let's talk about ...

one of my listening and speaking classes.

when i showed up to teach at al-neelain university, i wasn't given a syllabus or curriculum so much as a course name: 'listening and speaking.'

basically, my goal is to get the students to talk - and to listen to each other talk. seeing as how what we talk about is left completely up to me, i try to pick meaningful topics. so far, we've covered censorship, cultural taboos, the environment, gender equality and ... soccer.

but i'm running low on ideas these days. so, today, fresh off a two-week 'winter' break, i opened it up to my second-year students. what, i asked, do you want to talk about? here's their unedited list:

-the upcoming elections
-women's rights
-sudanese culture
-punctuality
-stray animals
-harassment
-rape
-acid attacks
-secularism
-globalization
-the world cup
-corporal punishment
-tribalism
-life style
-how to stay healthy
-fashion
-polygamy
-suicide
-fame

and there you have it, my curriculum for the upcoming semester. sort of.