IBIL Class_02 on 09/29/2025: Your Definitions of Culture: Intercultural Misunderstanding betweek Family and Friends
Summary: To gain a deeper understanding of cultures, cultural misunderstandings provide a valuable focus for critical thinking. We watched two video clips below to complement our discussions on intercultural misunderstandings, which explore cultural misunderstandings that occur when new family members from different cultures meet. Rosie Dodd, a creative English teacher, designed this lesson. After viewing each video, we discussed intercultural differences and misunderstandings about the YouTube movie clips, what we would have done in a similar situation, and whether we had ever experienced any of these issues before. Then, we shifted to your own experiences with cross-cultural misunderstandings and shared them with the classes. Finally, you discussed your homework for your Cycle 03 research.
Intercultural Misunderstandings: Ways to Increase Effective Communication Through Videos and Discussion
1) Cross-cultural differences and misunderstandings can be confusing, but they are meaningful learning experiences that we can resolve and also reflect on to improve. We will view two YouTube video clips of cross-cultural misunderstandings from the movies My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Joy Luck Club. After viewing and reading the English closed-captions (CC) dialogue on the screen for each video, you will have discussions in your new groups about the interactions, intercultural misunderstandings, and how all actors can resolve the issues.
1. What do you believe are the characteristics of intercultural misunderstandings?
2. What is the most different culture you have ever experienced? (It could be a different region in Japan)
3. If you had an intercultural misunderstanding you discussed with your previous group in period 3, please share it.
4. If another group member from period three had a misunderstanding, please share it with your new group.
2) Video 1: My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Meet the Family
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3N5V9ml2VU&feature=emb_logo
1. Now, let’s discuss some questions about My Big Fat Greek Wedding:
2. What cross-cultural differences did you notice? Please explain.
3. What cultural misunderstandings were there?
4. How did the actors react to these issues?
5. Why do you think the differences or misunderstandings happened?
6. Let’s share some highlights with the whole class.
3) Video 2: Joy Luck Club https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t82eWkb_tM&feature=emb_logo
1. Now, let’s discuss the same questions about the Joy Luck Club:
2. What cross-cultural differences did you notice? Please explain.
3. What cultural misunderstandings were there?
4. How did the actors react to these issues?
5. Why do you think the differences or misunderstandings happen?
4) Let us also share some highlights with the whole class. Please feel free to speak up about your own comments or those of your group.
Homework is due by uploading to your Google Doc for Autumn Cycles 3 and 4 by Friday at 1 pm before Class 03. 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 03. 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.
Merschdorf, H. (2022, June 18). The surprising paradox of intercultural communication [Video].
TEDx Talks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzJNA-3b6NA
Middlebury Language Schools. (2023, March 24). Language learning: Why intercultural
communication is 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.
International Relations EDU. (2019). 5 ways to avoid mistakes in cross-cultural
communication. International Relations EDU.
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.
Vice News. (2018). Ike Nwala is a black comedian who has become Japan’s most unlikely
star [Video]. YouTube. HBO.
Pingback: IBIL Identity, Language, and Culture -Chuo University; Faculty of Law | Stacey Vye's English Education Homepage