Have you ever wanted to learn about an academic subject – such as literature, economics, Shakespeare, or biology – but did not want to be bored to death as some old professor droned on and on about it? Well have no fear. There’s a new website that will teach you these things while also making you “a better love (of literature, history, life).” It’s called Shmoop.

Shmoop is a website that makes learning and writing more fun and also more relevant for everyone. They do this by reviewing topics that you really care about in a voice that is simple to read and actually pretty funny. They also teach you how to write papers, speak more intelligently in classes, and “make studying less of a snooze-fest.” Sounds like a good thing to me!

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Jodie Foster is an American actress who was born on November 19, 1962. Her parents are Brandy and Lucius Foster; she is the youngest of four children. Before Foster was born, her father left her mother. Her mother had to support the family by working as a film producer, so Foster has been exposed to the film industry from a very young age. EDUinReview will now take a look at the education background of this intelligent actress.

Foster first began acting in commercials for Coppertone suntan lotion when she was only three years old. She first performed on television when she appeared on The Doris Day Show, in the same year that her first movie, Menace on the Mountain, was released in 1970. In 1976, she made her claim to fame when she appeared in Taxi Driver with Robert DeNiro.

Foster did not let her early acting successes distract her from her education. She was the valedictorian of her French-language prep-school, Lycée Francais de Los Angeles, in 1980. Foster is fluent in French, due to her education and the fact that she lived in France several times during her youth. In addition to French, Foster speaks English, Italian, and understands German.

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I have had the great fortune of studying abroad this summer. Part of studying abroad is, obviously, taking classes. I decided to take a Spanish literature class. Now, I have never been a fan of literature classes, mainly because I do not like having to memorize the teacher’s opinions about the work and accept them as fact, even if these opinions differ from my own. However, it is very interesting to read literature about a different culture and country. I feel like I know more about Spain and its development as a country from reading these literary works than from what I learned in my Spanish history course.

Here’s my challenge to you: I challenge you to read at least two books this summer by authors who are from a foreign country. These works of world literature will open your eyes to a way of life that is different from your own. Here is my list of the top world literature works to read for summer 2010.

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According to a recent article by The New York Times, students who are majoring in the humanities such as language arts and literature, are facing one of the toughest job markets in recent decades.

The Modern Language Association (MLA) reports that faculty positions will decline 37 percent, the biggest drop since the group began tracking its job listings 35 years ago. The MLA is the largest group of language and literature scholars and professors in the world.

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