Hey guys! :)

So, am I the only one thinking the culture presentations this week were really great? I have been watching ten of the American ones and three Irish presentations and I have to say - time flew by so quickly! This is just another proof that time just whizzes past when you're enjoying yourself.  

The three Irish presentations I have watched are:

1. Gerry Conlon reflects on the case of the Guildford Four
2. The children of Lir (Dajana Savic)
3. Kilmainham Gaol

 (Unfortunately I don't remember all the speakers' names as they aren't indicated on their handouts.)

The ten American culture presentations I have watched are:

1. Harlem, New York City: Between legacy and change (Louis Nguyen)
2. Comics in America (Lucie Bois)
3. Two Heroines of American Aviation: Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman (Orsolya Csizmar)
4. Religion made in America: Scientology (Harald Pasch)
5. Racial segregation as depicted in two movies (Tiana Jerkovic)
6. How the Columbian Exchange changed the world (Alexandra Haunold)
7. Why on earth would anyone live in Tornado alley? (Anna Agabani)
8. Painted America - Famous American paintings refleccting American culture in the 20th century (Natascha Ramic)
9. Recent Gun Discussions in the States (Stefanie Almer)
10. The Amish country (Anita Muzek)

For the KGP I have chosen the following five presentations to be tested on:

First of all, "The Amish country" by Anita Muzek. The Amish have always fascinated me. Ever since I first heard about them I wanted to learn more about their habits, their way of thinking and their reasons for living the way they do. I find their way of living truly inspiring but I am also having a hard time trying to imagine living this way, without electricity or any kind of luxury item. That's why I would be very happy to be questioned about this topic for the KGP.

Secondly, "Recent Gun Discussions in the States" by Stefanie Almer. Gun Discussions in the US don't seem to come to an end despite or maybe even because of the many incidents that happen throughout every year. Not a year passes by without at least two or three shootings in public spaces. I was really shocked about the numbers that were revealed by Stefanie. A controversial, moving and serious topic, I can't wait to find out more about it.

Thirdly, "Religion made in America" by Harald Pasch. This presentation about Scientology was very interesting as I had the chance to learn more about the background of this religious organization and the main person behind it. Ever since its creation it has been a subject of world-wide interest. On the one hand, a great deal of critical voices have raised their concerns about it. On the other hand, more than ten million people are supposedly supporting this religion. I am also very critical of organizations like Scientology but at the same time I find it very interesting how one person can make hundreds and thousands of others believe in a newly created religion.

Fourthly, "Racial segregation as depicted in two movies" by Tiana Jerkovic. Racial segregation has always been and still is a very controversial topic. Although I haven't seen the two movies Tiana was talking about yet, I intend to watch them as soon as the examination period is over. Tiana's thoughts about how such movies can be important for American culture were very interesting.    

Fifthly, "How the Columbian Exchange changed the world" by Alexandra Haunold. I hadn't heard a lot about this topic before which is probably why my interest was caught right away. It's amazing how far the exchange of goods goes back. 



(Link to a Google doc containing the 5 presentations I have chosen to be tested on for the KGP:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18J_tDahP2EpsRvcsZGmqmv8rA0hpzV76MONT1Y2vvQg/edit# )