Thursday, October 27, 2011

First Interview

Interview.
click here.


Preparation
My interviewee is one of my international friends. We knew each other was in my friends’ house. Last week, I talked about the interview with him. He would like to help me do the interview. Then we decided to meet at Library on Monday afternoon, because it was quiet and close to his house. I printed twelve questions into 2 papers and prepared some paper in order to note what he said. In addition, I took my electronic dictionary to the library that day in case of some words I don't know. When the interview came, I went there 15 minutes early to ensure everything is ok and it is polite to wait for the interviewee.






Personal review
This is my first interview, it is really unforgettable. As a whole, the interview went well and both of us had a good time. However, I think my communication skill still need to be improved; the interviewee sometimes misunderstood my meanings. During the interview, if you want to know more details, you should make your questions more logic, organized and easy to understand. Because it can let interviewee remember more things and told you. In addition, I think being polite and smiling can help us have a better communication. Because when we interview with people from different culture, it is possible to say some offensive words or conflict with their belief, so polite behavior and smile can let interviewees know you are not offense and make interviews easy to go on. We also need to listen to carefully what interviewee said or their eye contact; it can let you know the interviewee’s condition better. Finally, you can prepare a few extra questions to face some emergency like some questions you prepared the interviewee don't know. In a word, I learned a lot from this interview such as Korean culture, food and communication skill. I believe I will do better next time to interview. 




Interview transcription
My first interview is too short.it's failed.



Country Report 
  My interviewee is from Seoul, the capital of Korea. 
 The Republic of  Korea  located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. The other place is called North Korea. "South Korea lies in a humid continental and humid subtropical climate region with a predominantly mountainous terrain"(Wikipedia). The populataion in Korea is almost 50 million. The Seoul which my interviewee's homeland is the largest city in Korea, with a population of 10,421,782.
    South Korea is divided into sixteen administration, the president is in power to the country.  In addition, Korean economy is the fourth largest economic country in Asia. The economy is output market, with most production in field of  electronics, automobiles, ships, machinery etc. South Korea is a member of the United Nations, WTO, OECD and G-20 major economies. It is also a founding member of APEC.

Geography


 Topography of South Korea
South Korea occupies the southern portion of the peninsula . Korea is next to my country China to the west, Japan to the east and the East China Sea. It covers about 99,392 square kilometers. "This mountainous peninsula is flanked by the Yellow Sea to the west, and Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the east. Its southern tip lies on the Korea Strait and the East China Sea"(Wikipedia).
Climate
South Korea tends to have a humid continental climate and a humid subtropical climate, which begins end of June through the end of July. Winters can be extremely cold with the minimum temperature dropping below −20 °C in the inland region of the country. Winter temperatures are higher along the southern coast and considerably lower in the mountainous interior. Summer can be uncomfortably hot and humid, with temperatures exceeding 30 °C (86 °F) in most parts of the country. South Korea has four distinct seasons; spring, summer, autumn and winter. Spring usually lasts from late-March to early- May, summer from mid-May to early-September, autumn from mid-September to early-November, and winter from mid-November to mid-March.
Economy
South Korea has a market economy which ranks 14th in the world by nominal GDP and 12th by purchasing power parity (PPP), identifying it as one of the G-20 major economies. It is a high-income developed country and is a member of OECD. South Korea is one of the Asian Tigers, and is the only developed country so far to have been included in the group of Next Eleven countries. South Korea had one of the world's fastest growing economies from the early 1960s to the late 1990s, and South Korea is still one of the fastest growing developed countries in the 2000s, along with Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, the other three members of Asian Tigers. South Koreans refer to this growth as the Miracle on the Han River.
Religion
As of 2005, just under half of the South Korean population expressed no religious preference. Of the rest, most are Buddhist or Christian. According to the 2007 census, 29.2% of the population at that time was Christian, and 22.8% were Buddhist. Other religions include Islam and various new religious movements. The earliest religion practiced was Korean shamanism.Today, freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, and there is no state religion.
Culture
South Korea shares its traditional culture with North Korea, but the two Koreas have developed distinct contemporary forms of culture since the peninsula was divided in 1945. Historically, while the culture of Korea has been heavily influenced by that of neighbouring China, it has nevertheless managed to develop a unique and distinct cultural identity from its larger neighbour. The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism actively encourages the traditional arts, as well as modern forms, through funding and education programs.

works cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_South_Korea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_South_Korea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_South_Korea#Climate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_South_Korea




 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Library Research Assistance

topic: Subjuct Guides --Geography
Group 2.  Brice    Zhu Xian  Chen Hanqiong   Shen Jialun

After we chose the subject Geography, then we can find books about it. It includes catalogs, e-books and reports. Today we will introduce these two books Geography For Today's Children and Geography Regions And Concepts.Especially, this book is built around resources used by practicing geographers, including maps, videos, and raw data. it really includes the number of information. So, if you want to find any other book,  you can choose Books and More Search.

Use web resources http://research.stcloudstate.edu/rqs.phtml?subject_id=61#m10
Foreign Affairs of the United States
Foreign Affairs Online

link:
geography regions and concepts
geography for today's children

De, Blij Harm J., and Peter O. Muller. Geography Regions and Concepts. New York:                         Wiley, 1992. Print.

James, Linnie B., and La Monte Crape. Geography for Today's Children. New York:                      Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1968. Print

Thursday, October 6, 2011

interview questions

20 questions
1. Where are you from?
I want to know the country they are from.

2. How many religions in your countries?
3. Do you prefess a religion?
I want to know what people believe in in their countries and the differences with me.

4. What is your major?
5. What kind of job do you want to find after graduation?
6. In your childhood, do you have any ideal for your future? 
I want to know about their future career and compare with me.

7. If you have a chance to go back to  2001, what do you want to say to yourself?
8. Do you think life is a challenge?
I want to realize kind of attitude for their lives.

9. What is the most important festival in your country? And how do people celebrate it?
10. What kind of food do you have in your country?
11. Is there anything can present your culture or country?
I want to know something about their unique culture.

12. What the age do you leave your home and live alone?
I want to know whether it is common for them to live alone after graduation.


13. How old when you graduate high school?

14. Are you satisfied with the form of your government now?

15. Do you have any advice to your government in future 10 years?
It is something about my interview be open about their politics.

16. Talk about some views to China.
Out of curiosity.


17. Do you feel a cuture shock when you came to the USA?
I want to know some differences between cultures.

18. What is the climate like in your country?

19. Talk about someone in your family.
I want to know something about the family life in different culture.

20. Is there any taboos need to pay attention to avoid talking about, when i am in your county
It is important to  realize, if you want to visit to their countries.