The Academy News-Feb 1, 2013

for lunch at Parkside Din-ing Hall. It was an oppor-tunity for continuing stu-dents to see former class-mates and for everyone to make new friends.

New students arrived on campus and moved into their new rooms last week.

The Language Acad-emy staff organized two days of orientation on Wednesday and Thursday as students took a place-ment exam and went over the program and policies of Language Academy.

They had a tour of campus and later enjoyed lunch at EVK with their PAL guides and teachers.

Classes began for all students last Friday; they picked up their new sched-ules at Jefferson Courtyard before their first class.

“What does GFS mean?” asked one new stu-dent. Each building is

identified by three letters. Knowing those letters is one of the biggest chal-lenges of the first week.

On Friday, students, staff, and teachers joined in

Olvera Street and Union Station Friday, February 1, 2013 at 1:30pm Meet in JEF Courtyard (return by 5:30pm) Full of culture, shops and restaurants, Olvera Street is a great place to see where Los Angeles began. We will also go to Union Station so you can be familiar with the major metro and train lines throughout the city and the state of Cali-fornia! Make sure to wear comfortable shoes!

IMPORTANT!!! If you take classes at the Radisson and

stand outside to smoke, please stand further away from the door. We do not want to disturb other guests in the Radisson lobby.

International Language Exchange

sign-ups are available! Please see the Language Academy e-newsletter for more information.

Students Mingle at Welcome Luncheon

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Language

Labs M/W

2

Language

Labs T/Th

3

Super Bowl

Sunday

4

Groundhog

Day

5

Peer

Pressure

5

Academy

News Staff

6

Campus

Calendar

6

UP C O M I N G AC T I V I T I E S

The Academy News F E B R U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 5 6 , I S S U E 2 Check out

The Academy News online at

www.usc.edu/

langacad.Go

to “Student

Information”

and then

click on “The

Academy

News.”

P A G E 2

Reading Power (Levels 1-3): Do you want to become a better, faster reader? Attend this lab to get tips and tricks on how to improve your reading skills. Statement of Purpose

Workshop (Levels 4-6): Learn how to write an amazing SOP for gradu-ate school. GRE/GMAT Prepara-

tion (Levels 4-6): Find out the best ways to suc-ceed on the new exam Writing to Impress

(Levels 5-6): Impress your Language

Academy teachers and your USC professors with your academic style. Learn how to use aca-demic sources to power-fully support your ideas and enhance your schol-arship. Conversation Groups:

Practice speaking Eng-lish by level with USC students. This is an inter-active discussion in which you will participate in groups about several interesting topics. This is your opportunity to prac-tice and to ask questions to native English speak-ers. To sign up, go to www.usc.edu/

langacad Click on “Student

Information” Click on “Current

Students” Click on

“Language Labs”

Monday, February 4

Time Location Description Facilitator

11-12pm

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 & 2

Jackie, USC Student


Rachel, USC Student


Blaire, USC Student

12-1pm

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1

Blaire, USC Student

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2

Belen, USC Student

JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 3 & 4

Rachel, USC Student


Luke, USC Student

GFS 229 IELTS Prep Lab (Levels 2 & 3)

James Hutzell, Instructor

GFS 229 GRE/GMAT (Levels 4, 5 & 6)

Jeminah Espinoza,

Instructor

GFS 113 Writing to Impress (Levels 5 & 6)

Heather Robertson,

Instructor

Wednesday, February 6


12-1pm

GFS 228 Reading Power (Levels 1, 2 & 3)

Nevena Fairclough,

Instructor

GFS 229 IELTS Prep Lab (Levels 2 & 3)


GFS 113 Statement of Purpose (Levels 4, 5 & 6)

Marisa Garcia-

Crocker, Instructor

P A G E 3

Reading Power (Levels

1-3): Do you want to be-come a better, faster reader? Attend this lab to get tips and tricks on how to improve your reading skills. Statement of Purpose

Workshop (Levels 4-6): Learn how to write an amazing SOP for gradu-ate school. IELTS Prep Lab: Learn important skills

and strategies to perform well on the IELTS exam. Conversation Groups:

Practice speaking English by level with USC stu-dents. This is an interac-tive discussion in which you will participate in groups about several in-teresting topics. This is your opportunity to prac-tice and to ask questions to native English speak-ers. To sign up for Language Labs, go to www.usc.edu/langacad Click on “Student

Information” Click on “Current

Students” Click on “Language

Labs”

Tuesday, February 5


11-12pm

VKC 110 IELTS Prep Lab (Levels 2 & 3)


GFS 220 Statement of Purpose (Levels 4, 5 & 6)

Marisa Garcia-

Crocker, Instructor

GFS 212 GRE/GMAT (Levels 4, 5 & 6)

Jeminah Espinoza,

Instructor

GFS 212 Writing to Impress (Levels 5 & 6)

Heather Robertson,

Instructor


Anastasia, USC Student


Blaire, USC Student

JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 5, & 6

Rachel, USC Student

12-1pm

JEF Courtyard

Conversation Level 1 & 2 Blaire,

USC Student

JEF Courtyard

Conversation Level 3 & 4 Anastasia,

USC Student

JEF Courtyard

Conversation Level 5 & 6 Rachel,

USC Student

Thursday, February 7


11-12pm

VKC 110 IELTS Prep Lab (Levels 2 & 3)


Welcome

Bienvenue Bienvenidos

Benvenuti Bem-vindo 歡迎 환영

ようこそ

ยินดต้ีอนรับ Қош келдіңіз!

Xush kelibsiz

مرحبا بكم

Добро пожаловать

Courtesy of Google Translate

P A G E 4

American Culture

Super Bowl XLVII: American Football Fever By SONJA LOVELACE __________________

On Sunday, February 3, the NFL Super Bowl XLVII will be held at Mercedez-Benz Super-dome in New Orleans, Louisi-ana. The two teams competing for the NFL championship are the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers.

This year’s game is especially newsworthy because the two opposing coaches are brothers. Baltimore’s John Harbaugh will square off against San Fran-cisco’s Jim Harbaugh. This is the first time in Superbowl history that two brothers have competed for the NFL championship

The following article by Sisi Lin offers an interesting perspective on this very American sports event.

SUPER BOWL:

A RISING INDUSTRY _________________

By SISI LIN __________________

The Super Bowl is the champi-onship game of the National Football League. It is usually held on the last Sunday of Janu-ary or the first Sunday of Febru-ary. Many international students who first come to U.S. may be

surprised about how Americans indulge in the Super Bowl. Al-though it is not an official holi-day, people in the United States consider the Super Bowl a na-tional carnival. It has developed many related industries and has even become a new rising indus-try.

As this event creates the sec-ond-largest day for U.S. food con-sumption (The first is Thanksgiv-ing), the profits for the food indus-try on this single day are amaz-ing. People cheer, shout and cry during the game, and they can eat almost everything when they watch the game. Beer, Buffalo wings, nachos, and pizza are some “must have” items for the game.

In addition to the national audi-ence, countless numbers of worldwide viewers also watch the game through television, radio, and Internet. The high audience rating also attracts the investment of advertising.

Although commercials become the most annoying thing in the

break, nobody will switch the channel. Thus, the broadcasting and advertising become two im-portant sources of income for the media.

The halftime show has be-come another expectation for the audience during the Super Bowl. The high audience rating and the worldwide influence make the Su-per Bowl halftime show a signifi-cant opportunity for singers, art-ists, and celebrities.

What they can gain from the game is not only money, but more importantly exposure, enhanced reputation, and future opportuni-ties. Many famous stars like Mi-chael Jackson and Justin Timber-lake gave unforgettable shows in the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl is not only a sports game, but a flag for Ameri-can culture. It enhances the de-velopment of many related indus-tries.

You can watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 3 at 3:30 p.m. on FOX News , Chan-nel 11.

P A G E 5

Groundhog Day Observed on February 2 This Saturday, Americans will

observe Groundhog Day. On this holiday, in Punxsutawney,

Pennsylvania, thousands of people wait for the groundhog to come out of its hole. According to the folklore, if the

groundhog sees its shadow when it emerges from its hole, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If it does not see its shadow, there will be an early spring. This piece of American folklore

has been traced to traditions in Northern Europe. In Germany, for

instance, if the hedgehog left its hole and saw its shadow, there would be a long winter. The date, February 2, typically

marks the middle of winter in northern climates. Although Groundhog Day is not

an official holiday, it brings some media attention to the groundhog, who burrows underground in the

winter, only to leave its hole when the weather gets a little warmer. Koreans and Chinese Celebrate New Year 2013 The Year of the Snake Chinese New Year will be cele-brated on Sunday, February 10. Look for a feature story on this holiday in next week’s TAN.

By ABDULLAH ALI BIN KULAIB

We can’t say for sure that peer

pressure always has a negative impact on any person’s life. It de-pends on the situation of the peers; some of them are helpful, and they like to do the right actions. On the other hand, there are others who like to do the wrong actions, and some of these actions may be ille-gal. Consequently, there are two sides to peer pressure.

Negative peer pressure occurs when a person’s friends or other people of their age try to persuade them to do something that is either harmful to their body or illegal. Ex-amples include drinking alcohol, taking drugs, smoking weed, and stealing. Even though the person knows that thing is bad for him, he often chooses to do it because he wants to be liked, to fit in, or to be accepted. Similarly, fraternity rules exert pressure on the person who

wants to be a member in their house. They push him to drink al-cohol, take drugs, or even force him to do unethical actions. Usu-ally, when he is addicted to these actions, he can’t control himself easily. Also, he might be a burden to society. That’s why most parents don’t want bad peers for their chil-dren.

On the other hand, peer pres-sure is not all bad. You and your friends can push each other into something that will improve your health and social life and make you feel good about yourself. Examples include avoiding alcohol, avoiding drugs, respecting others, working

hard and exercising together. If there is a student who is careless with his homework, and he has a good peer who takes care of him, he might convince him to study more, or maybe study with him and help him when he needs help. In another example, a peer might lend him money to keep him on the safe side and save him from steal-ing from other people. Good peer pressure is very helpful for society and the community.

In short, peers have a strong effect on the people around them. If the group is good and helpful, it will reflect on them in a positive way, and they will help themselves to be successful. In contrast, if the group is bad, and likes to do wrong actions, it will reflect on them to be careless and unsuccessful. Finally, we can’t decide which side the peers are on until we know how they help each other.

Peer Pressure

Holidays and Traditions

MUSIC

Faculty Recital with Lucinda

Carver

Tuesday, February 5: 7:30 p.m.

Alfred Newman Recital Hall Free

Keyboard Studies, Conducting and

Early Music faculty Lucinda Carver

performs a recital of works by Scar-

latti, Couperin, Brahms and Schubert

on piano and harpsichord.

THEATER

FACE: A Performance

by Haerry Kim

Friday, February 8: 7:00 p.m. to 10:00

p.m.

24th Street Theatre

1117 24th Street, Los Angeles

Admission is free. Reservations re-

quired. RSVP at the links below be-

ginning Thursday, January 17, at 9

a.m. USC Students, Staff and Fac-

ulty: To RSVP, http://web-

app.usc.edu/ws/eo2/calendar/32/

event/898609

Reception to follow.

Based on testimonies of Korean com-

fort women, FACE is a powerful one-

woman show about a rural girl who

survived two wars. Written and per-

formed by Haerry Kim, FACE ele-

gantly reveals suppressed histories

and creates a space

for reclaiming memories

SPORTS

Basketball

USC vs. Washington State

Thursday, Feb. 7: 8:30 p.m.

Galen Center

USC Language Academy

Rossier School of

Education

950 W. Jefferson Blvd.,

Phone: 213-740-0080

Fax: 213-740-0088

Web: www.usc.edu/langacad

Campus Calendar: February 1-8

The Academy News is a weekly newsletter pro-duced by students in the Journalism Elective of the USC Language Academy. All students in the Lan-guage Academy Program are encouraged to send news stories and photos to Sonja Lovelace at [email protected].

Check out The Academy News online at www.usc.edu/langacad.Go to “Student Information”

and then click on “The Academy News.”

P A G E 6 F E B R U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 3

The Academy News Spring 2013 Staff

Left to right: (back) Yousef Alwaseifer, Alibek Bissembayeva, Yating (Chara) He, Abdullah Bin Kolaib;(front) Assel Tasbolatova, Lora Sonbol, Xiawen (Sharon)

Liang. These students are enrolled in the Journalism Elective this semester.

Documents

The Academy News-Feb 1, 2013