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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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 Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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| chinadad wrote: |
| Too right Chris - all good academic and literary critique places great emphasis on the price of the book. Einstein knew this - but he was dead clever - his theory of relativity was published at the knockdown price of $9.99 ensuring that the scientific community would immediately endorse it as a work of great merit!!!!! |
I appreciate the humor but somehow I don't think that this ethnography is in the same league as any work by Einstein. Again, can a price of $147.55 for this ethnography really be justified? Even if such books aren't intended for "normal folks" and are intended for university libraries, why bilk the libraries with such a high price?
| chinadad wrote: |
Ethnography (from Greek ἔθνος ethnos = folk/people and γράφω grapho = to write) is a qualitative research design aimed at exploring cultural phenomena
Don't you think language and education, the very essence of your intercourse with the students you teach, are not cultural phenomena???????
Why do think think you have nothing to learn from this study  |
While I did previously assert that the book may not offer much that is not already known, there may be a thing or two (or more even  ) that I could learn from it. OK, admitted.
Nonetheless, as I also previously asserted, I prefer to focus my efforts on more specific "how to's" in the classroom. I am not sure I will get that from this book.
I have looked up this book. This is what I have found (which has already been previously posted):
"Tens of thousands of Western �teachers�, many of whom would not be considered teachers elsewhere, are employed to teach English in public and private education in China. Little has previously been known, except anecdotally, about their experiences, about the effect they have on education in the context, or on students� perceptions of �the West� that result from this contact. This book is an ethnographic study of Westerners� lived experiences teaching English in Shanghai, China. It is based on three years of groundbreaking research into the pre-service training, classroom practices, personal identities and motives, and local socially constructed roles of a group of �backpacker teachers� from the UK, the USA and Canada. It is a study that goes beyond the classroom, addressing broader questions about the sociology, and politics, of transnational education and China�s evolving relationship with the outside world."
Here is a link from the publisher that includes information such as the description I posted above, the contents of the book, and a review:
http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415656221/
I haven't really found anything else on this book and I am not going to spend further time looking under rocks for more about it. So I never get around to reading this book...so what?
Why are people getting so excited about this book?
Warm regards,
fat_chris |
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Mr. Kalgukshi
Mod Team
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Posts: 6613
Location: Need to know basis only.
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| Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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Thread locked.
This is not the place for someone who can't or won't discuss things civilly and resorts instead to insults, contentious bickering, etc.
Often such individuals decide to move to other sites on their own.
At other times, the decision is made for them by the Mod Team.
The latter has just happened involving some individuals posting on this thread.
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