In [Culture Matters] students will use English for a real reason. They will use English to learn about and discuss culture--deep culture. We will NOT be talking about pizza and noodles or Christmas and Chinese New Year. Instead, we will focus on the more "unseen" parts of culture, such as how we use time and how we communicate important messages. This course is designed for students with an upper-intermediate level of English because we won't be focusing on learning vocabulary and grammar, but rather we will focus on communicating effectively, managing a conversation, and exploring and sharing our ideas in English. You should walk away from this class understanding yourself better, understanding other cultures better, understanding what to do when you encounter people from other cultures, and feeling more comfortable using English to communicate with other people. On completion of the course, students should be able to 1. define culture, 2. explain how and why they should postpone judgment, switch perspectives, avoid stereotyping, and show sensitivity to those from other cultures, 3. explain and describe some of the deeper aspects of culture, such as context of communication, time orientation, power distance, and so on, 4. use English to learn about and explore new ideas, 5. use English to explain, describe, and analyze course concepts, orally and in writing, 6. use English more fluently and confidently to (a) express opinions, (b) agree and disagree with others, and (c) facilitate small group discussions, and 7. evaluate and describe how course concepts relate to other life experiences.

Culture Matters Workbook by Amanda Parmley Wu, your course instructor