Who is Going to Win the World Cup?

Who is going to win

the World Cup?

 

 

 

While not a soccer pundit, Professor Madonna Kemp has the most experience with sport of football (fútbol, soccer) of all the orientation professors. And she has declared the next World Cup champions to be the United States Men's National Team (USMNT).

 

The World Cup is brought to you by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the organization that also publishes the rules of soccer: Laws of the Game.

The 2014 World Cup will be held in Brazil, and USMNT (also known as "The Yanks") has already qualified: USA-Mexico: Yanks Beat Rivals 2-0 to Qualify for 2014 World Cup.  

Coming closest to a World Cup title in 1930 and 1999, when USMNT took third place, The Yanks are posed for World Cup glory in 2014, having already handily beaten the note-worthy Mexico National Team and having won the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

And looking at a picture of the next World Cup champions reminds us of another question that was asked:  Where's Waldo?

Go to 2:43 in this USMNT fan video and try to find him. He's there supporting The Yanks, of course, along with other American Outlaws--or USA super fans. Which leads us to another fun game called "Where is Professor Kemp?" See if you can spot her in this video snapshot of The American Outlaws from the last USWNT game in Nashville:

To watch the USMNT as they battle for their first World Cup title ever, check out the FIFA World Cup website.  And there is a Chattanooga chapter of The American Outlaws that meets at Jeffersons to view televised games together.

In parting, I share with you our 2014 World Cup battlecry: "Come on, you Yanks!"

Professor Repentista

Why Are People Racist?

Why are people racist?

 

Because people are taught to make negative associations with certain skin colors or accents or forms of dress.

 

 

Chances are we are all "racist" to some degree. And chances are we do not all understand what racism is. According to Oxford English Dictionary, which you can access through Lupton Library, racism is "the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. Hence: prejudice and antagonism towards people of other races, esp. those felt to be a threat to one's cultural or racial integrity or economic well-being; the expression of such prejudice in words or actions."

 

 

Recent studies have found a correlation between positive and negative images and racist thoughts; check out "Uncovering What Makes People Racist--and How to Cure It." As the article and its links point out, the way to stop racism is to stop our minds from making negative connections based purely on racial or cultural identifiers. Once you recognize the negative connections you have learned to make you can teach yourself to override negative associations with new positive associations.

 

Here's to learning new things that make the world a better place for all!

 

Professor Repentista

 

 

 



 



Have you ever thought about a different career path?

Have you ever thought about a different career path?






Nope.  When I was a baby, my first sentence was "I'm going to be a professor at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga."  Yeah, I was a really smart baby
with a mouth full of words, even then.


Jokes aside, of course, I have.  Many people have. Truthfully, most people attend college with the intentions of entering one profession, and by the time they graduate, either they've changed their minds and/or their majors several times or they happened upon a job they love that isn't in their major or they purposely seek a job unrelated to their major or any number of other situations.

When I was in undergrad, I planned on attending law school; life circumstances dictated otherwise.  I eventually made my way to graduate school, and upon graduation, teaching fell into my lap, and I haven't looked back since.  I didn't attend college with the intentions of becoming a teacher, but I'm thankful for that first opportunity to do so, for I love what I do. Sure, I was initially heartbroken about not becoming a lawyer, but in hindsight, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

The overall lesson is this: start off on a path towards your dream career, but if life obstacles or circumstances shift you towards a different career, roll with it if it makes you happy.  And if you discover that one career doesn't make you as happy as you thought it would, never be afraid to try a new one.

Be well,

Prof. Chatterbox

What Steps Can I Take to Ensure I Will Not Get on Academic Probation?

It's 3 AM, you're still up, and you're thinking about the psychology exam you took that morning. Your pretty sure you bombed it. That, along with the math exam you have the next day, has you worried and asking yourself:

What Steps Can I Take to Ensure I Will Not Get on Academic Probation?

There are 34 steps from Heritage Plaza to the Library doors. There are 55 steps from the first floor of the Library to the third. There are 52 steps between the top and bottom of the beautifully reconstructed Cardiac Hill. Though it may seem like a million when you are slogging your way around campus, it's actually not so many. I hate to be glib, but these are the steps that will keep you out of academic trouble.

Take those steps on Cardiac Hill: you go up and down them on your way to class, to eat, to work out, and to be involved with social activities on campus. Undoubtedly, if you don't go to class, you will end up on Academic Probation. Fact. But those other reasons to walk those steps are just as vital to your success. You need to get connected. Studies have shown that the more connected you are to your University, the more success you will experience academically. You also need to eat well and get exercise. Seriously. I know I sound like your mom, but it's just true. You also need to get more sleep, but that's another conversation.

Those Cardiac Hill steps will also take you to your professor's office. If you are struggling, if you have missed some classes and aren't sure how to make it up, if you made a bad grade on a test or assignment and don't know how to improve it, GO SEE YOUR PROFESSOR! If the office hours listed on your syllabus don't match times when you are available, email your professor and ask politely for another time. Most of us really want to help. The rest of us are just jerks.

Finally, the library: aaaaaah, the library. It is a mecca of intellectual growth. It is a quiet place to study, a place to get a small group study room, a place to ASK FOR HELP. The library staff (conveniently located in the center of the first floor - straight ahead as you go in the doors) are possibly the most helpful and hip people on campus. If you have a paper or an assignment that requires research, just walk right up and ask for help. Or "Ask a Librarian" from your dorm room or home. Or sit down in the middle of the library and cry. They will help. I promise.

Take these steps, and you are so much more likely to see success that it's ridiculous. Ridiculous, I tell you!

Cheers,

Dr. Y

How can I make English 1010 easier?

How can I make English 1010 an easier class to handle since I am not the best at writing?

 

 

 

Just follow these three easy steps:

1) Be a worm.

2) Be like Gaga.

3) Give in to peer pressure.

 

 

Be a worm? Yes. Be a bookworm. 

“Read, read, read. Read everything—trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read!” —William Faulkner

You know that you learned to talk by listening. It should not surprise you that you learn most about writing by reading.

 

 

Be like Gaga? Yes. Love the process.

“I’m not as goal obsessed as I am process obsessed.” —Lady Gaga

Didn't see that one coming, did you? As Lady Gaga knows, writing is a process.

 

Follow the process. Don't take short-cuts. And remember that the process takes time, which is why your professor gives you 2 - 4 weeks to complete the process and not twenty-four hours.

 

 

 

Give in to peer pressure? Yes. Use peer review comments to better your paper.
“Everyone is doing it.” —Every kid in the world to his or her mother

 Lewis Carroll did it. J.R.R. Tolkein did it. Mary Shelley did it. There are no famous authors who have confessed being born with the innate ability to seemlessly craft the written word. And that is good news.

 

 

Yes, it is good news that no-one appears to have been born with the ability to write a best-selling novel on the first try with no previous training, with no process, with no outside assistance because that means you can write a praise-worthy five-page paper with a little training (reading), a little assistance (peer review), and a lot of process (the writing process).

 

And this all leads us to another question that was asked: When does the fun start? It starts with the pre-writing (or drafting) once you realize that you can be best at writing if you follow three easy steps.

Write on!

Professor Repentista

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Does college change you or do you change yourself?

Does college change you or do you change yourself?






Yep, college changes you alright. After the professors brainwash you into thinking exactly like they do, you become cloned automatons of the professors--only able to repeat what you learned in class and no longer capable of thinking for yourself.

Just kidding. :-)

All jokes aside. How much you do or don't change comes from the experiences you have in college. The life experience of going out into the world, shifting from high school to college, figuring things out on your own, making new friends, taking classes, navigating your place in the world, and experiencing completely new things can have a profound effect on a person's life. A wise student takes full advantage of all that college can offer and allows these things to change him/her for the better.

On the flip side, college can be rather boring if you only go to class and go to your room and never really take time to participate in campus life. Sure, you'll get your degree, but when you look back at your college years, will you have life long memories to carry with you forever?

As was often quoted to me by my older sibling, "college are the best four years of your life. Enjoy them." College is often a bit more than just four years nowadays, but the advice still rings true. Submerge yourself into the full experience of college: going to class, attending sporting events, joining clubs, studying hard, making new friends, and learning a lot.

So, take a class just because you want to.
Go to an event you wouldn't normally attend.
Meet a random person.
Learn a new language.
Try a new cuisine.  
Step outside of your comfort zone.
Take the road less travelled, and allow college to change you and you to change yourself for the better.

Be well,

Prof. Chatterbox

Why Do So Many Neglect to Stray from the Herd?

 

Though sheep are fascinating creatures, I'm gonna assume you are talking about people and their insatiable desire to conform when you ask

Why Do So Many Neglect to Stray from the Herd?

 You know this question is loaded, right? I mean, it's legitimate and right and true, but it reveals something as well. We'll get to that in a minute. Here's the deal: Dr. Brian O'Leary, head of the UTC Psychology Department, says this about conformity:

All people have a need for affiliation. It's a personality trait that we have in varying degrees - some are low-need; others are high-need. Our affiliations - our pack - provide our social identity and a sense of importance as a member of a group. It is a discriminator - creating an us against them mentality, where we think of us as better than them. It also provides social norms, serving as a guide and basis for behavior. Finally, we are attracted to people similar to ourselves, so we will naturally gravitate to those who are like us.

Dr. O'Leary also mentioned Groupthink, which about.com defines as "a psychological phenomenon in which people strive for consensus within a group." It can be a scary concept, especially if you find people putting aside individual reservations to participate in a group activity that otherwise would not be appealing. For instance, hazing activities can be one of those things where you might question the behavior on your own, but in the moment, you choose the harmony of the group over disrupting that harmony - even if it means someone gets hurt.

Now, back to the loaded question and what it reveals. The words you use and the tone they set make me think you disapprove of such conformity, that you are the classic rebel who just can't understand why everyone - EVERYONE - has to have Croakies and Chubbies or athletic shorts and huge t-shirts. And maybe I'm wrong, but if you identify as a non-conformist, that's cool and fine and beautiful, but it's not altogether different from the conformists. You rebels out there still have a need for affiliation, for that sense of purpose and identity, but you have chosen to affiliate with or identify with a different set of norms. They're still norms. They are just less popular.

Whether conforming or rebelling, though, there's one thing that's true: THESE SHEEP ARE AWESOME

Cheers, Dr. Y