1.1

The World Factbook (also known as the CIA World Factbook) is produced by the United States Central Intelligence Agency for the use of U.S. government officials.  Since 2008 it has been available only on a website which is updated every two weeks. It provides a two- to three-page summary of the demographics, geography, communications, governments, economies, and militaries of U.S.-recognized countries, dependencies, and other areas in the world.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

Compare any two countries of your choice.  How might the culture of these two countries be different?

Search the United Nations website for additional information onethnic conflicts, religious conflicts, gender roles, technology migration, and environmental sustainability

1.2

A continuing issue for American Indian cultures is sovereignty, or the authority to govern independently within the borders of the United States of America. The Constitution and federal laws grant local sovereignty to tribal nations.  This is different than the sovereignty of foreign nations.  The federal government uses the term "domestic dependent nations."  Visit American Indian websites for any information you can find on sovereignty.  Begin your search at: http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources

1.3

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has created a Gender Equality Index for the nation-states which are European Union members. Please consult this index (available athttp://eige.europa.eu/content/gender-equality-index#/) and discuss:

• the relevance of the categories involved in the process of gender equality measurement
• why some countries are doing better according to the index than others

2.1:

Visit the Exploratorium for Perceptual Demonstrations:

• Bronx Cheer Bulb
• Fading Dot
• Mona  
• Shimmer
• Postcard Exhibits

What do these perceptional illusions suggest about the sensation and perception process?

2.2:

Visit “Around the World in 80 Dishes” and find a dish identified with a national culture. What cultural elements are reflected in the food?

2.3:

In Chinese culture, the cornerstone for conflict resolution is for both parties to care about the other's face. In Middle Eastern countries respected intermediaries manage the communication between parties in conflict.

Review the article on the concept of face.

2.4:

In the 1978 Camp David Accords, U. S. president Jimmie Carter acted as the intermediary making it possible for Egyptian President Sadat to make concession without suffering loss of face.

Review the Camp David Accords tour negotiations section to identify the critical face saving at

3.1:

Go to online newspapers. What items reported reflect the local culture? If possible, compare the reporting on the same news event in several newspapers. Also compare the design and layout of the online newspaper for suggestions of cultural influences.

• The Hindu:  Online Edition of India’s National Newspaper - http://www.hinduonnet.com/
• Daily Yomiuri Online (Japan) - http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/
• Times Online (UK) - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/
• Comprehensive listing - http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/
• Note those published in English.

3.2:

Listen to Internet radio stations from around the world. Begin. What possible impact do you think Internet radio might have?

3.3:

Watch Internet television from around the world. Compare the same news story at CNN and Al Jazeera in English. How did the coverage compare?

3.4:

Compare the following websites both in content and design. What items reflect the local culture? 

• The People’s Republic of China
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 
• Macao Government Tourist Office 
• The Government of Tibet in Exile 
• Taiwan Government Information Office 

4.1:

See how just a few gestures carry various meanings at. Can you add to this list from your own experiences?

4.2:

Review the article with pictures “Nonverbal Communication: Chinese Emotion and Gesture.”

Compare the gestures there with those used in the U.S.  Could any of the Chinese gestures be misunderstood in the U.S.?

4.3:

The work of psychologist Paul Ekman inspired the Fox television show Lie to Me (on Fox from 2009 to 2011). 

Ekman trains law enforcement authorities to clue in to body language based on his Facial Action Coding (FAC) system, a collection of more than 10,000 combinations of expressions and their relationship to particular emotions.

Review a Scientific American feature on Ekman and Ekman’s website for clues as to how cultures vary

4.4:

Review the information about nonverbal communication. How do nonverbal communication skills affect confidence?

5.1:

Explore the iLoveLanguages guide to language-related websites and Ethnologue: Languages of the World.

Compare resources on any two languages new to you.

5.2:

Take the New York time dialect quiz.  How does the quiz relate language to identities? What does this quiz say about your identity?

5.3:

Translate a page on the internet from English into a second language you know (or work with another student who knows a language in addition to English) using Yahoo! Babel Fish at:  http://babelfish.yahoo.com/ and Google Translate at:  http://translate.google.com/

Check to see if there are any apps now available for spoken language translation:

5.4:

The software called Trippo VoiceMagix, was launched for iPhone. It allows users to translate English speech into 14 languages. It is also available for J2ME, Android and Windows Mobile. Developed by Cellictica (http://www.cellictica.com).

The software Speechtrans TM, launched a beta prototype two-way Speech to Speech translator service as an IPhone app. Languages are English, UK English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese.

The Android app, Speaking Universal Translator, was released by DLP Mobile. The languages it can translate to and from include English, Spanish, Italian, and French.

Evaluate their accuracy.

6.1:

Go to Geert Hofstede’s personal homepage to “see what’s on his mind today.”

6.2:

Check out these intercultural communication activities related to the cultural dimensions.

6.3:

While baseball is popular in Japan, the traditional national sport is Sumo. Compare the two in history and cultural bases.

6.4:

Plan a 10-day trip to Japan to highlight traditional and modern Japanese culture. Begin at the Japan National Tourism Organization. 

7.1:

Search the web for advice on living in the U.S. for international students, tourists, or immigrants.  Some examples are:

• Living in America: An International Student's Guide to Living in America
• Life in the USA

Do these sites correspond to your experience? Can you relate the descriptions to the cultural patterns in the textbook?

7.2:

Look for recent surveys on global attitudes toward the U.S. Begin at: http://www.pewglobal.org/category/survey-reports/

Search for a recent Pew report on global attitudes toward the U.S. 

Is there any relationship between dominant U.S. cultural patterns and global attitudes?

7.3:

Explore The Phonological Atlas of North America and its links to find examples of how regional dialects reflect regional cultures.

7.4:

Check out the U.S. government’s travel website. What cultural values are identifiable on this website?

8.1:

Explore The Official Portal of the Dubai Government.

For Saudi Arabia government websites, start with the Washington Embassy site or use the Arab News site clicking the link for Saudi Arabia

Compare Dubai and Saudi Arabia.

Look for examples of cultural patterns.

8.2:

Explore the website of the Arab League. What can you learn about Islam?

8.3:

Explore the Museum of Science and Technology in Islam at the KARST website. What can you learn about the golden age of science in Islam?

8.4:

Read the Associated Press article "Violence Fuels Debate Among Muslims over Interpreting Faith." Discuss current challenges for the Muslim faith.

9.1:

Review the extensive website United Nations Inter-agency Network on Women and Gender Equality.

In March, 2009, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, issued a statement on International Women’s Day in which he said “Deeply rooted discrimination against women in all spheres of society—political, economic, social and culture—weakens society as a whole.” 

Find evidence on these websites to support this statement.

9.2:

Look at the complete data results for the World Economic Forum report. Pick any country’s results and compare that with the CIA World Factbook report for that country.

Is there any evidence to explain, support or amplify the World Economic Forum ranking?

9.3:

Look at the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Global Report on the Status of Women in the Media Professions.

Connect these findings with the U.N. and the World Economic Forum findings.

9.4:

Consult the NGO Committee on the Status of Women website.

How do nongovernmental organizations affiliated with the U.N. promote women’s rights?

10.1:

Review the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs World Migrant Stock database website. Use the country data profiles to search for countries with high and low percentages of immigrants. Contrast those countries.

10.2:

Test your knowledge with questions from the U.S. new citizenship test.

10.3:

Try the sample Australian citizenship test 

Try the sample Canadian citizenship test: 

Try the sample U.K. citizenship test

10.4:

Consult the Center for Immigration Studies website and summarize one piece of research on immigrants.

11.1:

Using websites from cultures as different as the Hmong and the Amish (http://www.hmongnet.org/ andhttp://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml),compare events such as  weddings or funerals.

11.2:

Search the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for concerns shared by indigenous peoples worldwide.

11.3:

Based on U.S. Census data, what conclusions can you reach  about Hispanics in the U.S.?

11.4:

What conclusions on Hispanics in the U.S. can you reach from Pew Research Center data?

12.1:

Try Cockney Rhyming Slang. Start at: http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/rhymingslangterm.htm

12.2:

Read the following Guardian article from "Youth subcultures: what are they now?"  Reflect on music and subgroups.

12.3:

The textbook uses Southwest Airlines as an example of a strong corporate culture. 

Another example is Wal-Mart. Founder Sam Walton established a strong corporate culture.  It is said that today the question is still asked, “How would Sam have done it?” Identify aspects of Wal-Mart’s corporate culture. 

Begin at: http://www.walmart.com/cp/An-Introduction-to-Walmart.com/542413#52068

12.4:

Review the list of state-sponsored homophobia. Look for any relationships between state-sponsored homophobia and cultural factors. 

13.1:

For specific examples of advertising that is sensitive to local cultures, review the International Advertising Resource Center.

13.2:

Study the language of corporate statements of environmental responsibility such as that of Starbucks.

Compare these to any you can find from corporations headquartered in other cultures such as Sweden (e.g.,Ericsson) and Japan (Toyota). 

Are there cultural differences?  Do all corporate statements reflect similar values?

13.3:

Tour Disneyland Paris and Disneyland Hong Kong. Compare the two parks for elements of the Disney cultural icon and elements of the French and Chinese cultures.

13.4:

Read the following Newsweek article "'Cindaerlla Ate My Daughter': Are Princesses Bad for Girls' Self-Esteem? 

Reflect on the influence of Disney princesses on children around the world.

14.1:

Visit Interagency Language Roundtable. Discuss the intercultural communication skills outlined there.

14.2:

Review the article "Race, Ethnicity, Language, Social Class, and Health Communication Inequalities: A Nationally-Representative Cross-Sectional Study" and reflect on issues of culture and health.