Academic

The Power of Nickelodian Abroad

By JA Hodnicki

Posted by D. Daniel Sokol

This month, we are going to Chile, where I will be teaching at the Catholic University of Chile (mostly in Spanish) and giving working paper presentations.  Given the hot and muggy summer weather of Gainesville, a trip to the southern hemisphere during their winter is a welcome relief.  In talking with one of my professor friends in Chile about the upcoming trip, we had an interesting exchange that I will try to get right (though it was by skype):

Me: We will bring your girls gifts.  By "will", this means we are getting something for them no matter what. We would like your input on what kinds of things they like. Otherwise, when they get their presents and do not like them, we will blame you when they cry.

Him: For my older daughter (age 10), Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, Selena Gómez and High School Musical in that order.  The same for my younger daughter (age 8).

Chile now mandates English for all school children but I had hoped that by going abroad, we might escape the Nickelodian and Nick Jr. cultural juggernaut that we experience here in the US on a daily basis.  For those of you law profs who have young children, you know exactly what I mean.  I can recite the theme songs to Dora the Explorer and Wonder Pets better than I can code sections of the UCC or Delaware Corporate Law.

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on July 01, 2009 (boomark / email).