2007 American Language and Culture Session 2 (ALC2) Calendar

* time and dates are subject to change
* events in black are for all participants
* events in purple are optional and limited

August 5 , Sunday (back to top)

9:55 am: Japan students arrive (NW028)
7:30 pm: Taiwan students arrive (CI004)

Aug 6 , Monday (back to top)

English Class Orientation and Placement Tests: Your first day at Stanford, you will be introduced to the English for Foreign Students Faculty and curriculum and then take brief written and oral examinations to determine your appropriate class level.

Japanese Students		Taiwanese Students
9:00 am - 10:30 am	English class interviews	9:00 am - 10:30 am	Orientation with hosts
10:30 am - 12:00 pm	English class orientation	10:30 am - 12:00 pm	English class orientation
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm	Lunch	12:00 pm - 1:00 pm	Lunch
2:00 pm - 2:45 pm	Money collection	1:00 pm - 3:00 pm	English class interviews
2:45 pm - 3:45 pm	Bike rental	2:45 pm - 3:30 pm	Money collection
		3:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Bike rental

August 7, Tuesday (back to top)

2:00 pm: Stanford Landmark Tour: This tour will be conducted by one of our hosts, Lee Wang. He will take you on an in-depth tour of Stanford University that will include athletic facilities (like tracks, the baseball diamond and the stadium), the Art Museum, Sculpture Garden, Hoover Tower, Medical School, Hospital, Cactus Garden, and Mausoleum.

August 8, Wednesday (back to top)

3:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Volunteer for Urban Ministry (Cost: Free, Limited to 8 students): Urban Ministry provides many services for the homeless community in Palo Alto. One service is providing hot meals every day of the week at different churches around Palo Alto. Students will go to First Presbyterian Church and help prepare and serve food to the Palo Alto community.

August 9, Thursday (back to top)

6:00 pm -7:30 pm: Jazz at Stanford Shopping Center (Cost: free): Students can enjoy the performance by Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88's.

7:00 pm -9:00 pm: Outdoor Science Talks at the Cantor Arts Center (Cost: free): Dr. Russ Altman, who is a Professor and Chair of Bioengineering and a Professor of Genetics and Medicine, will give a talk titled "Drugs: One Size Does Not Fit All."

August 10, Friday (back to top)

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm: Host Presentations (MANDATORY)

Thanh Tran "Colorful Rhythms"
Music plays a large role in American society and is influenced from people of all backgrounds. I would like to use music as an example of the diversity of American and the contributions of immigrant populations to increasing that diversity through music. For example, reggaeton has seeped into American hip-hop and R&B. Trance was very popular a few years ago. Currently some Indian rhythms (I believe they are called Punjabi) can also be heard in hiphop music. I will present the history of hiphop and its changes through time as the musical form evolved with the influences of migrant populations.

Nadina Anderson "Mark Twain in San Francisco"
I first briefly introduce Mark Twain's life, his importance in American Literature, his impact on American society of the time, and then discuss the details of a few of his short stories. Two of his short stories, "What Have the Police Been Doing" and "Goldsmith's Friend Abroad Again" deal with San Francisco history and the persecution of the Chinese immigrants that were flooding San Francisco's harbors at the time. I will lead a discussion on this specific historical racism against Asians, including topics such as government action toward the Chinese and East-Asians of the day (i.e. immigration policies enacted while Mark Twain was writing), the social climate that existed in San Francisco in the 1870's, and the impact that Mark Twain's anti-racism stories had on the public.

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm: (limited to 6 students): Join a leisurely evening with VIA's founder, Dwight Clark at his apartment in Palo Alto.

August 11, Saturday (back to top)

All Day: Day in San Francisco: You and the hosts will be taking the CalTrain commuter train to San Francisco and explore the city in host groups. You will have a chance to visit various famous places such as Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, China Town, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco etc. This will also be a good chance for you to know your hosts and fellow students better.

 

August 12, Sunday (back to top)

11:00 am: Glide Memorial Church (Cost: Free, limited to around 13 students): The Sunday Celebration at Glide Memorial Church is quite unique. The Glide Ensemble will clap, sway and blast out the spirit of empowerment though singing a variety of songs, including jazz, blues and gospel. More information about Glide can be found at www.glide.org.

12:00 pm - 4:00 pm: San Jose Jazz Festival (Cost: $5): Hang out in sunny San Jose, listen to jazz and experience one of America's largest music festivals.

2:00 pm: Stern Grove Festival (Free): San Francisco Ballet - America's oldest professional ballet company - returns to Stern Grove Festival with the innovation and exuberance that has sustained its standing as one of the premier ballet companies in America.

5:00 pm: Free Shakespeare in the Park:"A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Cost: Free, limited to around 13 students): Students will be attending San Francisco Shakespeare Festival's Free Shakespeare in the Park in the city of San Mateo and will enjoy "A Midsummer Night's Dream" outdoors.

August 13, Monday (back to top)

2:00 pm - 5:30 pm: Dance rehearsal by Margaret Jenkins Dance Company (MJDC) (Cost: transportation to SF and dinner in SF): Students will have a chance to watch a dance rehearsal for "Slipping Glimpse" which is a cross-cultural and cross-continental collaboration with the Tanusree Shankar Dance Company (TSDC). The performance integrates eleven MJDC dancers and four TSDC dancers and includes the accomplished artistry of poet Michael Palmer.

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm: Volunteer for Lytton Gardens (Cost: Free, limited to 10 students): Lytton Gardens is located in Palo Alto and is a vibrant community of senior care professionals, staff, volunteers, and over 500 Senior residents . Students will do performances (e.g., singing, dancing, etc.) for the residents and then casually meet and talk with them afterwards.

August 14, Tuesday (back to top)

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm : Visit Microsoft (Cost: Free, limited to 13 students): Students will have chance to visit their office which is close to the Stanford campus.

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Film Screening; "American Pastime" (Cost: Free) This film was produced by Kerry Yo Nakagawa and is related to the topics he will talk about on August, 14. The film focuses on the Japanese-American internment and baseball.

4:30 pm- 6:00 pm: Talk about Nisei Baseball by Kerry Yo Nakagawa (Cost: Free): Kerry Yo Nakagawa, the author of Through a Diamond: 100 Years of Japanese American Baseball, will give students a background about major league baseball focusing on the history of Japanese American baseball. A talk he gave recently can be reviewed here.

August 15, Wednesday (back to top)

1:30 - 3:00 pm: Host Presentations (MANDATORY)

David Wells "Everybody Speaks Music"
Music is truly a universal language. All over the world, cultures embrace the tunes and traditions of other societies' musical ideas. I'd like to explore, in particular, the influence of pop and rock in Asia and the development of taiko in North America to show that, though our cultures and languages are different, we can still have a dialogue when it comes to music.

Adam Toda "Taiko: Born in Japan, Raised in America"
I will compare North American Taiko to Japanese Taiko - examining both the differences in its inception in each country and how it became widespread and popular in North America through its grassroots origins. I will also talk about how Taiko is in fact closely related to drumming traditions in China and Asia in that the drums themselves come from these countries. My host presentation will culminate with a taiko performance by myself and David.

 

7:00 pm: Major League Baseball Game (Cost: Free, for all students): You will have a chance to see a Oakland Athletics vs. Chicago White Sox game!

 

 

August 16, Thursday (back to top)

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Graduate Study Panel (organized by Kazutoh): Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese graduate students will come to share their experience studying in the US. They will talk about why they decided to study in the US, the process for applying for graduate school, and some benifits and challenges studying in the US.

August 17, Friday (back to top)

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Visit SUN Microsystems (Cost: Free, Limited to 25 students): "Sun Microsystems, Inc. is an American vendor of computers, computer components, computer software, and information-technology services, founded on 24 February 1982. Sun is known as the developer of innovative technologies such as the Java platform and NFS, and as a key promoter of open systems in general and UNIX in particular." (Wikipedia)

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm: Host Presentations (MANDATORY)

Alessandro Gonzalez "Hapas in the U.S. and the World"
Racial diversity has been an issue in the U.S. for several decades. Throughout the years we've seen how different ethnicities have addressed the problems they've faced as well as when they've come together to help each other. An interesting ethnic group that has been becoming more socially active is the Hapa group. Hapa is originally a Hawaiian term that meant to be of mixed Hawaiian ethnicity but now means of mixed Asian Pacific Islander heritage. Hapas are now participating in social justice and Hapa issues in the U.S. and in other countries such as Korea. It is interesting to see how Hapa is on it's way to becoming more mainstream through comedy, actors, athletes, etc.

Ryoko Nishijima "Everyone’s a little bit racist? – Laughing away the Racial Diversity –"
I have noticed that one significant culture that can be said as unique to America is the American humor, especially racial jokes. Once I encountered a situation where students from many different countries watched Russell Peters’ racial jokes about Chinese immigrants in the U.S., followed by a huge discussion between American students who found it hilarious and British students who found it offensive, saying it is wrong to make fun of ethnic minorities. Watching cartoons such as Family Guy and South Park, it seems to me that the fact that they find these funny makes it very American, representing the diversity of this country. I don’t find this as a negative thing – rather, it seems like this sort of spirit is the only way to survive in this racially and ethnically diverse country. Avenue Q is another type of American-humor based musical, and one song is titled “everyone’s a little bit racist” – the lyrics goes

Everyone's a little bit racist
Today.
So, everyone's a little bit racist
Okay!
Ethinic jokes might be uncouth,
But you laugh because
They're based on truth.
Don't take them as
Personal attacks.
Everyone enjoys them -
So relax!

This kind of spirit is what I feel as uniquely American, and through seeing racial jokes and how it is being accepted, I would like to introduce the American diversity from this aspect.

August 18, Saturday (back to top)

2:00 pm - 4:30 pm: Broadway Musical "Jersey Boys" (Cost: $51, $76, $100): Jersey Boys is a new musical based on the life story of the famous Frankie Valii and the Four Seasons. The show is about lives of a hugely popular group of blue-collar boys who went on to become the great and one of the biggest pop music sensations of their great time.

August 19, Sunday (back to top)

11:00 am: Glide Memorial Church (Cost: Free, limited to around 13 students): The Sunday Celebration at Glide Memorial Church is quite unique. The Glide Ensemble will clap, sway and blast out the spirit of empowerment though singing a variety of songs, including jazz, blues and gospel. More information about Glide can be found at www.glide.org.

2:00 pm - 4:30 pm: Broadway Musical "Avenue Q " (Cost: $46, $61, $76, $91): Avenue Q is Broadway's smash-hit 2004 Tony Award® winner for BEST MUSICAL, BEST SCORE and BEST BOOK. The show is about trying to make it in NYC with big dreams and a tiny bank account.

2:00 pm: Stern Grove Festival (Free): San Francisco Opera, featuring soprano Patricia Racette and other special guests.

August 20, Monday (back to top)

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Talk about Greenbelt Alliance (Cost Free): Environmental concern has become a strong, significant value in Stanford life and modern America as a whole. Returning sophomore Kevin Townsend will discuss his involvement in campus efforts as well as his summer experience working for the San Francisco environmental organization Greenbelt Alliance. His work as the group's Compact Development Team Intern gave him direct influence in its central goal: protecting open space and promoting livable communities through Smart Growth development in the San Francisco Bay Area.

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Volunteer for Opportunity Center (Cost: Free, Limited to 9 students): The Opportunity Center is a facility in Palo Alto to provide services and housing to homeless men, women and children in our community - and those at risk of becoming homeless. Children from the Opportunity Center will visit Stanford and you will have a chance to meet them and teach them how to do origami!

4:00pm-5:30pm: Lecture by Dr. Larry Diamond (MANDATORY): Larry Diamond is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also founding coeditor of the Journal of Democracy, and co-director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies of the National Endowment for Democracy.

"In late 2003, Stanford University professor and democracy expert Larry Diamond was personally asked by his former colleague Condoleezza Rice to serve as an advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, a position he accepted with equal parts "hesitation and conviction." He opposed the initial invasion of Iraq, but "supported building the peace," and felt the U.S. had a moral imperative to reconstruct Iraq as a democratic and prosperous nation." (www.stanford.edu)

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Job Panel: Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese people share their experience working in the US. They will talk about why they decided to work in the US, the process for getting a job, and some benifits and challenges working in the US.

August 21, Tuesday (back to top)

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm: Visit Facebook (Cost: Free, Limited to 18 students): "Facebook is a social networking website. As of July 2007, it is the second most visited website of its kind on the World Wide Web, with over 28 million members. It is surpassed only by MySpace...It is also the seventh most visited site in the United States." (Wikipedia) You will have a chance to meet some of the people who work at Facebook, hear about their latest projects, and learn how you could work at Facebook!

4:30 pm - 6:00 pm: Talk about Americans Against the Darfur Genocide: Nikki Serapio, the Director of an advocacy group called Americans Against the Darfur Genocide and a recent Stanford graduate, will talk about 1) the conflict history of the four-year-old genocide in Darfur, Sudan; 2) the international community's response to the crisis and its standing failure to protect the people of Darfur; and 3) concrete, simple, yet effective things any person can do to help stop the genocide.

3:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Volunteer at Urban Ministry (Cost: Free, Limited to 4 students): Urban Ministry provides many services for the homeless community in Palo Alto. One service is providing hot meals every day of the week at different churches around Palo Alto. Students will go to Grace Lutheran Church and help prepare and serve food to the Palo Alto community.

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm: (limited to 6 students): Join a leisurely evening with VIA's founder, Dwight Clark at his apartment in Palo Alto.

August 22, Wednesday (back to top)

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Volunteer for Opportunity Center (Cost: Free, Limited to 3 students): The Opportunity Center is a facility in Palo Alto to provide services and housing to homeless men, women and children in our community - and those at risk of becoming homeless. You will have a chance to visit the Center and show the children housed in the apartments how to make Chinese dumplings!

2:30 pm - 5:30 pm: Volunteer for Sacred Heart Community Service (Cost: Free, Limited to 13 students): Sacred Heart Community Service offers various services for immigrant, homeless, and impoverished communities. Participants will learn about this organization and help with sorting food donations, packing family and homeless food bags, distributing groceries and produce, or sorting and hanging clothing donations. Students are requested to wear closed-toe shoes for safety purposes.

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm: Host Presentations (MANDATORY)

Anh Doan "Human Trafficking - Modern Day Slavery in America and the World"
The United States is ranked "very high" as a destination country for trafficked persons. Human trafficking is the recruitment and transportation of persons within or across boundaries by force, fraud, or deception for the purpose of exploiting them economically. Trafficked people most commonly work in sweatshops, restaurants, on farms, in manufacturing, prostitution and as private domestic workers. Human trafficking is a major problem which has just begun to be recognized and addressed by the U.S. government. Services for trafficking victims were first made available in 2001. There is a lot still to be done and I would like to present a general summary of the current trafficking situation in America and a little bit about other countries, especially in Asia. I would like to expose this "undergound" trade and investigate the steps we can all take to combat the problem.

Brian Wang "American Dreams? Academics, Careers, and Pragmaticism for Second-Generation Immigrants"
I was unsettled when a friend told me a while ago that he wanted to major in Urban Studies, but could not because his parents wanted him to be a doctor or an engineer. Another told me she wanted to pursue a degree in Philosophy, but is instead on a Pre-Med track. Perhaps sadly, this trend seems to be a common one among the children of immigrant parents. Can personal ambition and cultural pressure coexist in America – the land of opportunity, personal freedom, and individual ambitions? Are Confucian values concerning education valuable, or do they simply form a stifling and sometimes dangerous barrier to living a fulfilling life? Is “pragmaticism,” a prevalent theme in many Asian households regarding education and careers, a good thing? And what does a Youtube video, Azia Kim, and May Zhou have in common? The answers to these questions remain elusive, and continue to challenge the children of immigrants in a profound way. I would like to dedicate my presentation to exploring this Millian concept of personal liberty versus societal influence, and what it may mean to immigrant populations at large here in the United States.

August 23, Thursday (back to top)

August 24, Friday (back to top)

1:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Great America (Cost: around $32.00): You can have fun with your new ALC friends at Great America, an exciting theme park located not too far from the Stanford campus.

August 25, Saturday (back to top)

10:00 am - 6:00 pm: Palo Alto Festival of the Arts (cost free): There will be approximately 300 displays of high-quality art & contemporary crafts, gourmet food, and three stages of entertainment along tree-lined University Avenue.

August 26, Sunday (back to top)

9:00 am-2:00 pm: St. Anthony Foundation (limited to 8 students): St. Anthony was founded in 1950 by Franciscan Alfred Boeddeker who gave the hope to his hungry and homeless neighbors, opening the doors of St. Anthony Dining Room and serving 400 free meals. Since then, this foundation continued to serve not only meals but also clothing, housing and healing of both body and spirit to homeless people. Alfred's spirit of dignity is still alive in the foundation.

- Justice Education Orientation
- Tour of the foundation
- Lunch in the St. Anthony Dining Room
- Reflection Session

10:00 am - 6:00 pm: Palo Alto Festival of the Arts (cost free): There will be approximately 300 displays of high-quality art & contemporary crafts, gourmet food, and three stages of entertainment along tree-lined University Avenue.

1:00 pm - 5:30 pm: Sunday Friends (Cost: Free, limited to 13 students): Since 1997, Sunday Friends has provided a safe place where homeless and very-low-income families come together with volunteers in a community setting.

August 27, Monday (back to top)

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm : Visit Google (Cost: Free, limited to 27 students): Google is recognized as the world's largest search engine. The company was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin who were students at Stanford University. They developed a new approach to online search that took root in a Stanford University dorm room and quickly spread to information seekers around the globe. 27 students will have chance to visit their headquarters which is close to the Stanford campus.

August 28, Tuesday (back to top)

August 29, Wednesday (back to top)

August 30, Thursday (back to top)

August 31, Friday (back to top)

September 1, Saturday (back to top)

11:00 am: Depart for Yosemite National Park
We will all be taking a bus together to one of the United States' oldest and most beautiful parks. The bus ride will take about 5-5 1/2 hrs.

September 2-3, Sunday & Monday (back to top)

Relax and enjoy the many activities which Yosemite Park has to offer. Some suggested activities are, hiking, horseback riding, rafting, biking, nature walks, visiting museums, and hanging out with hosts and friends!

September 4, Tuesday (back to top)

11:00 am: Depart for hotel near San Francisco Aiport
6:30 pm: Farewell Banquet

 

September 5, Wednesday (back to top)

1:35 am: Taiwanese students depart (CI003)
1:45 pm: Japanese students depart (NW027)

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