Saturday, December 10, 2011

Class Blog Grading sheet

Angela Balcome's EvaluationsRoles of women and menPoets and writersRulers and governmentMusic and danceInventions and Industry
Anderson, Randall J8686858060
Balcome, Angela M9088809090
Baudhuin, Morgan T7070707070
Braun, Nicholas A9090908878
Clark-Hedlof, Brett N8080-
Conant, Joshua S---
Cox, Timothy J9090909096
Dehn, Matthew G8578727070
Drays, Laura L9293909495
Gillespie, Brooke C9595959595
Goyette, Thomas E887188
Gu, Zhen8081888085
Gysberg, Kevin M88-8988
Harp, Lacey N8280858688
Hua, YunFei7783928586
Klasons, Jekabs K--88
Kreuger, Kristin N8686868590
Leavitt, Danika E9494949494
Monson, Thomas J9086879488
Niehoff, Robert J8988879090
Niyomchat, Pattarapong8981909090
Oberle, Robert A8989-90
Riebe, Monica A---
Scherer, Miranda D8782899080
Schurr, Jennifer R7676757879
Shaw, Douglas E76--
Strong, Sarah J
Vang, Starsha N87868275
Vroman, Amber L8585858698
Zhang, Hui8686888890

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

German Industry and Inventions of the 20th century

German Industry in the 1900s
            I am going to focus on perhaps the main industry one thinks of when they hear German industry, the automobile industry. In 1887 Karl Benz fit his 4 stroke combustion engine onto a coach, which led to the modern car. By 1901 Germans were producing about 900 cars per year. Mercedes Benz was formed in 1926. BMW was founded in 1916 but did not start auto production until 1928. Although Germany was among the first to get into the auto industry, they were slow in developing int. This gave American companies like GM the opportunity to get on top.
            The depression in the 1930s hit Germany as well as the rest of the world. Of eighty six auto companies going into the depression, only twelve made it out. The election of the Nazi party into power brought about a revitalization of the auto industry in Germany, however the destruction of WWII brought it to yet another halt. After WWII, companies recommenced their production.
            Germany continues to be known for their Auto industry world wide. With companies such as Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volkswagon, and Audi, it is hard to imagine a world without German vehicles. These companies continue to produce quality vehicles and remain successful in our ever struggling economy of the 21st century.
German Inventions
Melitta Bentz, invented the coffee filter in 1908.
Wernher von Braun, invented the V2 Rocket.
Karlheinz Brandenburg, invented the MP3 player
Heinrich Clobes, invented the first mechanized street sweeper in 1909.
Rudolph Dassler, invented the first sport shoes with screw in spikes in 1949
Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain, invented the modern jet engine in 1933

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Gender Roles group presentation

20th Century Roles of Men and Women in Society
By: Tom Monson, Miranda Scherer, Robert Niehoff, Matt Dehn, 
Tim Cox, Angela Balcome, Sarsha Vang, Monica Riebe, Brett Clark- Hedlof
Military Roles
Men
All men age 18-23 were obligated to go through a nine month training before going into war 
There are approximately 200,000 soldiers that are considered professional and 300,000 that are more civilian, but are on reserve and are able to become active at any given time
Some men were forced into war through guilt or shame of their family and friends during WWI and WWII
All major German military and political leaders were men

Military roles
Women
In WWII Women took on the more traditional roles that men had filled.
During WWII Women tended to the sick and wounded, buried the dead, cleared the streets of rubble and ruins and salvaged what they could.
In 1975, German women were sought out to join the military, mostly as nurses

Political Roles
1919- Women receive the right to vote
1949- Basic Law made men and women equal, but until 1957 this law wasn’t amended into the civil code
Domestic Roles
Women
the three "K" words: Kirche, Kinder and Küche. (church, children and cooking) 
Also, women were meant to bear “Aryan” children and were taught to do so through aggressive propaganda.

East German society
East Germany
Women remained working
Laws were revised to accommodate working mothers and many daycares opened up
Abortion was legalized for the 1st trimester
East Germany relied on women due to the number of males fleeing to West Germany
90% of women made up the workforce and ½ of the German Trade Union Federation

West German Society
West Germany
After WWII women became homemakers again because the men were back from war
West women wanted the same rights as east women (abortion, working rights, education)
Education
Primarily male driven at first
More then half of the people getting a secondary education was women after 1977
East women were more educated then west, because west women wanted to keep the traditional role
In 1980 women were just as qualified as men

Work Force 
Women’s salary was still only about 65-78% of the male salary
Women could not hold top positions
Most women still worked the traditional jobs, such as school teachers and nurses
Sources
Sources
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/ency/blwh_germany_women.htm
http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/weekly/aa080601c.htm
http://www.warandgender.com/wgwomwwi.htm
http://www.mygermancity.com/german-military
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005205
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/ency/blwh_germany_women.htm
http://www.fsmitha.com/h2/g-wm.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_roles_in_the_World_Wars
http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/matahari.htm
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/ency/blwh_germany_women.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_issues_in_Germany#Gender_roles_and_demographics
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,702895,00.html
http://www.germanyandafrica.diplo.de/Vertretung/pretoria__dz/en/03__BD/New__women__managment.html 

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

German poets of the 20th Century

PETER HUCHEL:
Peter Huchel was born in Lichterfelde, near Berlin, in 1903, and died at Staufen, in 1981. He began publishing poetry in 1924, but a first volume was only to appear, in Berlin, in 1948, to be followed by another in Karlsruhe a year later. Following his release from a Soviet war prison he returned to East Germany, where he served as editor of Sinn und Form, published by the East Berlin Academy of Arts. Thereafter, he lived under house arrest, unable to work or publish in his own country, until he was allowed to emigrate to the West in 1971.
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/peter_huchel/biography

 List of his poems:
Eastern River
Answer
Meeting
Melpomene


 LISEL MUELLER



Lisel Mueller
Enlarge Picture
Poet Lisel Mueller was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1924. She and her family fled Nazi persecution, arriving in the US in 1939. Her serious writing of poetry began in 1953, after the death of her mother.

Over the years, Mueller published seven books of poetry, several volumes of translation and a book of essays. In 1981, she won the National Book Award for Poetry for her collection The Need to Hold Still, and in 1997 she was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for Alive Together, a collection representing 35 years of her work. Among her other awards are the Lamont Poetry Selection, the Carl Sandburg Award, the Illinois Poet Laureate Award and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She has taught writing at Goddard College and the University of Chicago.
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/lisel_mueller/biography

List of her poems:

Bedtime Story
Monet Refuses The Operation
Moon Fishing
Reading The Brothers Grimm To Jenny
Curriculum Vitae
Why We Tell Stories
For A Thirteenth Birthday
Things
Night Song
Alive Together
Blood Oranges
Immortality
What The Dog Perhaps Hears
Another Version
A Day Like Any Other
The Concert
All Night
Scenic Route
Small Poem About The Hounds And The Hares
Five For Country Music

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Berlin calling questions and reaction

Berlin Calling
1.      Why is Ickarus taking drugs?
I believe Ickarus is using drugs because he needs to. He is addicted. Although it probably did not start as an addiction, just a recreational past time, it slowly developed into an addiction as his body built up tolerance and he needed to use them more and more to get the same high.
2.      Why are his fans taking drugs, and which drugs do they take?
His fans are probably taking drugs for many reasons. Reasons could range from recreational use, just for fun. Or because they are addicted. Or some may take drugs because Ickarus takes drugs, many people look up to famous people and do things just to be like them. The main drug of choice seemed to be cocaine.
3.      Why does the sub-culture Ickarus is in focus on drugs?
I think the sub culture focuses on drugs because it is a part of the life they live. They do not know the repercussions of using the drugs as much as they do. Also, some people may feel pressured to do it just to fit into the club scene that seems to be the sub culture he is in.
4.      Which are the stark differences and contrasts?
There are mainly differences between my home society and this culture. Cocaine is not a big drug in my life or sub-culture at all. Whereas it seems to be prevalent in the sub-culture in the movie. Alcohol is more the drug of choice in my home society. At parties, people get drunk, they don’t do cocaine. Also the other thing that I have never seen at a party and hope to never see, is people engaging in gay sex. That would be considered extremely inappropriate.
5.      I think the generation depicted in this movie could definitely change Germany’s status in the world. If this movie accurately depicted this generation. AND if this is a depiction of the entire generation or just a small portion of it. I think the people depicted in this movie have a lot of growing up to do if they are going to be successful in life.
If everyone has the work ethic of Ickarus and his manager, Germany should be just fine. They had good work ethic and showed lots of dedication.
6.      Which similar “cult movies” of US origin have you seen, if any?
I have not seen any cult movies that I know of.
7.      My answer to question number 4 and 5 is a pretty good explanation of my reactions to this movie.

Gender Roles in the 20th Century

Roles of Women and Men in German 20th Century Society
            I found the role of German men and women in the 20th century are basically the same as that of men and women in the United States. Women are expected to be homemakers, and men are expected to work, provide for the family, and go to war when needed. Like the United States, women made significant gains (right to vote, etc… ) throughout the 20th century, and continue to make gains today, but are yet to have same and equal roles.
For centuries, a woman's role in German society was summed up by the three words: Kinder, Küche, Kirche (children, kitchen, church). Throughout the twentieth century, however, women have gradually won victories in their quest for equal rights. For instance, in 1919 women gained the right to vote. Changes also came about during WWII. During the war, women stepped up and took over jobs of men when they went to war and fought. In West Germany, the Basic Law of 1949 declared that men and women were equal, but it was not until 1957 that the civil code was amended to conform to this statement. In the east, however, women remained in the workforce. The Soviet-style system mandated women's participation in the economy, and the government implemented this key objective by opening up educational and vocational opportunities to women. As early as 1950, marriage and family laws also had been rewritten to accommodate working mothers. Abortion was legalized and funded by the state in the first trimester of pregnancy.
After several decades of conforming to traditional social patterns, West German women began to demand changes. Following patterns in Europe and the United States, emancipation in the Federal Republic originated "from below," with women themselves. In the 1970s, the women's movement gathered momentum, having emerged as an outgrowth of student protests in the late 1960s rallying around the causes of equal rights (including the right to abortion, which was somewhat restricted in West Germany), the movement succeeded in having legislation passed in 1977 that granted a woman equal rights in marriage. A woman could work outside the home and file for divorce without her husband's permission. Divorce was permitted when the marriage partners could no longer be reconciled.Women also made gains in education in both East and West Germany. By the mid-1960s, East German women accounted for about half of all secondary school graduates who had prepared to study at institutes of higher learning in the GDR; by the 1975-76 academic year, they were in the majority (53 percent). To assist women in completing their studies, an extensive support system, including supplementary payments and child care, was provided. Despite these gains, gender discrimination is still evident in Germany. Women are rarely awarded top tier jobs, and hold only 9.2% of jobs in Germany's upper and middle management positions. There have been more improvements in the 21st century, but the gender inequality is still basically the same.