Small Talk
Who is the best
actor/actress for you?
What is the best all-time
movie?
What is the best movie of
2016?
Who is the best singer of
2016?
Topic 1.
University districts hot spots for young Koreans
“Let’s
go to Hongdae -- Hongik University” is commonly heard in Seoul, although it
doesn’t mean they are going to the campus. They go to the place stretching out
from the university to dine out, go shopping and enjoy concerts.
In Seoul, some entertainment districts featuring
cafes, theaters, cinemas and concert venues are formed near college campuses,
although the mood is slightly different from place to place.
The busiest college district is the
Hongdae area in western Seoul. Located near Hongik University, which has one of
the nation’s top fine arts colleges in South Korea, the place is known for its
urban arts, indie music culture and clubs. Walking the street, visitors can
easily spot street musicians -- singers, guitarist and dancers.
Male guitarist Jung Sung-ho, who has done
street performances in Hongdae for five years, said, “Hongdae is a good place
for musicians. I regularly have performances here, hoping to be spotted by
music-related people and to jump-start my career.” It was Wednesday night, but
around 50 people were watching him play.
Hongdae is also known for its indie scene,
live clubs and underground musicians. On the last Friday of every month, “Live
Club Day” is held in multiple clubs with a variety of genres including rock,
jazz, hip-hop and electronic music. Visitors can get access to any of the clubs
with one ticket for 20,000 won ($17).
About a 20-minute walking distance from
Hongdae, there is another busy college district called Sinchon near Yonsei University.
The cafes and bars in Sinchon are less expensive than in the Hongdae area, as
most customers are college students hanging out to eat, drink and enjoy
nightlife. The place is recently becoming more family friendly after the
district office designated the place as a “streets without cars” area on the
weekend.
“The ‘streets without cars’ have brought
an increase in the number of street performances and events here,” Chun
Yoo-jeong, an official at the district office, said.
Last month, a 350-meter-long water slide
and water gun festival on the street attracted tens of thousands people to the
district.
Daehangno, near Sungkyunkwan University,
is another popular college district. Students from Seoul National University
used to gather here before the school moved near Mount Gwanaksan in 1975. Since
SNU moved, Marronnier Park, where street artists are easily spotted now, was
formed and many cultural arts organizations related to plays, movies, concerts
and musicals have moved in.
Q
1. What is your general impression of Hongdae
area?
2. What are the pros and cons of having entertainment
districts around universities?
3. Which
places/areas do you go to when hanging out with friends?
4. Which
places/areas do you go to when you are on a date?
5. Share
your favorite restaurants or cafes.
Topic 2. New research says living together before
marriage doesn't lead to divorce
It's often said that that
living together before marriage puts couples at greater risk for divorce later
on -- but it turns out that may not be the case at all.
A new study by associate professor Arielle
Kuperberg from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro found
that there is no correlation between cohabiting before marriage and divorce;
instead, what may predict divorce in those who cohabitate before marriage is
the age at which they choose do so.
Kuperberg explained that
couples who shack up before marriage tend to be younger, and because marrying
at a young age increases the likelihood of divorce, it appeared in previous
research that cohabitation did as well. But Kuperberg says that's not the case;
once you control for the age variable, the correlation between divorce and
cohabitation disappears.
"The problem is that
the couples are settling down at an earlier age, and settling down too young is
what leads to divorce," she told The Huffington Post.
Kuperberg came to this conclusion after studying data on thousands of
married women in the U.S. from the National Survey of Family Growth from the
years 1995, 2002 and 2006 to 2010. Her findings were recently published in the Journal
of Marriage and Family.
The research is
especially important, Kuperberg told The Huffington Post, because "it
turns conventional wisdom on its head."
"For decades
research has shown that cohabitation leads to divorce, and for the first time
we can definitively say that cohabitation doesn't lead to divorce and never did
-- that those earlier findings were a result of an incorrect measurement,"
she said.
It's important to note
that the study does not delve into whether or not living together before
marriage could lead to better marriages; it simply says that it won't make them
worse.
What do you think: Is
living together before marriage a good or bad idea?
Q
1. What
is the advantage of living together before marriage?
2. What
is the disadvantage?
3. Do you
agree that cohabitation could prevent divorce?
4. Do you think cohabitation helps us to
judge a future life partner?
5. Is
this trend controversial in our society now? Do you think this trend will be
more common in next 10 years?
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내일 봐여 ;)
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참석입니다
I'll c u tmr.
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Thank u.
See you soon at Kkoomtle bro~!
okay, good.