Austin Woerner's Memory Palace

EAP102B Spring 2021

Day 4

Wed. Mar. 31

  • English lesson: Using feedback

  • Finish discussion of values, in-group/out-group, and social norms in American Factory

  • Go over essay prompt, discuss: Can “intercultural training” make a difference?

  • Speakers summarize Hofstede excerpts

Homework

➤ Note: Class on Friday

Please don’t forget: Our next class is on Friday, and we don’t have class on Monday

➤ English Homework: What are my sources for language?

Think about this question: Where could I learn new words and phrases to help me communicate better about the specific topic I identified, or in the specific situation I identified?

Next class, I’ll ask everybody to share their topic or situation and share your thoughts about where you could get new words/phrases for it.

➤ Watch Hofstede video, Ch. 3 & 4 excerpts, be ready to discuss

Next class we will discuss two of Hofstede’s six dimensions: “Power Distance” and “Collectivism vs. Individualism”

To get a general overview of these ideas, I recommend you first watch these two ten-minute videos on Youtube (VPN required) in which Hofstede himself explains them:

Then, please read the excerpts from Chapter 3 & 4 that I handed out to you in class.

Use these questions to guide your reading, and be ready to share your answers to them next class. For each question, be able to point us to a specific place in the text where Hofstede answers this question. (In other words, be ready to say: “on page X in paragraph Y Hofstede says…”)

Power Distance:

  1. How does Hofstede define “power distance”?

  2. What survey questions did Hofstede use to generate countries’ scores for “power distance”? (In other words, what questions is the power distance score “based on”?)

  3. What is one observation that Hofstede makes about “high power distance” or “low power distance” societies that you find particularly interesting or thought provoking?

Collectivism vs Individualism

  1. How does Hofstede define “collectivism” and “individualism”?

  2. What survey questions did Hofstede use to generate countries’ scores for “collectivism/individualism”? (In other words, what questions is the collectivism/individualism score “based on”?)

  3. Why does Hofstede consider “power distance” and “collectivism/individualism” to be two separate dimensions, and not a single dimension?

  4. What is one observation that Hofstede makes about “high power distance” or “low power distance” societies that you find particularly interesting or thought provoking?

Finally, be ready to share your answer to (and possibly debate!) this question:

  • If you were hired by Fuyao Glass America to run an “intercultural training workshop” for newly hired American and Chinese workers at their factory, would you use these ideas (“power distance” and “collectivism/individualism”) to help them understand one another’s cultures? Why or why not?

Austin Woerner