II. FAMILY
1. Compare and contrast family life, child rearing practices, etc. in your various cultures. What differences can you discover? How about the American ideal of individualism? How is it manifested in family life and child rearing practices? How is it different in cultures that are more collectivist?
3. Discuss gender roles. How are boys and girls treated differently? What kinds of activities, toys, games, etc. are gender specific, that is, OK for one sex but not for the other? Does this differ from culture to culture?
4. Is respect for the aged an important part of your culture? How is it demonstrated?
III. HISTORY
1. How did the central beliefs of the immigrants to the U.S. manifest themselves in American cultural values?
2. Americans believe in certain “inalienable rights.” What does this mean? What rights do Americans think are inalienable? Compare to other cultures.
3. Explain the historical roots of violence in the U.S.
4. Gun control is a hotly debated issue in the U.S. Firearms are very common here and easy to obtain. Many Americans place high value on our “right to bear arms.” What are the historic roots of these attitudes? Compare to other cultures.
5. What is American “frontier spirit”? What is “manifest destiny?” How did these ideas affect our history?
6. Discuss the role of women (as compared to that of men) in U.S. culture. Is there equality for women? In what ways are there unequal treatment and opportunities for women in the U.S. and other cultures? Do you think gender equality is a desirable goal, or not?
7. What is the “island nation” mentality that is associated with Japan? How has it affected Japanese history and culture?
8. The history of interactions between European Americans and Native Americans, and European Americans and African Americans, might be called a disaster of intercultural communication? Any comments?
9. How has Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican history shaped the cultural values of these nations?
©2004 Christine Bauer-Ramazani, Saint Michael's College. Last updated: July 09, 2017