English Department adds two new courses
With course selection well underway for the 2008-09 school year, the English Department is taking every advantage to get the word out about the two new electives they plan to offer next year.
The first semester course, “Words without Borders,” focuses on non-Western writers’ novels, short stories, plays, poems, and critical essays that capture a global perspective on universal themes such as “justice, exile, censorship, isolation, war, nation building, etc.”
Ms. Frick plans to use the text, Axis of Evil: Writing from Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Other Enemy Nations. You can read reviews and preview the text here.
This course intends to raise contemporary, unexplored questions that history classes are often unable to fit into their own curriculums, questions such as, “What effect has 9/11 had on the American Idea? How does the threat of terrorism affect Western Identity? Has Globalization led to a more or less fluid notion of identity?”
The other course to be offered in second semester is “Writing Nonfiction.” This course, structured as a writers’ workshop, will gear students towards writing clearer, more vigorous prose on topics of their interest.
Ms. Frick also added that, “…this course will be to engage students in writing in a variety of prose styles toward eventual and possible publication.”
In the case that enough students sign up for either one or both of these courses, the English Department will have to replace pre-existing courses that show a lack of interest with the higher-demanding electives.
Other questions surrounding the courses can be addressed to Ms. Frick.
A Humane Solution or Murder?
Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk announced that South Africa plans to reverse the 1995 ban on killing elephants to help control their exponentially growing population. In 1995 there were only 2,000 elephants, but today their numbers total near 10,000.
Van Schalkwyk stated that their immense numbers pose a threat to the local vegetation, as well as ever-growing conflict with people over the land.
South Africa’s plan is to remove an elephant from its herd, fly over in a helicopter and shoot the elephant in the head— because they consider this the most humane solution.
Can someone explain to me where the humanity lies within this plan? Elephants are known for their family based social structure, along with their keen cognitive powers much like those of dogs, dolphins, and apes.
The ballooned elephant population in South Africa is not the same case for many regions in the North and West, where poachers have diminished elephant populations to dwindling numbers. I think before the government makes the effort to “humanely” kill an unannounced number of elephants, they should perhaps focus on eliminating poaching so they can redistribute the elephant population across Africa.
How many characteristics do we need to have in common with a species before “humane killing” becomes murder?
To learn more on efforts against the plan visit Animal Rights Africa.
Nemo’s Home No More
Do you remember Pixar’s success in capturing the brilliant life of the anemone in Finding Nemo? Well I recommend you commit that beautiful picture to memory because the present fate of coral reefs worldwide is a gloomy one.
In places such as Fiji, well known for its breathtaking underwater landscapes, scientists and citizens are struggling to revive the reef. The problem they are facing is coral bleaching.
Coral bleaching is when the coral loses its bright pigment, and all you see is the skeleton through the translucent tissues.
In Fiji, the immense amount of logging causes sediment to runoff into rivers that deliver the sediment right to the shallow water environments of the reefs. This is one cause of coral bleaching because the plants lose direct absorption of sunlight.
And then there is the major culprit of so many environmental issues: global warming. But global warming would not be possible if it weren’t for the help of the industrializing human race. Although the ocean temperatures have only raised 2 degrees, this is a drastic change in temperature for the reef, causing the bleaching to occur.
Not only do you lose the beautiful underwater sights, you lose an entire eco-system. The marine life that lives amongst the reef survives on a symbiotic relationship with the coral, so without the reef the marine life cannot survive.
Despite the efforts of scientists worldwide attempting to gain the cooperation of local and international governments, the reefs continue to suffocate. All that is left is a white, lifeless desert, with no sign of the beauty that once swayed beneath the ocean waves.
To find out more about the campaign to save the coral reefs visit The Coral Reef Alliance.
vs. 
The Fight to Roam Freely
One of my favorite stores, Patagonia, not only succeeds at selling comfortable clothing for everyone’s adventures, but also raises pressing environmental issues to their customers’ attention.
Apart from their regular sales, the clothing company will typically create an intriguing design for a shirt that evokes an eco-friendly message. They sell their shirts for $25-30, and then donate $5 of the sales to the organization supporting the cause.
Their most recent design is from the campaign to create migration passageways between protected areas for animals.
In my opinion, these creative shirts are well worth the $25, especially when you think where a good percentage of the sales are headed.
Save the Earth and the Oscars
Hey, my name is Susannah and I’m a sophomore in high school. I’m on the staff of The Bradford and supposedly we’re leaving the old school print newspaper to go global on the web. Pretty cool, even though I lack the necessary common knowledge of operating any sort of technology.
Anyway, despite my unusual interest in school, I also enjoy running, hiking, kayaking, and traveling. Last summer I went to Alaska and experienced some of the best three weeks of my life, so there is a high probability that I will refer to the trip in almost every post.
After an immense amount of brainstorming, I’ve decided that my posts are generally going to surround environmental issues and the Oscars, basically because I like our planet and I like movies.
