PROGRAM GOALS
we will do our best to:

Help students gain confidence and overcome their cultural differences so they thrive in their new environment

Provide tools to cope with the huge change in their everyday lives.

Improve academic success.

Help the students to flourish socially

Help students integrate while reducing academic stress, depression and anxiety.

Provide tools to cope with their new American peers, teachers and cultural environment, while maintaining their strong Chinese cultural identity and traditions.

Have a good time :-)

The core focus for this course is on teaching cultural competence, behaviors and social preparedness, in a fun, convenient and interactive basis.

We do that through fun and entertaining web-based assignments.

Every week, each student is required to complete online and offline assignments and attend an online class meeting/discussion with your assigned cultural expert trainer.

So basically, every week students will have ALL three elements:

1. Online- watch videos, listen to podcasts and read a short written essay (available 24/7).

2. Offline- real-life exercises with American students and instructors, including structured interactions, discussions, questionnaires and games.

3. Video training meeting, led by a professional cultural life-coach and trainer, to encourage reflective conversations about assignments and exercises, and to process everyday situations reactions and dilemmas in real-time

So what do we actually do?

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The first phase of the course, we will get familiar with basic ideas around culture.

Chinese students will explore the various cultures they come from, and that are a part of their lives. Their Chinese culture is a big influence, but their town as well as their specific family, hobbies and personal belief system also contribute to the wide picture of any individual’s culture.

In this part, we will understand basic terminology to begin to understand the complexity of culture. We will dive into Hofstede’s most known and used, 6 dimensions of national culture, where we will investigate Chinese Vs. U.S culture in terms of Power, and Power Distance, Individualism vs. Collectivism, Masculinity vs. Femininity, How much a culture tries to Avoid Uncertainty, Long term vs. Short Term Orientation, and Indulgence vs. Restraint.

On the second phase, after being more comfortable in starting to wear the cultural glasses, we will start to investigate about the culture that we are now living in, the American Culture, with some specific characteristics for our specific region/state/city/campus etc.. What is similar? What is different?
We will look deeper into clothes accessories and fashion, music, TV shows, movies, sports, food- at home and in restaurants, small-talk, driving, writing a text or an email, and many more day-to-day topics.

On the third phase of the course, we will go out of our comfort zone and start to create relationships with our American peers. This will be done at first by going out and interviewing in small groups your American colleagues, at first about the basic things that we have covered, and as we progress, to more and more meaningful topics and assignments.

MATERIALS

• A computer with a camera and access to the internet

• Wi-Fi

All other material will be provided to you.

The course's cultural trainer will be available for any question or consultation on separate dedicated  office hours.