SESSION 6: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK
2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION
2.1 MULTICULTURAL: What are the pros and cons of a multicultural society in relation to:
- jobs
- religious tolerance
- global culture
- food
- language
- peace
2.2 IMMIGRATION: What would you worry about if you emigrated. Rank these points from the biggest worry to the smallest one:
- job
- money
- housing
- new food culture
- the local population
- religious freedom
- language
- safety
2.3 SIDE BY SIDE:
- I strongly believe all people can live side-by-side happily
- I strongly believe living together with so many differences is impossible
a) What did you think when you read the headline?
b) What springs to mind when you hear the word 'multiculturalism'?
c) How multicultural is Spain? Has this changed recently or has it always been this way?
d) Would you like your country to be more or less multicultural?
e) Is there an anti-immigrant feeling in Spain?
f) In Dubai, 80% of the population are migrants. Should this be a role model?
g) What do you think of Angela Merkel´s comments?
h) What do you think Horst Seehofer meant when he said that multiculturalism is 'dead'?
i) Do you think Stephan Kramer is right when he said Horst Seehofer´s comments were petty?
j)Why did people in the 60s believe immigrants wouldn´t stay?
k) Germany needs immigrants for its economic success. Why are people complaining?
l) Why can´t people live side-by-side?
m) Are people being hysterical when it comes to immigration?
n) What will happen to multiculturalism in Germany?
o) What are the advantages of multiculturalism?
p) Should migrants have to pass a language test in the country in which they want to live?
q) If you had to migrate, which country would you like to migrate?
PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:
THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:
FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.
SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.
THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT.
FINAL TASK:
HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO IN ORDER TO COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.
Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 6, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions. Choose one of these two options:
- Advantages and disadvantages of multiculturalism
- Write a letter to Angela Merkel expressing your opinion and explaining why you agree or don´t agree with her.
Multiculturalism sounds pretty well, or at least should sound quite well, but actually, it is a difficult word. Europe is loosing his identity because of the amount of foreign people who live in it, especially muslin people. Both, France and Germany are the first countries that have begun to protest against this population, and in my opinion there will be many other soon.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, multiculturalism is a positive word, that how its name show, is a mix of cultures. It means that everybody can learn much stuff each other, such as knowledge about food, custom, languages, and so on. With many foreign countries it works, for example, with countries of South America which normally they are integrated in the country they emigrate to, and I do not think in Spain only, but in north Europe countries as well. So integration in a new country where you arrive is the most important thing to live without problems.
On the other hand, there are many immigrants who do not integrate with locals people properly, but on the contrary they meet in close groups which no allow to other people come in. In this way is very difficult to integrate themselves in the society of the new country. The language is one of the things that you can’t learn well in this way. The sooner you learn the language of the new country, the better you integrate in it. Religion is other aspect that this people make them very closed. If they apart from learn the new language and they keep religion as petty thing, everything will be completely different
To sum up, multiculturalism is very positive when immigrants work hard to achieve integrate in the new country, being open to the locals, learning the language and the custom of the country, leave their own custom inside their houses and in their private life. They should get used to integrating in the society and not the society gets used to immigrants’ custom.
Mostly due to immigration countries have different races, religions, colors and cultures co-existing. This is multiculturalism. But, is it negative or positive? In my opinion, it depends on the politics that every country takes.
ReplyDeleteMulticulturalism must be based on respect from both parties. So, countries should try not to have identity per se and foreigners should stripped away some of their natural rights in order to live in the new society. They have to abide by the countries’ rules and try to make the effort of learning the language in order to communicate outside the ghettos.
Once that respect is achieved, we get a more global community, working posts taken by people in need and why not, assimilation of the best of each culture. However, in all societies there are social hierarchies and the mixture of cultures may heighten racial sensitivity.
To conclude, multiculturalism makes societies more colorful, tasty and interesting. Cultural diversity is enriching but it requires that all cultures should be open, self-critical and interactive in the relation with each other. If not, there will be conflicts.
Multiculturalism is not a nowadays problem, it has existed from the beginning of time and we can say, most of the times, has been a failure.
ReplyDeleteOf course, all of us have heard about the positives aspects of multiculturalism: respect each other and different languages, religions, customs, etc. In general, a peaceful world which is hard to achieve and although we must not give up this idea, we must be conscious of the difficulty of being successful.
But reality is not a fairy tale, to be an immigrant implies to be a strange, usually very poor person not able to speak the same language than the rest of the people. This situation causes that immigrants from the same country gather in ghettos where they can maintain their customs without necessity of adapting to the new country culture. Consequently they are seen as a different part of the society and cause distrust in the rest of the population.
To end up, I think there are two possibilities, the first one, to fight for a multicultural world which would make all the countries be very similar in the same way many European capitals are in our days. Or to try to avoid a big quantity of people immigrating in a short period of time at the same place in order to get they can adapt to change and so every country will keep it own culture.
Dear M. Merkel,
ReplyDeleteI have recently read an article about a statement that you make in a conference attended by your political party, in which you dared to say things about immigrants like: “'They won't stay… at some time they will go’ and other similar remarks. I am still shocked by your words.
Ms. Merkel, for fifty years, your country has need cheap labour and foreign workers. It was based on a concept called “multicultural society” that your predecessors designed suited to German interest.
Nowadays, the economical crisis has changed the rules and the most suited idea is the immigrants must go away to their countries. However, it seems that you haven’t realized that the sons and daughters of the initial immigrants are now German citizens, in other words, after so many years they became Germans and their country is your country, whether you like it or not.
On the other hand, can you choose what kind of clouds can cross over you? Can you avoid that people from poor countries? Can you change their minds and their wishes for earning their living? I really think that you are not able to do any of that. You can thing it, you can say that, but you will be not able at the end.
I would like to wish you luck and to be more serious in your statements.
Yours faithfully,
José Luis R