Module 4
Reflecting on our cultural scripts – Part 1
Although we mostly donât think about it on a daily basis, most of us follow patterns of communication in the various groups and settings in which we socialize. These âscriptsâ come from personality, cultural influences (national, family, age, profession etc.). For example, the way you greet someone in your family, a stranger, someone in a professional setting (work, school), follows certain patterns. How you behave in a classroom, in a meeting at work, at a family gathering follow general scripts (how you show agreement/disagreement, how / if you show affection, how you organize to speak).
Required Activites
Read
- Read the handout âAppendices A & B. An outline of concepts for use cross-culturally & Model of instructions for the conduct of self-studyâ (Weigle, 2009)
Watch
- Choose a 5-minute clip from a movie or Youtube video that exemplifies the kind of script you also follow in that setting (e.g., a scene of a family having a meal, greeting friends at a social event, participating in a class, interacting with co-workers in the workplace).
Reflect
- Reflect on the ways in which your âscriptâ might be different from ONE of the following:
- Someone from a different national background (choose a cultural background that is not your own and that you know something about)
- Someone in the study abroad setting / international exchange context that you plan to travel to (are in / were in)
- How will (does / did) this identity and the extent to which you followed the âscriptâ (or not) help you in a study abroad / international exchange context?
Optional Activity
Listen
- Listen to the following podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bernie-bros/id1257821731?i=1000465121740 Conversations with people who hate me – Dylan Marron – Free on iTune – February 2020, Bernie Bros – A Bernie supporter and an Elizabeth Warren supporter connect after clashing online (50 minutes).
Asynchronous Engagement
- Using your preferred method of reflection, create a âdiaryâ entry that reflects on what you learnt from the activity
- Choose ONE idea / thought to share on the group discussion board
- Read and comment on TWO entries of your peers (this can be a comment or a question)
Synchronous Engagement
- Using your preferred method of reflection, choose ONE idea / thought to share with your peers (e.g., you could give a brief oral presentation, or share a photo montage, or a picture youâve drawn or a song you wrote) that reflects on what you learnt from the activity
- Be ready in the âlive lessonâ to respond to and ask questions of your peers