone here had any recommendations.

I have a really cheap pair at the moment and whilst I love the wrap-around (yeah it looks a bit stupid but I'd almost rather listen to nothing if I have to constantly push the ear pieces back into my ears! Also they look less stupid than over-the-ear jobbies, and with a single wire are much nicer to avoid being pulled out) the sound quality is actually shocking. I love my music and listening to tracks I can hardly make out until the high notes kick in and suddenly I'm convinced I'm probably losing my hearing... yeah, not cool.

The main things they must be:
- wrap-around (given) - e.g. http://www.amazon.co...31722447&sr=8-7
- have good music quality!
- have buds to go in your ear so the world around you isn't treated to a taste of your music

Also comfortable would be good. Anyway, anybody have a nice pair of headphones or any thoughts?

Okay barring the fact that this is a REALLY catchy song(!!!) I just thought it was extremely interesting!



"Prisecolinensinenciousol, a parody by Adriano Celentano for the Italian TV programme Mileluci is sung entirely in gibberish designed to sound like American English."

It's true, it does sound like english being sung by an american. But it's total gibberish! I was thinking maybe there's a TOK issue in here somewhere but to be honest I can't think of any link, it's just an interesting and weird thing

I'm very curious to know how english would sound with an english accent if I didn't understand the words now It's strange how we can tell what language is being spoken often just from the tone and nature of the words even with no comprehension of what they are. On a side note, I am very hypnotised by the dancing, what's with that??

https://www.facebook...315138958534486

So I was listening to a pretty awesome song (IMO): Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home and it got me thinking, what are the things which really trigger the memory of places that we know and love (home!)? Or at least, what are the sense that really stand out in your memory?

I figured it would be hearing (I find that music can really bring things back to me, especially if I've somehow managed to link it to a particular place or time in my life), but in all honesty my major recalls of the places I love most are all 100% smells. Which is kinda weird haha. The smell of wood smoke in the winter, the dank smell of rivers in the fens, the earthy cool smell you get in the woods just before dusk, the salty damp smell of the sea, the smell of the woods just after it's rained... and so on. Especially memories from my childhood, the strongest recall trigger is the smell of things around me - the smell of the cloakroom where the wellies were kept, the smell of mushroom soup, the weird musty smell in the living room of our school house.. and yeah I'll stop going on now, haha.

I was just curious as to whether it's the same for everybody. What is the most powerful feature of (or trigger for) your memories of places? Vote in the poll, write it here, do both, whatever.

So this new change from:
Language A1 & Language A2 --> Language A: Literature, Language A: Literature and Language and Language A: Literature and Performance
... it's a bit confusing and I think especially confusing for people doing the new syllabus who aren't clear about what's going on in their own minds - and are now being extra-confused by seeing old content on this forum! So, read on and hopefully understand a bit more about what's going on...

Quick Reference...
1. Background
2. So what's happened to A2?
3. What's the difference between Lit&Lang and the old A1 course?
4. What's covered by "Language"?
5. How is the assessment different for L&L?
6. Is the Literature course any different from the old A1?
7. Which should I do, Literature or Language&Literature?
8. Will Universities care if I do L&L instead of the Literature course?
9. Should I be worried about doing a course my teachers have never taught before?
10. What are World Literature Essays?
11. What is Literature and Performance?

USEFUL LINKS:
Language A: Literature (Syllabus)
Language A: Language and Literature (Syllabus)


1. Background : A1 and A2, or how it used to be BEFORE "Literature & Language"...

So, back in the day (until very recently, I believe the first candidates for this strange new syllabus are taking their exams in May 2013) the syllabus had languages split into 4 categories. A1, A2, B and AB. Your A1 language was your compulsory main language in which you were fluent, technically, and this formed "World Literature" which is what this forum used to be for, and many of the old posts regard this.
Your A2 language was an optional language in which you were not originally a native speaker but in which you were highly competent, and doing an A2 language meant you could get a bilingual diploma. For instance if I were German but studied in the UK and did all my exams in English, I might want to take A1 German and A2 English. Clearly doing B English is to seriously underestimate the level of my English!

2. So what's happened to A2?

To very roughly describe it, if you consider that the old A1 course is now called Language A "Literature", then the old A2 course for highly competent but foreign speakers is now called Language A "Literature and Language". So the A2 language level has been promoted so that now native speakers can take what used to be A2 but yet still count it as their main (previously A1) language. Confusing? Well in short, what used to be the optional A2 course can now be taken as an A1 course and fulfil your compulsory main language requirement.

3. What's the difference between Lit&Lang and the old A1 course?

The main difference is actually in the title. It's not just about Literature any more. The old A1 course was 100% literature and analysis, and therefore a more complex and challenging course than A2 which required a much higher level of language proficiency. The new Lit+Lang course, however, is not just about literature but a strange kind of 4-part hybrid:
2 parts are still Literature-based, although you have to study much less literature (also less world literature) and less intensely, and 2 parts which are now based on "Language".
To use an IB-related analogy, it's a bit like doing SL Maths versus Maths Studies.

4. What's covered by "Language"?

For people who haven't taken English/(Other!) Language as a course separate from Literature before, Language can be cynically summed up as the study of the bleeding obvious. In the new L+L course it's going to be split into two like so:
Part 1 (Language in a cultural context) to include the language of gender, sexuality, political power, history and evolution of the language, multilingualism, bilingualism, identity etc.
Part 2 (Language and mass communication) to include textual bias, persuasive language, stereotypes, media institutions (that's posh speak for TV Channels, internet search engines...)
Sources for these are not taken from literature but from day-to-day things like adverts, recipe books and posters.
Dippy stuff like discussing gender issues in an article called "Mother, Wife, Career-woman and maid - what is a woman's work?" - identifying the stance of the article and how language is used to express an opinion. That's a real example from the syllabus.
So yes, if you've never done "Language" before, be not afraid. I don't think it's going to test you too much!

5. How is the assessment different for L+L?

For L+L (HL) you must do:
INTERNALLY
- an oral commentary (15 mins)
- an interactive group/class oral which is individually assessed
EXTERNALLY
- a Written Assignment (Part 1) a creative response (Part 2) a critical response, both of 800-1,000 words
- Paper 1 Written Exam, comparative analysis of 2 unseen texts (2 hrs)
- Paper 2 Written Exam, Literary Essay (2hrs)
Plus 6 literary texts overall.

For L+L (SL) you must do:
INTERNALLY
- an oral commentary (15 mins)
- an interactive group/class oral which is individually assessed
EXTERNALLY
- a Written Assignment (Part 1) a creative response of 800-1,000 words
- Paper 1 Written Exam, an analysis of one of two unseen texts (1.5hrs)
- Paper 2 Written Exam, Literary Essay (1.5hrs)
Plus 4 literary texts overall.

So to sum up the difference between Literature versus L+L, you do less texts, less extensive and much shorter analytical coursework (indeed at SL you do none at all) BUT you have to do compulsory creative writing. Roughly speaking.

6. Is the Literature course any different from the old A1?

They're actually very similar. Two major differences:
1. the IOC (Oral Commentary) is now a 10-minute commentary on poetry specifically and then a discussion on one of the other 2 works studied [for HL] and for SL just the 10-minute commentary on an extract from one of the two texts studied.
2. the World Lit essays are gone! These have been replaced with a single ambiguously named "Written Assignment" that consists of a 1,200-1,500 word literary essay (so a bit like the old-school WL2 essay) on a single work studied from Part 1, accompanied by a 300-400 word reflective statement. There is no comparative essay.

7. Which should I do, Literature or Language&Literature?

Language & Literature is probably the one to go for if you struggle with your main language or have always hated it and just want to do an easier version. Or, in fact, if you would have wanted to take the old A2 course! To be honest I'm not sure why they scrapped A2 it was very popular and well-liked. It also took into account the fact that it wasn't your first language. Anyway! If your main language has never been the thing for you, certainly consider L+L.

If you want to study English/your language at University, you really like English, hate waffly hit-your-head-against-a-brick-wall-obvious crap about how we are swayed by advertising (join the club...), love literature, dislike creative writing OR are just very proficient in your language and want to take a course to challenge yourself, do Literature.
(Both of these are based on my opinion )

8. Will Universities care if I do L+L instead of the Literature course?

This is very speculative but to be honest unless they're the English Department (in which case you should really be doing Literature!), probably not. There is a small chance that if you apply to the UK where the A Level system is split into English Literature and English Language that they will realise the word "Language" implies it's a bit less challenging, however given that L+L also has the word Literature in there, then they're equally as likely not to notice or care.
Essentially, if we (people doing the IB) don't really understand the difference, why the hell would an admissions department even know, let alone care unless it's their subject??

9. Should I be worried about doing a course my teachers have never taught before?

In short, yes. If your teacher is very good and you trust them to have read the syllabus and be really clear on what you're going to be marked on and what to aim for, then perhaps. Generally it's always a dangerous move to be the guinea pig for an untried and untested course. Obviously somebody has to do it, but you don't really want it to be you The only caveat to this is if you're in the UK or any other country where there is also a similar-level (e.g. A Level) English Language course, in which case you can probably safely assume that if your teacher also teaches Language, you may well be in safe hands. Exercise caution!

10. What are World Literature Essays?

You may seem them mentioned a lot on the forum, but if you're doing the new syllabi, they are a thing of the past. In L+L there is no equivalent. In the Literature course, the 2 WL essays have been replaced by a single "Written Assignment" which is an analytical essay (plus reflective statement) on a single text, so similar to the old WL2 essay. There is no longer a comparative essay in the course at all. Cause for celebration or not? You decide

11. What is Literature and Performance?

In short: a mysterious new SL-only course that also claims to be a Language A which I can find very little information about!


RIGHT this is certainly unfinished and although I've tried very hard to verify the facts as I've gone along, I can't find an official copy of the syllabus for L+L (nor can I find a version of the new Lit syllabus?) SO if people who are doing the new syllabus could please kindly add to this, amend things or anything else by replying below, that would be much appreciated. I think it'll really help people out!
EDIT: Okay found the copies of the syllabi thanks Gaby. No idea how I missed those!