Cultural identity: Romania almost 50 years ago. Through British eyes . Watch the 7 min video available at http://www.

britishp athe.com/ record.php? id=1798 Then do the activities suggested below. You are warmly encouraged to watch it more than once. The project is more productive when done in a group of 4 or 5 students. 1. Macro geography: identify at least 12 places outside Bucharest featured in the video. For intl students: 4. What clues helped in recognizing the places? How many of the sites highlighted in the video have you visited so far? What was your impression of them? 2. Micro geography: identify minimum 5 spots in Bucharest. Explain what features were helpful in identifying them. 3. Watching/listening for gist: what is the narrator's overall attitude to Romania? Justify your opinion. 4. Listening for specific information: listen closely and provide at least 3 relevant quotes in support of the opinion you expressed in the above activity. 5. Listening for detail: list at least 10 positive references/comments made by the narrator; provide the full quote. 6. Listening for linguistic enrichment: watch the video again and fill in the missing words in the following statements: a. New hotels are ________________ along the coast line. b.The country has a proud _________________ all of its own. c. Such a trip is a __________________ to many. d. Romania offered safe refuge to those __________________ from injustice or tyranny. e. It's ___________________ just going up for the sport. f. This is where your inspiration can really _____________ to. g. ________________ crowds at the London exhibition. h. It seems to make a _______________ of that East-West barrier. i. There's almost a Texas flavour in this _______________land. j. Traffic is a problem. That's why you need a good baton-___________ policeman. k. .... a wave-making machine that _______________ in this hotel.

7. Listening for cultural reinforcement: Watch the video and list at least 5 of the historic events,landmarks and references mentioned. 8. Listening for cultural enrichment: when speaking about the painted monasteries in northern Moldavia, the narrator mentions that their outside frescoes go back to the 14th century. Is this information correct? What reason does he provide for the external frescoes? Is this an accurate explanation? 9. Watching for cultural identity: was anything about Romania that surprized you in the movie? If so, please list all the instances and explain what you found surprizing about them? 10. Watching for personal development: was there anything new that you learned about Romania from the video? Please list the items. 11. Watching for personal development: explain the metaphor of the Iron Country. Why was Romania referred to as an Iron curtain Country? 12. Watching for enhanced cultural identity: what positive comments on Romania can you take over, adopt and adapt when speaking about your home country and culture? 13. Listening for linguistic development: what vocabulary in the video do you find useful for your professional purposes? Listen closely and pick at least 12 words or phrases that you are going to adopt and use from now on. 14. Watching for personal development: critical thinking. Go outside the framework provided: what was Romania like under communism? Is the representation in the video authentic? What significance do you attach to the phrase communist propaganda? 15. Adopting vocabulary: make friends with the words you have adopted in the previous activity. Become clear about their meaning and their most common word partnerships. Some dictionary work might be useful. 16. Employing new vocabulary: use the words and phrases you have adopted in a paragraph of your own. Write it in ink on a separate sheet of paper. It will be evaluated and graded in class. 17. Project outcomes: each group will submit their work by the designated deadline. Remember that impressions count and a good content will be harmed by a messy layout and poor coherence. Typing would be ideal.

Make sure you revise before you submit your group work. 18. Project evaluation Project evaluation will have two stages: the first one will be conducted in class. We will aim at having groups present their projects in class. 19. Project grading Make sure you coordinate well and excel as a group! All the group member will get the same grade, irrespective of their specific contribution to the project as the project will be deemed to represent all the group members at their best. 20. Project deadline: see e-mail. GOOD LUCK!