Chapter I Culture
ⅠTeaching Objectives
1.To understand the definitions of culture and the characteristics of culture.
2.To understand the definition, formation, and the characteristics of Cultural Identity. 3.To be able to distinguish subculture, co-culture, and subgroups.
ⅡLeading in
Ⅲ Teaching Procedures
Step1
Have students listen to the lead-in case Kwanzaa. Ask students warming-up questions: ? What is Kwanzaa?
? What is the most important festival in Chinese culture? ? What is culture?
Step2
1.1 Define culture from different perspectives. ? From Intellectual Perspective
According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, culture is \intellectual achievement regarded collectively\music, art, exhibition, dance, etc. When you talk about Picasso, Beethoven, etc., you are talking about culture. music ? From Anthropologic Perspective
Culture is \a particular time or people.\anthropologist's definition. Greek culture Egyptian culture Chinese culture Babylon exhibition dance Picasso Beethoven ? From Social Perspective
Culture is what a society does and thinks. Culture covers everything of a society. ? From Psychological Perspective
Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another. Western Wedding Ceremony Chinese Wedding Ceremony ? From Intercultural Communication Perspective Culture is a learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, and norms, which affect the behavior of a relatively large group of people.
1.2 Characteristics of Culture
?
Culture Is Learned
We learn culture from ________, ________, ____________________________________.
（parents, other family members, friends, and even strangers who are part of the culture）
? Culture Is a Set of Shared Interpretations All communications take place by means of symbols. Cloud of fortune Pound Danger Right Wrong Religion Case Analysis: The Sultan of Brunei
? Why can the picture on the money prove the man is the Sultan of Brunei?
? Why does the image on money usually symbolize? Bru Pound ? Culture Involves Beliefs, Values, and Norms a. Beliefs
Beliefs refer to the basic understanding of a group of people about what the world is like or what is true or false. b. Values
Values involve what a culture regarded as good or bad, right or wrong, fair or unfair, just or unjust, beautiful or ugly, clean or dirty, valuable or worthless, appropriate or inappropriate, and kind or cruel.
c. Norms
Norms refer to rules for appropriate behavior, which provide the expectations people have of one another and of others.
Case Analysis: Norms in the Army: Salutes
? What may happen if you don’t follow the norm in the army? ? What may happen if you don’t follow the norm in the society? ? Culture Affects Behaviors
Cultural differences are evident in various ways in which people conduct their everyday activities, as people “perform” their culture in their behavioral routines. Pilgrimage to Mecca Pilgrimage to Mecca Burning joss sticks in temple ? Culture Involves Large Groups of People
The term culture involves a much larger, societal levels of organization. And the term is also often used to refer to other types of large groups of people. 1.3 Cultural Identity
Cultural identity refers to one’s sense of belonging to a particular culture or ethnic group. People consciously identify themselves with a group that has a shared system of symbols and meanings as well as norms for conduct.
Jacky Chen, Chinese famous Kong Fu movie star, expresses his loyalty to Chinese culture by wearing Chinese traditional clothes and advocating Chinese culture.
? Formation of Cultural Identity a. Unexamined cultural identity b. Cultural identity search c. Cultural identity achievement
? Characteristics of Cultural Identity
Cultural identity is central to a person’s sense of self. Cultural identity is dynamic.
Cultural identity is also multifaceted components of one’s self-concept. 1.4 Subculture, Co-culture, and Subgroup Subculture and co-culture
A subculture is a segment of society that shares a distinctive pattern of mores, folkways, and values that differs from the pattern of the larger society. In a sense, a subculture can be thought of as a culture existing within a larger, dominant culture.
“Sub” implies inferior so “co” is used to indicate the idea of equality. Hippies of the 1960s US Andy Liu’s fans Yang Lijuan went to Hong Kong for Andy. Her father committed suicide there.
Generally speaking, the subgroup members usually have the characteristics of temporality and deviant label and having wanna-be hehaviors. 1.5 Rules, Roles, and Networks
Case Analysis: Student / Teacher Role Position
What is the difference between the two scenarios in terms of the speakers role position?
Step3
Raising Intercultural Awareness:
文化代表物：来自不同地域的学生向大家展示其地域文化中对其本人具有特殊意义的物品，以此增进学生对不同地域文化的了解。 ? 活动目的：通过参与这一课堂活动，学生能更好地了解不同地域文化中对彼此具有特殊
意义的方面，教师应就此引导学生了解某些地域文化中的某些特点，进而让学生学会尊重和欣赏其他文化及当中的个体。 ? 活动过程描述 步骤一：
课前准备：每位学生准备一件代表家乡文化的物品，例如：典型的民族服饰、手工艺品、当地著名建筑物的模型或照片、反映该文化中人们生活场景的图片、最喜欢的民族歌曲等（如果没有合适的代表物，可用图片代替）。 步骤二：
学生们按照一定的次序逐一展示物品，讲解文化内涵。注：教师应提醒听众不要在同学介绍的过程中提问， 步骤三：
自由讨论：学生自由交换意见，讨论自己感兴趣的文化产品。
集体讨论：教师选择几件富有特色的文化代表物作为集体讨论的话题，比较地域文化差异。
以下问题供教师参考：
（1） 在这一活动过程中，你了解了什么（可以关于同学个人，也可以关于特定文化
中的某些方面）？
（2） 这一活动是否增进了你个人对家乡文化的了解？
Step4
Homework and After-class activities
? Write a paper describing the cultural features of your hometown.
? Surf on the Internet to collect the information about the cultural difference Step 5
Personal Report of Intercultural Communication Apprehension
(1) strongly agree, (2) agree, (3) are undecided, (4) disagree, or (5) strongly disagree _____1.Generally, I am comfortable interacting with a group of people from different cultures.
_____2.I am tense and nervous while interacting in group discussions with people from different cultures.
_____3.I like to get involved in group discussions with others who are from different cultures.
_____4.Engaging in a group discussion with people from different cultures makes me tense and nervous.
_____5.I am calm and relaxed when interacting with a group of people who are from different cultures.
_____6.While participating in a conversation with a person from a different culture I feel very nervous.
_____7.I have no fear of speaking up in a conversation with a person from a