Lead-in
Words
Text
Discussion
Lead-in
Do you think this photo is a man-made art or a natural phenomenon?
Do you know the name for it?
Words
contemporary
living or existing in the same age or century as we do
tangible /ˈtæn.dʒə.bəl/
real
secular /ˈsek.jə.lər/
not having any connection with music
discourse
opinion/ discussion
beyond the scope of
not explicable in a particular way
Paranormal activities are beyond the scope of science.
acknowledge /əkˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/
accept
exemplify
be an example of
bring to the fore
highlight/ emphasize
sacred /ˈseɪ.krɪd/
holy
venue
location (but not a permanent one); for example, the location of a conference or concert
incite someone’s desire
make someone interested
Text
The following passage is an abridged version. The full version is available at TheConversation.
Crop circles are some of the most beautiful, mysterious and controversial landscape phenomena in the contemporary world. They are found around the globe, appearing in countries with large areas of agricultural land.
Unlike UFOs and ghosts, crop circles are tangible — people can touch and walk into them. At least 30 appeared in England last summer. In British Columbia, crop circle formations appeared in Vanderhoof, about 100 kilometres west of Prince George, in 1998 and 2001.
Recent evidence in the social sciences on paranormal cultures argues that despite the rise of a secular, post-religious society, paranormal discourses are becoming increasingly significant in people’s lives in the West.
Because the paranormal refers to “events or phenomena… that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding,” researchers have long acknowledged that the paranormal intersects with “normal” everyday life.
Rationality conflicts with crop circles’ mystery
Crop circle research exemplifies the tension between the ordinary and extraordinary.
No matter what one understands to be the cause of crop circles, whether they are all human-made or involve aquifers, divine energy, ancient sacred sites, or even UFOs, crop circles bring to the fore a mystery.
Like all the other paranormal investigation cultures I have studied so far, crop circle research blurs the distinction between the everyday and the extraordinary. Beyond this, one cannot discount the importance of geography in the micro-spaces of fields and conference venues. The regional nature and extent to which crop circles are landscape phenomena incites many people’s desire to shape their encounters with the sublime.
Discussion
What do you think about Corp Circles?
Are they man-made or made by supernatural powers?
How probable do you see the existence ofsupernatural powers?