John Corbett

This book addresses recent developments in medical and language education. In both fields, there have been methodological shifts towards 'task-based' and 'problem-based learning'. In addition, both fields have broadened their focus on clinical expertise and linguistic skills to address issues of cultural competence. English in Medical Education responds to these changes by re-imagining the language classroom in medical settings as an arena for the exploration of values and professional identity. The chapters cover topics such as the nature of cultural competence; how to understand spoken discourse in a range of medical settings; the use of tasks and problems in language education for medics; the development of critical skills and the use of literature and visual media in language education for doctors. It will interest everyone teaching English for Medical Purposes.

This book addresses recent developments in medical and language education. In both fields, there have been methodological shifts towards 'task-based' and 'problem-based learning'. In addition, both fields have broadened their focus on clinical expertise and linguistic skills to address issues of cultural competence. English in Medical Education responds to these changes by re-imagining the language classroom in medical settings as an arena for the exploration of values and professional identity. The chapters cover topics such as the nature of cultural competence; how to understand spoken discourse in a range of medical settings; the use of tasks and problems in language education for medics; the development of critical skills and the use of literature and visual media in language education for doctors. It will interest everyone teaching English for Medical Purposes.

Sun Ra (1914-93) - self-proclaimed visionary extraterrestrial of the "Angel Race," prophetic jazz band leader and composer, and lyrical proponent of Afro-futurism - was one of the most influential figures of twentieth-century music. Though many of Sun Ra's fans are familiar with the philosophical and spiritual dimensions of his work, most remain blissfully unaware of how artists have continued to explore time and (outer) space through the invention and composition of his legacy. Published to coincide with the exhibition Pathways to Unknown Worlds, the remarkable illustrations and essays of "Traveling the Spaceways" confronts the visual manifestation of Sun Ra's philosophy and demonstrates how graphics and design were essential to his message of self-determination. The influence of Sun Ra's openness to new technologies and experimentation, his sense of personal identity as a construct rather than a given, and his playful attitude toward history and myth-making are all evidenced by the remarkable writers and artists who have contributed to this volume, including Pedro Bell, My Barbarian, Dave Muller, and Charlemagne Palestine. A refreshing reconsideration of the impact of Sun Ra's life on American history and visual culture, "Traveling the Spaceways" is an unforgettable look at the Ra persona in the context of contemporary art.

Intercultural Language Activities contains fourteen chapters covering topics including childhood, food, sport, icons, politics and body language. The book also helps learners mediate in situations of cultural misunderstanding and start web-based intercultural exchanges. It examines interview techniques, how people present themselves, and ways to interpret cultural symbols and characteristics, such as those found in postcards, advertisements and online newspapers. In engaging with these topics, learners become intercultural explorers and raise their level of communicative competence.

John Corbett's SCOTNOTE study guide examines the historical background to Sir David Lyndsay's A Satire of the Three Estates, explores the play's language and style, and gives a concise introduction to this key work in the Scottish theatrical tradition. These notes are suitable for senior school pupils and students at all levels.

'Understanding Grammar in Scotland Today' explains basic concepts and presents a method of analysis that is systematic and suitable for complete beginners with no previous experience or formal grammatical study.

Philosopher, Afro-futurist, and jazz legend Sun Ra (1914-93) constructed much of his complicated public persona during his sojourn in Chicago in the mid-1950s. Working with a still-shadowy underground fraternal organization, Ra amassed a library of books on the occult, Egyptology, race studies, Theosophy, and religion - all in service of drawing elliptical connections between these disparate bodies of knowledge. This work became the foundation of the personal mythology Ra employed in the 1960s when he began fronting his Myth-Science Arkestra and started drawing attention from more mainstream jazz fans. "Pathways to Unknown Worlds" presents a kaleidoscopic range of materials from those years, including original record cover designs and production materials, paper ephemera, and photographs. These materials - most previously unseen - dramatically flesh out the story of Sun Ra's mystical journey of discovery and his lofty goals for the dissemination of his new knowledge; they are certain to fascinate and delight Ra's legion of fans.

John Corbett was just eighteen years old when he was ordered, with his 26th Marine Regiment, to holding positions on the strategic hills overlooking the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Only days later they were surrounded by some twenty thousand North Vietnamese soldiers, outnumbering the American Marines by seven to one. What followed, was one of the bloodiest and most prolonged battles fought by the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War - the epic siege of the Khe Sanh. This dramatic first-hand account takes the reader to the heart of combat revealing in vivid detail what it was like to caught up in this infamous battle. Rare insight into one of the most brutal and costly battles in marine history Written by combat veteran Based on interviews of participants and contemporary documents

This practical introduction to ways of using theories of language to explore different aspects of Scottish literature includes material on:varieties of Scots and Scottish English; linguistic approaches to literary studies; the grammar of texts; vocabulary; metaphor; poetic metre; language in use; point of view; narrative; stereotypes of the Scots; discourse; and reading older Scottish texts. Extensive examples demonstrate the application of the theories, from poems and ballads to a football report, and from short stories to extracts from film scripts and plays.

In Extended Play, one of the country's most innovative music writers conducts a wide-ranging tour through the outer limits of contemporary music. Over the course of more than twenty-five portraits, interviews, and essays, John Corbett engages artists from lands as distant as Sweden, Siberia, and Saturn. With a special emphasis on African American and European improvisers, the book explores the famous and the little known, from John Cage and George Clinton to Anthony Braxton and Sun Ra. Employing approaches as diverse as the music he celebrates, Corbett illuminates the sound and theory of funk and rap, blues and jazz, contemporary classical, free improvisation, rock, and reggae.Using cultural critique and textual theory, Corbett addresses a broad spectrum of issues, such as the status of recorded music in postmodern culture, the politics of self-censorship, experimentation, and alternativism in the music industry, and the use of metaphors of space and madness in the work of African American musicians. He follows these more theoretically oriented essays with a series of extensive profiles and in-depth interviews that offer contrasting and complementary perspectives on some of the world’s most creative musicians and their work. Included here are more than twenty original photographs as well as a meticulously annotated discography. The result is one of the most thoughtful, and most entertaining, investigations of contemporary music available today.

In Extended Play, one of the country's most innovative music writers conducts a wide-ranging tour through the outer limits of contemporary music. Over the course of more than twenty-five portraits, interviews, and essays, John Corbett engages artists from lands as distant as Sweden, Siberia, and Saturn. With a special emphasis on African American and European improvisers, the book explores the famous and the little known, from John Cage and George Clinton to Anthony Braxton and Sun Ra. Employing approaches as diverse as the music he celebrates, Corbett illuminates the sound and theory of funk and rap, blues and jazz, contemporary classical, free improvisation, rock, and reggae.Using cultural critique and textual theory, Corbett addresses a broad spectrum of issues, such as the status of recorded music in postmodern culture, the politics of self-censorship, experimentation, and alternativism in the music industry, and the use of metaphors of space and madness in the work of African American musicians. He follows these more theoretically oriented essays with a series of extensive profiles and in-depth interviews that offer contrasting and complementary perspectives on some of the world’s most creative musicians and their work. Included here are more than twenty original photographs as well as a meticulously annotated discography. The result is one of the most thoughtful, and most entertaining, investigations of contemporary music available today.