Welcome to Week One
Lesson One
Assignments and questions related to this week's reading:
1. Post your picture and introduce yourself on the discussion board. Tell your classmates about yourself, including the
country of your origin, your family, your occupation, interests, plans and hopes for the future. What are your goals for
taking this 11 week-long course? Read your classmates' introductions, make comments, and ask them questions.
Lesson One
Assignments and questions related to this week's reading:
1. Post your picture and introduce yourself on the discussion board. Tell your classmates about yourself, including the
country of your origin, your family, your occupation, interests, plans and hopes for the future. What are your goals for
taking this 11 week-long course? Read your classmates' introductions, make comments, and ask them questions.
2. Give a definition of Culture.
Do your own research of the term Culture using the Internet. Provide a couple of definitions of Culture and explain which one
resonates with you the most. Explain why.
3. Examine the image of Culture from the first lesson. Choose one or two items from its surface and deep parts and
comment on how they manifest themselves in the country of your origin.
For example:
Surface culture - dress
How do people dress in your country? What is the traditional dress? Is there a professional dress code in your culture? What
would you normally wear to work? What is considered unacceptable to wear on the job? Does it depend on one's profession?
Deep culture - body language
Comment on non-verbal communication in your home culture. Do people stand close to each other? How close? Do they maintain
eye contact? If they don't, what is the reason for that?
4. What can you say about the same cultural aspects in Canadian culture? Are they the same or different? Can you think
of any reasons why?
5. Feel free to send your instructor pictures or videos illustrating your home culture - food, dress, music, conception of
beauty, social interaction, and so on. They will be uploaded to your weekly postings on the discussion board and your
classmates could comment on them.
References
AFS intercultural programs Inc. (2010). The iceberg concept of culture. [Online image]. Retrieved from https://www.google.ca
/?gws_rd=ssl#q=the+culture-iceberg+image
Images of culture.[Online images]. ( n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=ssl#q=culture+pictures