Syllabus for Teaching Cross-Cultural Communication
THE CULTURAL SYLLABUS AND ITS EFFECT
ON THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING PROFESSION
IN THE TOWN OF SHOUMEN
by Violeta Mondashka, ELMS, Shoumen and Stanislava Ivanova,
Naval Academy, Varna
Quite recently, while still writing this paper, the Bulgarian government
started the official negotiations for the country’s integration in the European
Community. This lays the foundations of a long and difficult process of
radical changes in all spheres of our political, economic and social life
aimed at successful integration.
In the context of these changes and in view of the new opportunities
they will provide, foreign language teaching acquires even greater
significance with its aim of enabling successful communication in a foreign
language setting. Linguistic performance alone, however, without cultural
awareness does not warrant this success – an aspect that has long been
neglected by our educational system. The Cultural Studies Syllabus has
been created to fill in this gap and to propose a way of integrating the
teaching of language and culture. It proceeds from our belief that language
is part of a culture and to participate meaningfully in an inter-cultural
context, one needs to possess knowledge as well as skills for inter-cultural
communication.
The Syllabus promotes a new understanding about culture teaching
in terms of WHAT and HOW to teach. “What” is concerned not merely with
provision of information but with developing inter-cultural awareness. Such
awareness as stated in the Syllabus, grows out of a combination of
knowledge and skills. The skill-based approach is crucial in helping the
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students to develop not only knowledge but also willingness to understand

the complex aspects, which constitute culture. Thus the CS provides not
only the aims of cultural education but it also proposes a new methodology
for achieving these aims. (How)
Since its publication in September 1998, a series of seminars have
been run throughout the country “to enable a wider circle of practising
teachers of English and other foreign languages to use the Syllabus
creatively and through changing their own views on the teaching of culture
and improving their classroom behaviour to contribute to a large-scale
process of change in language education”. (Leah Davcheva, Head of
Cultural Studies, the British Council, Sofia)
The present paper is an attempt to assess the innovative effect of
the Cultural Studies Syllabus on the English language teaching and
learning practice in the town of Shoumen. It is mostly based on the reports
of the teachers who participated in the double seminar on the
Implementation of the CS and carried out their small action research
projects in their classrooms between November 1998 and December 1999.
It also includes our impressions from conducting the seminar, observing
our colleagues teaching with the syllabus and discussing related issues in
both formal and informal situations. And last but not least, it is an account
of our personal experience of teaching cultural issues.
Profile of the teachers
The teachers who responded to the idea of integrating culture in
language teaching came from different schools.

2


Schools

Number


Class

of

Age

of

students

teachers
Foreign

languages

Medium 6

Preps

13-14

Eight

14-15

Ninth

15-16


Tenth

16-17

Eleventh

17-18

school

The School of Humanities

2

Tenth

16-17

Maths and Science School

1

Preparatory

13-14

Sixth

11-12


Pre-

12-13

Secondary

Comprehensive 1

School
Private Language School

1

intermediate
Level
Muslem Religious School

1

Tenth

16-17

The variety of the schools, as well as the different age groups of the
students included in the research, provided the opportunity for exploring
the effect of the syllabus in a number of different teaching contexts.
Since the Syllabus aims at innovation and change, further on in this
paper we shall deal with the different aspects of the teaching-learning
process and how these were affected by the Syllabus. We will be looking
at changes in the conventional teaching practice, what the students gained


3


from it and how it affected the teachers themselves. We will also deal with
the innovative principles of the Syllabus that have been verified through
our experience.
An important feature of the CS Syllabus is that it is skills-oriented
(critical reading, comparing and contrasting, ethnographic and research
skills). This gives the teacher the freedom to use different topics to practice
the skills while at the same time avoids repetition. The topics suggested by
the Syllabus proved to be both interesting and provocative and found
remarkable emotional response among the students. These include:
Christmas, Teenage Problems, “Fur Game? Fur-Get It!”, “I thought my
teacher fancied me”, “Cross-cultural comparison of tourist materials,
Reading photographs, Third Age, “Are we racist and xenophobic?”, etc.
Many of the topics were chosen by the students themselves. By comparing
and contrasting different Christmas practices, the problems of Bulgarian
and British teenagers, different British/Scottish advertsing strategies in in
tourist materials they became aware of different patterns of behaviour
under similar circumstances, arising from different cultural background (“I
thought my teacher fancied me”). In “Teenage work” they compared their
predictions about finding work and the reactions of others (what
employers, teachers, parents, peers think) and the reality of their findings.
Part of the learning process was taken out of the classroom and the
students were encouraged to take a greater responsibility for their learning.
In many cases the comparison was based on research that the students
carried out in their own culture (by developing ethnographic skills) on
different occasions: Christmas, teenage working, third age problems, etc.
The students were provoked to find more about their own culture and

acquire understanding of their own culture, a prerequisite of dealing with
culture per se, before they could successfully develop awareness and

4


tolerance of foreign cultural practices. Ethnographic research helped
students realize that learning can happen outside the classroom, that by
objectively observing they can learn more about themselves and gain
increased awareness of changes in their own culture. The students in the
11th class admitted they could not attach the same emotional response to
Christmas that they used to experience on New Year’s day.
In the 11th class the syllabus prompted the idea of self-designing a
lesson on Christmas food and eating habits. The students were asked to
research specific social practices like fasting and celebration of the night
before Christmas; the symbolic meaning of the vegetarian and the number
of dishes laid on the table. They provided typical Christmas recipes from
the Bulgarian national cuisine. In the process of research, however, the
students came up with unexpected results. They explored how the
Bulgarian cuisine has been influenced by the Greek, Turkish and Italian
cuisine and how in turn it affected our neighbouring countries. A special
presentation was devoted to the Shoumen region, which added the local
colour to their intra-cultural awareness. As a whole, Bulgarian cuisine was
identified as a source of national pride.
Information was also collected from the Internet and, along with the
British tradition, the students learned a lot about Mexican and Chinese
ones. The comparison was followed by a discussion on the changing
nature of habits and traditions, English breakfast was discussed as well as
different strategies for fasting and dieting. Thus, the students were
exposed to a variety of cultural diversities. The CS was found extremely

helpful by our American Peace Corp teacher. As a foreigner she found it
natural to share parts of her own culture with the classes she taught. The
Syllabus, however, provided a more structured approach to cultural
comparisons. She tried the Christmas lessons in the prep, 8 th and 9th

5


classes and found both the procedure and the materials equally relevant to
these three age groups. She particularly liked the cross-cultural approach,
which turned the lesson into a comparison between Bulgarian and
American Christmas traditions and not just a provision of knowledge about
the target culture. Another aspect that was highly appreciated was the
emphasis on intra-cultural awareness. As a follow-up to the lesson, she
assigned a homework asking the students to describe the Bulgarian
Christmas traditions. This is what she shared:
“Reading these was probably the most rewarding part of the lesson.
Our discussions had helped them to delve deeper, to think more precisely
about their own traditions and what they mean to them, as well as to
recognize those things which are unique about their own culture.” The
emphasis on intra-cultural awareness was highly appreciated by the
American Peace Corps teacher. “The first step toward understanding
another language is to recognize that our opinions are in part shaped by a
specific culture (our ‘box’), and that other people in other places might
approach a similar problem in entirely different ways. The new cultural
studies syllabus encourages students to take the first steps in this process
by introducing interesting and relevant topics that elicit debate and
response, and then by asking students to compare this response with how
people in another culture would respond.”
While comparing facts and social practices from their own culture

and the culture of the target language they seemed to acquire a broader
perspective of the role of both native and foreign culture for the
development of their personalities. By exposing the students to a variety of
cultural contexts we equip them with the tools they need to process
information and form an opinion of their own.
Versatility
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An important feature of the syllabus is that it is extremely versatile
which allows the same topic to be used at various levels in a number of
different ways. The topic of Christmas proved be the most enjoyable one
round Christmas and it was explored in the widest possible range of age
groups (from 12-18). In each of the classes however the lessons on
Christmas were focussed on different aspects of the holiday depending on
the language level and background experience of the students.
The CS crept into a quite unexpected teaching setting like the
Muslim Religious secondary school. The topic of Christmas provoked the
idea of comparing and contrasting different religious holidays and the
social practices that accompany them. Residing in Bulgaria the students
knew about Christmas but they have always felt it to be an exotic holiday,
alien to their strong Muslim religious self-awareness. However, they were
well familiar with the story of Ramazan Bayram from the Quran. The lesson
encouraged the students to look deeper into the significance of their
holiday as a symbol of purity and sincerity in human relations and respect
for the elderly people in the family. A comparison between the two holidays
and the messages they carry for the members of the two different religious
communities raised their awareness of the existing common values along
with the cultural and religious diversities. They realised what an important
significance Christmas had for the Christian community. The lesson, while

respecting their ethnic and religious identity, made it possible for them to
identify with a different perspective, thus engendering tolerance.

Flexibilty & Appropriateness to young learners
When writing the syllabus the target audience we aimed at were the
English teachers at the Language, Maths and Humanities Medium schools.

7


However, a belief was expressed that it could be of help to any language
teacher. Being among its authors, we were curious to see how it works with
very young learners. Violeta tried the second Christmas lesson from the
Syllabus with her young students at a private language school. Those are
12-year old children whose level of English can be defined as preintermediate or lower intermediate. The aim was to practice comparing and
contrasting and research skills. Before the Christmas holiday break, The
students were asked to carry out a small research in their own family and
relatives’ circle, answering very simple questions like:
Why do we celebrate Christmas?
Who do you celebrate with?
Where do you usually celebrate?
What do you / your parents / your relatives do before Christmas/ on
Christmas day / on the next day?
The students responded sincerely and brought an account of
traditional practices many of which we were not quite familiar with. They
talked about “Budni vecher”, the vegetarian dishes, and the traditional
Christmas symbols. It was difficult for them to express themselves fluently
while describing specific practices but the emphasis being the cultural
context, they were not corrected, just provided with the words they needed.
When they had agreed on the list of typical Bulgarian Christmas activities,

they were handed the photo from the Syllabus and made a similar list of
the British common activities. Additional information was also provided
from “Discovering Britain” with a glossary of the anticipated unfamiliar
words. Then they were asked to find the difference between the two lists.
The comparison between the two lists of activities brought awareness
mostly at affective level. Some responded emotionally and quickly jumped

8


to conclusions like “Our holiday is better!”. In the discussion that followed
there was a lot of comparing and contrasting. It turned out that Bulgarian
children enjoyed the way they celebrated Christmas. They liked the
presents, disliked the turkey and the Christmas pudding and wanted the
Bulgarian “banitsa” with the lucky charms in it. However, they were
attracted by particular items in the other culture as well – mostly by the
firecrackers and the Christmas stocking, though doubts were expressed as
to its practicality in terms of the size of the presents that can fit in it. They
learned about Boxing Day and compared it with our tradition of
“Koleduvane”. They were also made aware of the mobility of cultural
traditions. One of the families had celebrated the holiday abroad and
another boy reported about a family that chose to have turkey for their
Christmas meal.
Another enjoyable Christmas lesson with young learners (in the fifth
grade) was based on comparing and contrasting Christmas cards. Since
those children study Russian along with English, the teacher chose to
compare Bulgarian, Russian and British Christmas postcards. Again the
children showed great enthusiasm, learned a lot about Christmas symbols
and made interesting observations. They responded not only to the images
but also to the quality of the design. They recognized the uniqueness of the

Bulgarian images: the traditional “buklitsa” and “surovaknitsa”, the apples
and nuts on the folkstyle tablecloth – things they could not find in the other
cards. They admired the images of the animals and the fairy-tale
characters with “Snegurachka” (Snow White) in the Russian cards. They
wondered why a view of Kremlin or of the Houses of Parliament should be
sent as a Christmas greeting. They liked the Christmas stocking and
disliked the religious texts of the Christmas carols.

9


Both lessons proved to be successful in providing young learners
with insight into a foreign culture and traditions on a par with their own.
Given the students age (12) it was unrealistic to expect them to speculate
about or account for the reasons of the cultural diversities and similarities
they noticed. Yet, a lot of comparing and contrasting was practiced, which
enhanced their observation skills and provoked them to think about
diversity, to say nothing of the new words they learned in the most
enjoyable way. Thus with a slight adaptation in the procedure and the
materials the Syllabus proved to be helpful for practicing the three cultural
skills with younger learners.
Emotional Response
The opportunity to participate in the selection of topics not only
enhanced the students’ motivation but also stimulated a surprising
ingenuity in providing additional topic-related materials from most varied
sources: questionnaires and interviews carried out in their own culture,
Christmas

cards


from

different

cultures,

newspaper

articles

and

photographs, tourist materials, Internet, etc. The students were eager to
discuss, competed to be presenters, to shift the focus to topics they
thought were relevant. While discussing animal rights and xenophobia,
such diverse topics as stray dogs, animals in Bulgarian zoos, dancing
bears, the war in Kosovo, etc., were touched upon. Various teaching
techniques were employed. All the students got involved in taking
interviews and making posters in Jana’s project on teenage working. As
some of them shared, they felt like journalists and enjoyed it very much.

What the students gained

10


The direct results that could be observed were the practical skills
that the students acquired:
• developed inter-cultural competence and ability to successfully
communicate within a foreign cultural environment

• enjoyed reading the authentic materials in the syllabus and the
freedom to practise the language in discussing interesting topics
• developed their linguistic competence, improved their linguistic skills
(reading authentic materials, writing on interesting topics, speaking,
etc.), gained fluency
• practiced research and presentation skills (collecting and processing
information, interviews, speaking in front of an audience, etc.)

However, there were some indirect influences on the students
participating in the lessons, more subtle changes in their personal life
philosophies. The confrontation with another perspective of reality, another
alternative view of the world, helped them shake off their ethno- and
egocentrism and grow as persons and citizens of the world. These are
some of the qualities that were aimed at:
• adaptability to changes in their own and foreign cultures
• tolerance: while working in teams they learned to listen more
attentively to each other, to respect each other’s opinion, team-work
and team-spirit
• ice-breaking experience: changed

the

atmosphere

in class,

improved relations with other students, fostered new respect for
teachers who teach interesting lessons in an enjoyable way

11



• built-in tolerance in the process of learning: appreciation of the
opinions and values of others, sensitivity to cultural diversity, became
more positive of their culture
• broader perspective: the Syllabus encouraged them to reconsider
the cultural framework they have been brought up in and to acquire
skills that will enable them to observe and analyse encounters with
diversity and to extend these beyond the framework of their culture
• emotional connection to material, satisfaction of challenge
• students’ attitude to work changed as a result of comparing
predictions and findings
• ethnocentrism - the students putting Bulgarians in the first place in
terms of racism and xenophobia realized it is not true
• perception of “right” and “wrong”: students realized their view is not
universal (changed attitude towards the teacher in “I Thought My
Teacher Fancied Me”)

How the teachers changed:
Students were not the only ones affected by the changed approach
to culture. Some changes can be observed in the teachers as well. The
experience affected them on two levels: as professionals and as persons.
The professional growth can be better understood if we list some of the
possible problems identified at the first seminar. In spite of their
willingness, the participants expressed a lot of concerns, i.e.:
• lack of authentic materials, reference books and native speakers to
consult

12



• lack of cultural experience on the part of the students and the
teacher
• lack of interest and motivation
• lack of confidence in dealing with sensitive topics
• suitability of lessons and topics to students’ age group and language
abilities
• curriculum constraints

The teachers felt challenged though not quite confident at the
beginning. They started by sticking closely to the Syllabus, and (in many
cases) by trialling the sample lesson that was taught during the first
seminar: ‘Cross-cultural comparison of tourist materials’.
One and the same lesson was taught with different success in
different classes (“The Fur-game”). In one of the classes the students were
shocked by the cruelty with which animals are killed for their fur. They
claimed they would never wear fur.’ The discussion shifted to cleanliness in
our town and they wanted to organise group to keep nature clean. In a
different class, same age level, taught by the same teacher, students
refused to see the problem or identify with it. They thought that even if they
stopped buying fur clothes that would not change things. This made the
teacher aware of how difficult it is for to attitudes change.
Problems encountered during the lessons
Teaching the lessons had both a liberating and threatening effect on
teachers. It enriched them, provided them with many opportunities for
growth and improvement in their professional capacity, helped the
overcome the problems envisioned in the beginning, but also brought to
the surface other unforeseen problems.
13



• Timing - difficult to plan
• Sensitive topics - not all students felt comfortable with discussing
them; some refused to voice their attitude on xenophobia; or the clash
in Kosovo (probably they didn’t share the same value system)
• Danger of imposing your own ideas; evaluate phenomena instead of
objectively comparing them.
• Tight spots and losing control of the lesson (a young teacher was
asked, ‘What would you do if you received a love letter from your
student?’)
• Lack of up-to-date information (British newspapers) - there were
questions about the British school system that she was unable to
answer.
In these days of the learner centered approach, the responsibility for
learning is the learner’s. “The teachers may help overcome difficult stages,
may organize learning activities and try to stimulate the process, but can
never predict the outcome” (de Jong, 1996). Still, it was an ice-breaking
experience for the teacher/students relations: teachers came to know their
students better; provided for openness and mutual trust in their relations.
All the teachers recognized this as a positive experience:
Gergana:’I found the lesson about fur…an enjoyable and valuable
experience. Even though it didn’t show change of attitudes in one of the
classes it provoked them to think about these matters…’
Janeta:’Working on the project was difficult and time-consuming but the
students enjoyed it and the results were rewarding.
Gabriela: ’…an enjoyable lesson. Everybody was eager to present.’

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The Syllabus gave them an insight into their new role of culture teachers as mediators, consultants and monitors of the process of teaching culture
and not providers of knowledge.
• Provoked an interesting way of revising grammar through the CS
materials; Ex. Conditional sentences-‘I thought my teacher…’
• Provided a new perspective of the nature of cultural teaching and
learning and a more structured approach to it.
• Supplied ideas on selecting and adapting materials that provoke
students’ interest.
• Gained in confidence - ‘Each time it is better.’
• Acquired a better understanding of what students think/feel; of how
they perceive themselves as individuals - leads to better relationship
with the students.
• Improved classroom dynamics and classroom management.
• Learned how to design their own lesson around skills.
• Higher respect on behalf of the students.
• Fascinating

connection

between

teaching

‘pure’language+culture+‘life’-skills.
The Syllabus changed them on a personal level as well. Teachers:
• gained in confidence
• improved relations with colleagues (they observed each other,
discussed possible problems)
• became more tolerant of others and “otherness”
• increased their own cultural awareness

15


The aim of the cultural studies teaching and learning, as exemplified by the
Syllabus, and as evidenced in this paper is not only to develop language
and communicative competence, but also “to expand one’s own cultural
awareness by learning about the cultural heritage of the English speaking
peoples and by so doing to arrive at a livelier appreciation of both cultures”
(Byram, 1997). The Cultural Studies Syllabus has already made a
tremendous impact on the ELT practice in the town of Shoumen and has
changed the way teachers and learners view the world and themselves.
The process of introducing the syllabus to the ELT community in Bulgaria
is on-going and will undoubtedly contribute to the future integration of
Bulgaria in the European community.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Billington, R. Strawbridge, S. Greensides, L. Fitzsimmons, A. Culture
and Society: A sociology of Culture, 1991, Macmillan Education Ltd.
Byram, M. Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative
Competence, 1997, Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Davcheva, L. Berova, N. Discovering Britain, 1991, Prosveta
de Jong, W. Open Frontiers: Teaching English in an intercultural
context, 1996, Heinemann ELT
Montgomery, M. Reid Thomas, H. Language and Social Life, 1994,
The British Council
THE CULTURAL SYLLABUS AND ITS EFFECT ON TEACHING IN
SHOUMEN
16



The Cultural Studies Syllabus has been created to provide means for
integrating the teaching of language and culture. It promotes a new
understanding about culture teaching, a combination of knowledge and
skills, and proposes a new methodology for achieving these aims.
Since its publication, a series of seminars have been run throughout
the country. The present paper assesses the innovative effect of the
Cultural Studies Syllabus on the English language teaching and learning
practice in the town of Shoumen.

The Language Teacher A Japan-America Cross-Cultural
Syllabus:
17


Focusing on Some Essential Elements of Culture
Paul Stapleton
Hokkaido University Creative Course Design
edited by Daniel J. McIntyre
Cultural differences in artifacts and behaviors are easily discernible. These
obvious differences are the result of subtle ways of thinking societies
impart to their members in various ways. This article describes a language
course aimed at discussing the surface differences and examining the
underlying conceptual frameworks and socialization mechanisms, while
practicing the language of a "target" culture. In this case, the cultures of
Japan and the U.S. are compared and contrasted for content and EFL
purposes.
Rationale
In the past several decades, explosive growth has taken place in the
movements of people and information around the world. With this growth

has come a new interest in and a need to develop deeper understanding
about how members of societies outside our own live and perceive the
world. The buzzwords internationalization and multiculturalism reflect a
growing awareness that the world is no longer a collection of disparate
countries but an integrated, interdependent mosaic, the glue of which is
mutual understanding and respect for the cultures of others. All too often,
however, the binding agents in this glue are not effective enough because
our knowledge and understanding of another's culture is inadequate.
Breakdowns in communication are frequently not because of linguistic
miscues but a result of cultural misunderstanding.
Because of the growing recognition that cultural knowledge is a vital
component of successful communication between peoples, academic

18


institutions around the world are establishing departments related to
Cultural Studies and Multiculturalism. In addition, the relatively recent
realization amongst second language professionals that knowledge of a
target language's culture is crucial to successful communication in a
second language has brought about new methods and courses that
address this need.
As Japan increasingly becomes part of the world community, the need to
communicate with a variety of people from abroad will grow. To this end,
many Japanese universities and colleges are offering courses whose
content most often centers on the culture of English speaking countries,
particularly America. Rosen (1997, pp. 25-26) describes this type of course
in which students learn about certain facets of American and British society
as well as the concept of culture in general; this includes the basics on
culture shock, ethnocentrism, and the like.

Presently, there are many books on the market that serve as texts for
courses of this nature. For the most part however, these texts discuss
surface differences of culture, i.e., festivals, fashion, food and family, while
ignoring the deeper and more significant aspects of culture that are
working beneath the surface to manifest these differences. The purpose of
the course proposed in this paper then, is to first examine these surface
differences, hamburgers vs. sushi is one example, and then explore the
historical processes including the beliefs, values and attitudes that have
brought these differences about.
The Course
The intent of the course is to compare Japanese and American culture and
through this comparison, illustrate the deeper cultural differences that exist
between the two countries. To achieve this aim, students are introduced to
a different facet of society at each meeting. Because students are familiar
19


with these facets of society, at least on a surface level, the topics remain
accessible to them so they can contribute their own experience and
opinions.
The objective of the course is to provide students with a deeper
understanding of both their own culture and American culture. Such
understanding is useful because it gives insight into interactions between
themselves and foreigners. In this course, two major cultural themes recur
and are contrasted in most of the classes: group versus individual culture
and vertical versus horizontal culture; in each case, Japan is the former
while America is the latter. Although there are plenty of other themes that
could be explored, such as shame vs. guilt culture, because of its
introductory nature, this course is confined to only two themes.
The Method

This course operates on the principle that students learn best when they
bring their own knowledge and experience to a given topic (Brinton and
Snow, 1988, p. 3). Accordingly, in order to draw out what students already
know, each lesson begins with a survey that students can conduct in the
class followed by pointed questions that students work on in small groups.
The questions are specific and familiar enough that all students will have
something to contribute. For example, in a unit discussing the raising of
children, students can usually answer when they stopped sleeping in the
same room as their parents. By sharing their own knowledge, students are
actually experiencing a different style of learning from what they are
generally accustomed to in their Japanese classes, where knowledge
tends to come via the instructor only. In this sense, students are not only
benefiting from a style of learning that draws them into the learning
process, they are also experiencing a new learning culture.

20


After the survey and group discussion of questions, a reading on the topic
is passed out that describes differences between Japanese and American
culture and the underlying reasons for these differences. To briefly
elaborate on the above example on raising children, the reading points out
that Japanese children tend to sleep with their parents for several years
(Reischauer, 1988, p. 144) while Americans tend to give their children a
separate room soon after birth (Levine and Adelman, 1993, p. 172-4). It is
then argued that the reason for this difference runs deeper than simple
lack of space in Japanese homes. Rather, the closeness between
Japanese infants reflects a strong penchant for encouraging dependence
and group orientation. On the other hand, Americans prefer to inculcate
independence and this is reflected by the new born baby being given its

own room.
Finally, after reading the passage, students write down answers to the
same questions that they had asked in their groups, only this time for
American culture. In this way, students are able to contribute answers for
their own culture while reading answers about the target (American)
culture.
By the end of the class, students have had an opportunity to speak and
read in English while learning about the deeper cultural values that exist in
their own culture as well as one of the countries whose language they are
studying. In this way, the course provides both language practice in
addition to cultural content that reaches to a level beyond that normally
discussed.
Assessment
In light of the realities of university education in Japan, that is, one teacher
is often responsible for the course design, teaching and marking of at least
half a dozen courses per semester, student assessment must be kept very
21


efficient. The one term course outlined below includes assessment in three
components.
The first component is attendance. Because students are meant to be
active participants in group discussions that take place each week,
attendance is an important part of the final grade. Secondly, a report
(minimum 500 words) which discusses one or both of the class's themes in
regard to a topic of the student's choice is required at the end of the term.
Reports are expected to include proper referencing and footnotes, which is
also taught in the course. Finally, a take home exam is conducted which
asks students to creatively apply what they have learned over the previous
15 weeks.

Course Content
Week 1: Fundamentals of Culture: Many factors affect the way culture
develops, for example, the physical environment, the way of getting food,
the great people in a culture's history, religion, and political will. These
factors have given Japan a vertical structure of society which is group
oriented. In America, these same factors have led to a horizontal,
individually-oriented culture. As an example of one element, great people,
the influence of Confucius is contrasted with thought from ancient Greece.
Week 2: Raising Children: The way that people raise their children reflects
the culture of a given society. For example, Japanese raise their children to
live in a group culture while Americans raise their children to live in an
individual culture. By examining why couples have children as well as how
parents treat their children with regard to sleeping arrangements, bathing,
baby sitting, and disciplining, a better understanding of both the differences
and similarities of the two cultures may result.

22


Week 3: Family: A cultural study of the family constitutes several elements
including: how couples first meet, the reasons people marry and divorce,
whether they live with their children, who controls the money, etc. Japan
and America can be contrasted in all of these facets and often deeper
cultural values are reflected in the differences. For example, the continued
practice of arranged marriages in Japan reflects the need of families to
have some control over the acceptance of new members before they enter
the group. In America, couples are mostly free of this type of practice
(Nanda, 1994, p. 235).
Week 4: Communication Styles: Certain elements of language such as
compliments, greetings, vocabulary, and expressions of modesty reveal

that Japanese language tends to pay more attention to a social hierarchy
and the wishes of the group, while English language is more oriented
toward the individual with less concern for the status of one's listener
(Adler and Rodman, 1994, pp. 328-9). Examples such as the Japanese
frequent use of words like senpai, which is translated with difficulty into
English, serve to illustrate this point.
Week 5: University Education: Japanese and American university
education show many different nuances. Elements such as the age of
students, the style of teaching and evaluation, the method of entrance into
university point to deeper cultural values. These elements are examined in
light of Confucian roots in the case of Japan while American education is
considered in light of educational beliefs dating back to the ancient Greeks
Week 6: Food and Health: By describing the diets of Japanese and
Americans, it is possible to make some broad conclusions about how these
diets developed. While the physical environment has played a large role,
methods used by our ancestors to preserve food have also been an
important contributor (Omae and Tachibana, 1988, p. 99). The importance
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that Japanese place on the visual appearance of food may also have
deeper cultural roots.
Week 7: Women: Throughout history, in both Japan and America, women
have experienced discrimination. This discrimination is still evident today in
facets of everyday life including language, the workplace, schools, etc.
This discrimination however, has a different nuance in both countries as do
the roles that women play in each society.
Week 8: Working Life: Recruitment, holidays, the rate of changing jobs,
meetings and decision making are all aspects of working life that show
differences between Japan and America. For example, Americans change

their jobs more often than Japanese do which points to a stronger feeling
of group loyalty in Japan compared to individually-oriented America
(Stewart and Bennett, 1991, p. 134). Job discrimination is another facet of
working life that exists in both Japan and America, but has a different
nuance.
Week 9: Law: The crime rate in Japan is much lower than that of the
United States which is a reflection of the social structure, the laws, and the
criminal justice systems of the two cultures. These three factors in turn
reflect deeper cultural values. For example, living in a group society,
Japanese know that if they commit a crime, it not only reflects badly on
themselves but on their family members (Van Wolferen, 1989, p. 249).
Thus, social pressure plays a bigger role in deterring crime than in
America.
Week 10: Economy: Although economy may seem like an odd topic for a
course on culture, the way a society manages its money is greatly
influenced by its culture. For example, Japan is known for its high prices
while most goods and services in the United States are cheaper. One of
the reasons for high prices in Japan are its myriad regulations that govern
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the whole distribution process. These regulations help the government
keep tight control of the economy while keeping unemployment low
(Tenhover, 1994, p. 40). This tends to reflect a group-oriented, hierarchical
culture. In America, most industries are relatively free of regulations, which
helps to lower prices but increases unemployment. This reflects a more
horizontal society where open competition is encouraged.
Week 11: Television Commercials: Television commercials can reveal
much about the culture of a society. In Japan, commercials tend to be
image-oriented and supply the viewer with very little information. In

America, commercials tend to be full of information with less attention
being paid to a product's image. This difference reflects, among many
things, a fundamental contrast in the way Japanese and Americans
communicate (Stapleton, 1997). As group members, Japanese use high
context communication in which the listener must derive meaning from the
context as well as the words. American communication style is low context,
and meaning is derived mostly from words alone (Hall, 1987, p. 158).
Week 12: Space: The way people view space is different in every culture,
for example, the way people arrange their furniture, offices, and gardens
reflects the way they understand space. In general, Americans tend to view
unfilled space and silence as being empty (Levine and Adelman, 1993, p.
71; Hall, 1983, p. 99). Japanese, however, tend to find more meaning in
empty spaces and silences (Matsumoto, 1988, p. 50). These differing
views of space are, in part, connected to our relationships with others.
Japanese, as group members, tend to regard private space differently from
individually-oriented Americans.
Week 13: Health Care: Although both Japanese and Americans enjoy the
benefits of modern medical technology, there are many smaller nuances in
the way health care is practiced and these differences can be related to
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