Assignment: Learning Different Cultural Systems
For this discussion post, you will discuss and analyze an experience you had learning (and adjusting to) a new culture.
Specifically, please respond to the following prompts:
1.) Identify and briefly explain your experience entering a new culture. Did you move to a new city, state, or country? Did you visit or travel to a different part of the country or the world?
• Keep in mind that we experience new cultures all the time without traveling far or moving somewhere new. Starting a new job involves learning the organization's culture and the organization's norms, values, and ways of behaving (we'll discuss this more in Module 10). Coming to college represents another cultural change; for many, transitioning from high school to college is quite an adjustment and requires learning a whole new set of norms and values.
2.) Next, describe what it was like to adjust to this new culture. Consider the following: Did you experience any culture shock? Were there any social norms in this new culture that were interesting to you or surprised you? In what ways was this new culture similar to and/or different from your own culture (or the culture you were most familiar with)?