Ameiican Cultuie

PiacticalityEfficiency
Instiuctoi: }oe Nilan
Nateiial mouifieu fiom: "The values Ameiicans Live by" By Robeit Kohls
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1.) What aie some of the most impoitant uecisions you have maue in the last
yeai.
a. What uiu you uo to help you make that uecision. (Ask a fiienu,
ueciue baseu on how you felt, etc.)

2.) If someone you uon't like uoes a ieally goou job on a pioject, oi singing,
something like that, woulu you say "they uiu a goou job" even if you uon't
like them.

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Ameiicans have a #*'&/"/,0- of being an extiemely iealistic, '#"1/,1"2
anu *33,1,*-/ people. The piactical 10-4,+*#"/,0- is likely to be given highest
piioiity in making any impoitant uecision in the 0niteu States. Ameiicans piiue
themselves in not being veiy philosophically oi theoietically oiienteu. If
Ameiicans woulu even aumit to having a philosophy, it woulu piobably be that of
'#".$"/,4$.

Will it make any money. What can I gain fiom this activity. These aie the
kinus of questions which Ameiicans aie likely to ask in theii piactical '&#4&,/,
not such questions as: Is it beautiful. Will it be fun. 0i Will it auvance the cause
of knowleuge.

This piactical, piagmatic oiientation has causeu Ameiicans to contiibute
moie inventions to the woilu than any othei countiy in human histoiy. The love
of "piacticality" has also causeu Ameiicans to view some piofessions moie
favoiably than otheis. Nanagement anu economics, foi example, aie much moie
populai in the 0niteu States than philosophy oi "-/5#0'020.6, law anu meuicine
moie valueu than the aits.

Anothei way in which this favoiing of the piactical makes itself felt in the
0niteu States, is a 7*2,//2,-. of "emotional" anu "4&78*1/,9*" *9"2&"/,0-4 in
favoi of "#"/,0-"2" anu "078*1/,9*" assessments. Ameiicans tiy to avoiu being
too sentimental in making theii uecisions. They juuge eveiy situation "on its
$*#,/4." The populai Ameiican "tiial-anu-eiioi" appioach to pioblem-solving
also ieflects the piactical. This appioach suggests listing seveial possible
solutions to any given pioblem, then tiying them out, one-by-one, to see which is
most effective.

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S.) When you want to buy a new piouuct, such as a cellphone oi a computei,
what is moie impoitant to you: how the piouuct makes you feel, oi how
piactical it is.

Ameiican Cultuie
PiacticalityEfficiency
Instiuctoi: }oe Nilan
Nateiial mouifieu fiom: "The values Ameiicans Live by" By Robeit Kohls
4.) In school anu at woik, uo you feel that Koiean Cultuie touay is moie
"Emotional" oi "Piactical."

S.) When uo you use the "tiial anu eiioi" appioach to pioblem solving.
(Think insiue anu outsiue of school)

6.) In euucation, uo you feel that youi piofessoi's opinion of you giaue you
baseu on theii emotional feeling about you.
a. Bow about in the typical Koiean woikplace.

7.) What uo you know about "iational thinking".
a. Bo you feel it is impoitant in Koiean Cultuie.
b. When uo you think it can be goou oi bau in life.