International Education - Willamette University

International Education

Matthews Hall
Willamette University
900 State Street
Salem, Oregon 97301

503-375-5493 voice

Sustainability Lessons
Maintain a Blog
Time
C-Shock
Proverb

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while abroad assignment

Sustainability Lessons

Take time to observe the differences between your home culture and your host culture and they way in which they interact with their environment. Summarize some of the ways in which your host culture is more and less sustainable based on your perception of the definition of sustainability.

Then, answer the following questions.

Have you found yourself adapting to more or less sustainable practices?Do you think you will continue these practices when you return?

Do you think this is a conscious movement to sustainability? Or, is it viewed a necessity or simply just the way it is done? Discuss your reasoning.

Would it be possible to implement some of the sustainable techniques your host culture uses at Willamette, in Salem or in your home town? Expand on why or why not.

Turn answers of the above questions in to Stacy (swest@willamette.edu) by the due date noted on your syllabus.

while abroad assignment

Maintain a Blog

Set up a blog and submit three (at least 300 word) entries over the course of your time abroad. Answer two of the following discussion points sometime throughout your entries. Please alert Stacy (swest@willamette.edu) if you are maintaining a blog for credit by the due date noted on your syllabus.

What did you assume before you left that you are not finding in your host-country, host-culture and/or host family and friends? Why did you make those assumptions?
How is the education system you are experiencing different from what you are accustomed to in the U.S.? From your perspective as a student in the U.S. how is it beneficial and disadvantageous?
Consider the perspective of your host-country's students, how is it beneficial to them? Is it unfavorable to them in any way?
What have you done to learn about your host-country's culture? What parts of the culture are you learning about? What do you feel you are missing? What can you do to explore the parts you feel you are missing?
What parts of the host culture do you enjoy the most? What are the least enjoyable parts? Why do you dislike these aspects of the culture?
Pick a friend, host family member, work colleague, classmate, or someone from your host culture. Discuss what characteristics or aspects of this person are learned or affected by their culture. Now, what characteristics are results of their personality? How are you reaching these answers?
Describe the perceptions of the U.S. in your host country. Are there a range of perceptions or are they general? Are they what you expected? Do host-nationals ask you about the U.S.? What do they ask? What creates these perceptions?

Set up your blog:

http://www.willamette.edu/wits/llc/information/helpdesk/blog/

The Language Learning Center and WITS provide blog accounts for all WU study abroad students.
Already have a blog with another provider? Email the address to llc@willamette.edu and they will link it to WU’s page.

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while abroad assignment

Time

Consider the questions below and write a response (300 word minimum). Please turn your answers into Stacy (swest@willamette.edu) by the due date noted in your syllabus. This activity is best suited for the middle portion of your experience abroad.

A focus on the concept of Time and its role and place in a culture is often very revealing of the fundamental values upon which a society is built. Consider the many definitions and uses of the word/concept of time in the English language: Time is money; It's about time; Time out; and so on - there are many, many more.

As you walk around town and meet and see people, pay attention to the role and place of Time. How physically and conceptually dominant (or not) is it? Record your observations and consider some implications about basic cultural values that result from your findings.

Consider as well the way Time is represented in the local language. Are there just as many different definitions and uses for the word time as English has or are there just a few dominant ones? Is there one particular definition that you think really captures the people's (culture's) relationship to time?

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while abroad assignment

C-Shock

Culture Shock is thought of as a profound learning experience that leads to a high degree of self-awareness and personal growth. Rather than being a disease for which adaptation is the cure, culture shock is at the very heart of the cross-cultural learning experience. It is not a singular event, but an ongoing experience in self-understanding and change.

Choose a location in your new town that seems very different and plan a visit to it. The location must meet three conditions:

Your visit should be at least 2-3 hours, i.e. a morning, afternoon or evening.
You should be able to participate and observe at your location. Try to involve yourself directly in the activities of your chosen site and at the same time pay attention to what is happening around you.
Write down your observations, experiences, thoughts, and feelings.

For Example

There are many possibilities. Your choice/activity might be one of the following:

Visiting (and participating in) a church/religious ceremony.
Attending a sporting event and sitting in the stands with the home team.

The idea for this activity was taken from Indrei Ratiu's "Simulating Culture Shock," in Experiential Activities for Intercultural Learning, p.101.

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while abroad assignment

Proverbs

Consider the questions below and write a response (300 word minimum). Please turn your answers into Stacy (swest@willamette.edu) by the due date noted on your syllabus. This activity is best suited for the middle portion of your experience abroad.

"Although we all know a proverb when we hear one, it is difficult to define the term precisely. Proverbs can be defined as 'short, pithy, epigrammatic statement, which sets forth a general, well-known truth.' When viewed as part of a communicative act, they are vehicles for sending messages about opinions, feelings, manners or customs of a people. They serve as witnesses to the social, political, ethical, and religious patterns of thinking and behaving of a cultural group."¹

Create a list of local proverbs by asking your roommates/friends/family in the host culture. For each proverb be sure to ask the person to explain what it means. Analyze what cultural values are being reinforced. Try to come up with an English proverb that matches each local proverb. Sometimes it will only match in part, other times it might be a closer match.

Consider the differences and similarities of each pair of proverbs. What assertions can you make about the differences and similarities of your host culture and US cultures based on your sample of proverbs?

¹From Margaret D. Pusch, ed., Multicultural Education:A Cross Cultural Training Approach, p.153.