Day 2
Wed. Mar. 24
Share goals for English learning
New words & phrases
Intro to American Factory and Hofstede
Homework
➤ write a new goal, if you have one
(Optional.) If after today’s discussion you have a clearer idea of what aspect of your English learning is most important for you to focus on right now, write a new paragraph describing it and send it to me.
➤ Notice if you use your new word/phrase
Between now and next class, notice if you encountered any situations in which it seemed to appropriate to use the new word or phrase you recorded. If you do, be ready to tell us what the situation was.
➤ Read Hofstede et al (2010) Ch. 1 & Gelfand (2018) Ch. 1 excerpt
Chapter 1 of Cultures and Organizations outlines Hofstede’s “mental model” of what culture is and how it “works.” (This is what scholars might call a “theoretical framework.”) Use these questions to guide your reading:
According to Hofstede…
… what is culture? (How does he define it? He uses a metaphor. What is the metaphor?)
… what does culture consist of? (What are its “parts”?)
… how is culture inherited? (How is it passed down from generation to generation?)
… what are “ingroups” and “outgroups” and why are they important to understanding culture?
… how does culture change?
… what are the layers of culture and why might they be important to understanding culture?
In Chapter 1 of Rule Makers, Rule Breakers lays out Michele Gelfand’s “mental model” of culture. Use these questions to guide your reading:
What is Gelfand’s definition of “culture”? (She doesn’t state it outright; she implies it.) Or another way to think of this is: What part of culture is Gelfand most interested in?
What are “social norms” and why does she think they’re so important and interesting?
➤ Watch American Factory (3pm Friday), write observations and questions
due Saturday midnight
As you watch (or after you watch) write fill one page single-spaced with statements that begin “I noticed…” about things you saw characters doing in the movie.
Please also fill one page single-spaced with questions that begin “I wondered…” about things you saw characters doing in the movie — things you were generally curious about or interested in or confused about.
Type your questions and observations in a Word document (.doc or .docx) and upload them to the Box folder entitled “2-Observations and questions about American Factory.” Please do this by Saturday midnight so that your classmates have time to read them to complete the homework below.
➤ Note connections between readings and American Factory
After your classmates have uploaded their observations about American Factory, skim through them—and also search your own memory of the movie—and see if you can find one example of each of these things, and be ready to share them with us next class:
An example of what Hofstede would call “values”
An example of what Hofstede would call “heroes”
An example of what Hofstede would call “rituals”
An example of what Hofstede would call “symbols”
An example of “in-group” and “out-group” dynamics
An example of social norms being followed
An example of social norms being broken