Summary: We will do activity IV. I will write the word CULTURE on the board and ask you, as a class, to come up with definitions of culture. You may find different elements that are true of culture in a new group. Then, you get to choose one person to write the definition on the board. Then, we will come up with a full definition of culture, and I will define culture. After that, you can communicate with me and your group by focusing on the role culture plays in forming our behaviors and beliefs.

Defining and Discussing Culture: Focusing on the Role Culture Plays in Forming Our Behaviors and Beliefs

This lesson is adapted and based on Paul D. Coverdell’s publication “Building Bridges: A Peace Corps Classroom Guide to Cross-Cultural Understanding.” The publication is free and downloadable for educational purposes, such as classroom use. The Building Bridges Classroom Guide provides classroom activities related to culture. Paul Coverdell, a former Peace Corps Director and US Senator, sponsored the publication through his Worldwise Schools and National Geographic.

“Everyone has a culture. It shapes how we see the world, ourselves, and others.” ~Paul D. Coverdell

1) In your new group, please come up with one or more terms below the word CULTURE on the board. Then, when you are ready, please choose one or more people in your group to write your definition or definitions with a whiteboard marker. You may find it easier to define culture by listing its aspects, such as different elements that seem authentic. Some examples are:

CULTURE

• Everyone has a culture.
• Culture has to do with values and beliefs.
• Culture involves customs and traditions.
• Culture is collective, shared by a group.

2) I will summarize your definitions in context to this one: “Culture is a system of beliefs, values, and assumptions about life that guide behavior and are shared by a group of people. It includes customs, language, and material artifacts. These are transmitted from generation to generation, rarely with explicit instructions.” ~Paul D

3) Then, please use the following questions in your group to focus a discussion on the role culture plays in forming our behaviors and beliefs:

1. How does culture shape the way we see the world, ourselves, and others?
2. How do you think you learned your culture?
3. How do you think your culture has shaped you? How has it influenced your values, preferences, and beliefs?
4. Despite the differences in culture, what are some things that everyone in our classroom has in common?
5. What do you think are some of the differences you have with you and others in the classroom?
6. What do you think the term ‘cultural awareness’ means? There is no one clear definition.
7. What is the most unique or different culture you have ever experienced?
8. What are some ways people can successfully interact with different cultures? Please give some examples.
9. Please discuss cultural misunderstandings experienced in Japan, travelling, being abroad, or seen in the media.
10. What are some ways people can resolve cross-cultural misunderstandings for effective communication?

Note: Please feel free to report on the information that you learned from not only current group members, but also previous classmates. This helps to increase class bonding and good relations.

Homework is due by uploading to your Google Doc for Autumn Cycles 3 and 4 by Friday at 1 pm before Class 02. Please take 3-4 pages of notes on two readings or viewings from the offerings below, using keywords and summarizations as much as possible. Whenever you can, especially using “direct quotations,” note the page and paragraph number to help you know where you got the information. These actions will also help you avoid plagiarism.

Please edit the information in each reading or viewing according to the example below as accurately as possible. I can help edit. Here is the list of some of the readings and viewings for Cycle 3. Feel free to find your own resources on culture as well, but please let me know the source by sharing the URL so that I can share it with the class.

This homework is due before the third period at the end of lunch on Friday, before Class 02. Please take notes and insert the photos you take of them into your Google Doc.

Cultural Awareness & Intercultural Communication

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). (2011). Cross-cultural understanding. Background Briefs. https://staceyvye.com/wp-content/uploads/oldsite/tc2.ca/uploads/backgroundbriefs/BBCrossCulturalUnderstanding.pdf

Lectera. (2025). Intercultural communication.  https://lectera.com/info/articles/intercultural-communication

Mayer, E. (2016, November 28). How to lead a successful international team [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3X7legs3gM&list=PLPulR4Kq63KREjGxCe2D7kVvfNkP-snG9&index=3

McClay, R. (2017). Four cornerstones of successful cross-cultural training. Training 

Industry: Mind The Gap, 50-51. 

https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/issue/four-cornerstones-of-successful-cross-cultural-training

Merschdorf, H. (2022, June 18). The surprising paradox of intercultural communication [Video]. 

TEDx Talks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzJNA-3b6NA

https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/issue/four-cornerstones-of-successful-cross-cultural-training

Middlebury Language Schools. (2023, March 24). Language learning: Why intercultural

  communication is important? 

https://www.middlebury.edu/language-schools/blog/language-learning-why-intercultural-communication-important

Seigel, M. (2024, Feb. 6). Intercultural communication: Why is it important and how can I do 

better [Video]? YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSiLz4mkSL8

Cultural Misunderstandings and How to Avoid Them

Burgess, H. (2017). Misunderstandings. Beyond Intractability. 

https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/misunderstandings

International Relations EDU. (2019). 5 ways to avoid mistakes in cross-cultural 

communication. International Relations EDU. 

https://www.internationalrelationsedu.org/5-ways-to-avoid-mistakes-in-cross-cultural-communication

National Geographic. (2009, Oct. 24). Cultural differences National Geographic [Video]. 

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT0kzF4A-WQ&t=4s

Rinner, D. (2018, Nov. 14). How to handle cross-cultural misunderstandings [Video]. 

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1lOIB-q5w8

Stretch, C. (2018, Sept. 10). Cultural misunderstandings [Video]. 

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8VjSVavt4k&t=2s

Toegal, G., & Barsoux, J-L. (2016). 3 situations where cross-cultural communication breaks 

down. Harvard Business Review.   

https://hbr.org/2016/06/3-situations-where-cross-culturalcommunication-breaks-down

Vice News. (2018). Ike Nwala is a black comedian who has become Japan’s most unlikely 

star [Video]. YouTube. HBO.