Job Discussion Forums

[rioux]

Virtually all my college classes are females and 1 class in particular only wants to talk about love and relationships. Now yes, a few times other things get discussed but it almost always seems to come back to this topic. I mention food it comes back to where a guy should take a girl out to eat. I mention clothes and it comes back to what clothes should I wear to look nice for my boyfriend or what clothes should my boyfriend by me.

Any ideas as to how discuss other topics or should I just let them keep going because they all seem interested in it (to varying degrees) and it does keep them talking.

[asiannationmc]

Start with rising divorce rates in China.

[likwid_777]

Go on, bring out the horror stories. "I had a friend..."

I once told some eighteen year olds that I had 5 different kids to three different women back in Australia (I was 25 at the time). Man, was there ever some engagement there. You should have seen the disappointment on their faces when I eventually popped the balloon. I had them going for about half an hour hahaha. You'd probably get in trouble for something like that though... But yes, they are very interested in this sort of thing. Not so interesting for those of us from "The West", because we already knew of ten people having kids by age fifteen in our high schools. Maybe you can talk about dating habits of similar aged kids in your own country. It's a tough one, because to talk about the things that are most engaging around these areas will probably get you in trouble.

If you had a gender split it would be good to have them do some mock courtship routines. But I guess you could still do that with all females, my guess is that to have some acting as males would cause all sorts of giggles from Chinese youngsters. If they are all female, they are not going to go quite as silly as if it were those boy and girl germs mixing in a lesson, one might think.

[JamesD]

Comparative culture lessons.

Ask who is going to handle the money when they get married. Then do a lesson on banking.

Ask what kind of house they want. Do a lesson on furniture/floorplans.

Ask how many kids they will.........oh,....wait.... Scratch that one.

Ask what their wedding will be like. Do a lesson on western ceremonies. They could do group projects on planning their weddings.

Where will they go on their honeymoon? Lesson on travel itinerary.

Ask if they will work after they are married. Lesson on the idiocy of women's lib. (WOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!! LET THE FLAMING BEGIN!!!!!!)

[jm21]

Talk about polygamy and polygany?

I tried to do a lesson on divorce rates and they were totally lost. I think they are told China has a very low divorce eate and the west has a very high divorce rate and that is that. I did a research project on divorce rates so maybe I got too technical though. Make sure to have some credible source saying China's dicorce rate is x or it has been growing by y% each year.

[newmansone]

I see no issue here. You seem to think that a class of girls changes the cultural topic. It doesn't. You seem to be intimidated by girls? That's unfortunate.

[asiannationmc]

[Voyeur]

I would milk any topic that seems to generate enthusiastic conversation. Of course you need to be on the look out for some people getting secretly bored; but as a general rule, if it ain't broke...

[water rat]

I grew up in the mid-1970s and read Ms. magazine because there it was on the coffee table with Time and Newsweek, and Mother Jones.

One thing I read was that women are barred (by men, grrr!) from every field of endeavor except sex and that was sheerly by virtue of necessity, and then men get all indignant when women are interested in that!

It sucks to be female, rioux - or so they tell me.

Another gem from Ms. magazine : "If men had periods, menstruation would be a sacrament." (Share that with your students!)

So all I can suggest to you if you really really don't want to talk girl talk, - and even this is risky because you never know what might set them off: prepare a reading about the Greek Orthodox Monastery on Mount Athos, through whose gates only males may enter. Seriously, they don't even allow hens inside. I'm thinking their worried some lonely monk will have his way with Henny Penny.

[Babala]

I think gender roles is something they would enjoy.

I'm currently preparing a presentation on successful women in business as this is an area they don't seem to cover. My goal is to draw out some ambition in the females so they have something else to look forward to other than boyfriends

[Bud Powell]

Idioms are a popular among English majors. These idioms will help them to express themselves in western terms with greater variety:


http://www.idiomconnection.com/relationship.html

Some of the idioms may not apply to Chinese culture, but they'll probably be interested in learning them anyway. Copy the examples and give hand out the sheets. (You can hand out one copy for every two students). Require each student to create four different and ORIGINAL sentences using a different idiom. (This shouldn't take a whole class period. You can assign it for homework and quiz each student). Then encourage them to use those idioms in the class discussions.

This is a guaranteed hit if the students are serious English majors.

[Non Sequitur]

I would be very wary of anything that could show you are taking a prurient interest in your students' personal lives.
Rather than an interactive with the teacher, why not put together some cocktail party questions that include items like:
What makes a good boyfriend or girlfriend?
Would you marry a foreigner?
Would you marry someone who is 10 years older than you?
A mingle activity maximises the student talk time.

[Bud Powell]

[asiannationmc]

[water rat]