What's Japanese about Japan?

by

Stephen M. Ryan


1. Objectives and Overview

Activity Overview:

The way people perceive foreign cultures influences their ability to communicate with people from said culture. Thus, developing observation skills is key for Intercultural Communication. This activity encourages students to look for patterns in the culture they are observing, to triangulate, test hypotheses, and keep their minds open to other possible explanations for what they observe. In short, it is designed to help students “to see ourselves as others see us”.

General Learning Objectives:

  • To develop discernment for identifying patterns in a "foreign" culture


Specific Learning Objectives (optional):

  • To inculcate an attitude of enquiry and an openness to data when generating ideas
  • To encourage students to think beyond the observable

Keywords:

intercultural awareness, study abroad, observation skills

2. Activity Context

Activity context description

I use this activity as a way of honing students' thinking skills before they leave Japan to study abroad (multiple destinations); whenever we have some time set aside during orientation to work on attitudes and skills. In addition, I sometimes use this activity in conjunction with my other ICLE AI submission, titled “Making the Familiar Strange”.

Students

Suggested range of students:
2
3
4
5
8
10
15
Do students need to use a second language?
No (skip to Step 4)
What is the second language?
Level(s) in target language:
  • These levels are approximations 
Comments

3: Activity Duration

Estimated duration (multiple ranges possible):
1 - 1.5 hours
How many sessions?
1
Any homework?
Yes

4. Download PDF

PDF document Ryan, S. - Whats Japanese About Japan (ICLE AI #13).pdf



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