Module 1 Lesson Plan 2 - Cross Cultural Psychology

Introduction:
Meet Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict

Language Puns

Did you hear that NASA recently put a bunch of Holsteins into low earth orbit? They called it the herd shot 'round the world. 

Has Your Travel Agent Told You?

A client called in, inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, "would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?"

Review - Group Thoughts

1.  During the previous class meeting, did you sign the roster, make and display a  nametag, and download or learn how to print your own copy of the syllabus?

2.  Did you resolve any difficulties about textbooks, or bring matters of that sort to the attention of the instructor?

3.  Did you learn how to access the Psy-119 course homepage, the syllabus, and the suggested 15-week-calendar?

4.  Did you learn how to make a notebook, and to file the syllabus, the daily class outlines, your handwritten reflections about each class meeting, and your typed questions and answers to your homework in the notebook?

5.  Did you print yourself a copy of the daily class outline for today?

6.  Do you know how to get into Patrick Henry Community College's Blackboard Discussion Group to talk about your homework and your projects with other students?

If you are mastering these skills, you are on your way to being successful in PSY-119, Cross-Cultural Psychology.

Class/Internet Activities

1.  Let's discuss  homework you put in your notebook  from the previous class.

2.  Watch Psychological Anthropology.  In the video you meet Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead, two of the authors you are going to read and write about in this course.

You "met" Ruth Benedict when you did your homework, and you read about an island culture in the Pacific.  Margaret Mead was among the first Americans to study people from the South Pacific.  While Ruth Benedict was writing an explanation of Japanese culture for use by the United States military during World War II, Margaret Mead was writing an explanation of American culture for use by the United States military.

3.  Let's begin a small group activity called the NASA problem-solving exercise.

 We're going to be working in small teams when we do our Country Reports.  Here's an introduction to a problem in which the quality of the teamwork was critically important in achieving successful results.  Watch the 1:07 through 1:22 excerpt from Apollo 13 today.  Then complete the NASA handout as part of your homework, if your instructor wishes to assign this exercise to you.

This  15-minute clip gives an excellent overview of the sequence of problem solving needed to return successfully to the earth.  One of those problems involves getting rid of a buildup of poisonous gas.  The solution requires a team effort on the earth to put together an apparatus by assembling remaining supplies in such a way as never before conceived by the designing engineers. In a literal sense, the engineers invent a way to put a square peg into a round hole, and that keeps the crew alive to face still other challenges.

In Cross-Cultural Psychology, you will have to function with as yet unknown team members to present a Country Report during Part Two of the course.  This exercise should provide us an opportunity to discover and think about what constitutes good teamwork when such unknowns are present.

Summary

1.  The Review section of today's Module 1, Lesson Plan 2 Daily Class Outline was provided to see if you have been able to get your notebook started successfully in Cross-Cultural Psychology.

2.  The Class Activities were two-fold:
first we met the authors of  And Keep Your Powder Dry, and The Crysanthemum and the Rose;
second, we set the stage for small team problem solving by watching parts of Apollo 13.

3.  The space race to the moon was a human idea and part of both subjective and objective  culture articulated by President John F. Kennedy during an early period of the Cold War, and carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.  The Soviet society had its own version of an "Apollo 13" disaster.   Although the Soviet astronaut was killed, he manually performed maneuvers as difficult as those performed by the crew of Apollo 13, and successfully re-entered the atmosphere.  However, the parachute needed to decelerate his capsule failed to open.

4.  Even a small group, or team, develops its own culture.  Review the four items mentioned in your journal that describe the extent of your likely success in Cultural Psychology.  These four items also describe the extent of success which small groups or teams can achieve.  If you are to work on the Internet in e-commerce, you are going to be part of a collaborative team, and its success can be measured by the extent of success in reaching the four items already referenced in your notes.

Homework

1.  Answer questions 1, 2, and 3 in the following table about the video Psychological Anthropology in your notebook.

2.  If assigned, complete the individual portion of the NASA problem solving exercise as homework.  (We will be using the results in class.)

3.  Read Chapter Two - The Use of Projective Tests in Non-Western Cultures, pages 7-12 in Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Introductory Psychology.  Answer question 4 and 5 from the following table in your notebook:

4.  Read "Chapter 2 - The Japanese in War," pages 20-42 from The Chrysanthemum and the Sword.  Here are some questions and page references about your reading which you can answer in your notebook:
 

Customary Behaviors (Other than my own)

World Capitals

webofculture.com

Spend a Moment

webofculture.com

"All people smile in the same language" ---- Unknown

here is an American astronaut.  He or she may be smiling.  Would a smile from a Russian or French cosmonaut have the same meaning and be recognizable across cultures?  What do you think the research on the answer to this question suggests?