1. What is Culture?

2. 
Grammar and vocabulary aren't the only
things that make up a language. To
communicate effectively, you have to know
when and why and how to deploy it. That's
why culture and language are inherently
intertwined in SLE sessions.

3. 
In this module, you'll start collecting cultural
material to share in your sessions. Organizing
your sessions around cultural topics will keep
it engaging and give students a sense of
progress and accomplishment.

4. 
SLE defines culture broadly, so it is largely up
to you to decide what is important to you and
what you'd like to share. To get you thinking
about your own definition of culture, here are a
few ways others have defined it:

5. Kluckhohn, C., & Kelly, W.H. (1945). The concept of culture. In R. Linton (Ed.). The Science of Man in the World Culture. New York. (pp. 78-105).
"By culture we mean all those historically created
designs for living, explicit and implicit, rational,
irrational, and nonrational, which exist at any
given time as potential guides for the behavior of
men."

6. Hofstede, G. (1984). National cultures and corporate cultures. In L.A. Samovar & R.E. Porter (Eds.), Communication Between Cultures. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.
"Culture is the collective programming of the
mind which distinguishes the members of one
category of people from another." (p. 51).

7. Banks, J.A., Banks, & McGee, C. A. (1989). Multicultural education. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
"The essence of a culture is not its artifacts,
tools, or other tangible cultural elements but how
the members of the group interpret, use, and
perceive them."

8. We can also think of Culture with a BIG C and
culture with a little c.
Big C: Who are the great writers, artists, and
musicians? What are the lasting, famous works
of art, music, and literature? What are the great
moments in this culture's history?

9. little c: What are the features of daily life, popular
culture, and social mores? How does the life of a
20-something in your target culture resemble
and differ from the typical American 20something's experience?

10. And you're not limited to talking about the
differences between cultures; it's just as
important to talk about shared values and
variations on familiar practices.

11. You are not expected to speak for your whole
culture, either! Be clear with your class that
your experience is representative, not
definitive.

12. See if you can list a few cultural features you'd like to share from
each of the following:
THE FIVE DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE
Products (tools, food, clothes)

Practices(verbal and non-verbal language, actions, interactions,
taboos)

Perspectives(values, beliefs)

Communities(race, gender, religion, etc)

Persons(individuals)

Which we'll pick up after this interlude with the fellows....