Assignments for TCU study abroad in London, Fall 2012

Week 1:
Interaction Assignment

Your assignment is to take part in all TCU and university orientation activities. Write a brief (1 - 2 page, double
spaced) (300-500 words) summary of your orientation activities.

Reflection Prompts: Chose 1 or 2 of these question clusters to guide your reflection of 1-2 pages (300-500
words, double-spaced).

 What are first impressions of your hosts and London? What mystifies you? What intrigues you? What
do you already miss about home?

 What are your hopes and goals for your time abroad in London?

 Why did you choose to study abroad? Why did you choose London?

 Who are your first friends, and why did you “connect”?
Week 2: Interaction Assignment
Complete the reading assignment from Cultural Intelligence, “Ch. 8: Developing Cultural Intelligence in a Global
World,” before beginning the writing assignments.

Topic: Concepts of Americans:

What is your concept of Americans abroad? How do you think you will be regarded?

Next, using a search engine, such as Google, look online for stereotypes of Americans abroad. What are some
perceptions of Americans abroad? Where do these stereotypes come from?

Finally, ask 1 or 2 Londoners if they agree with these stereotypes.

Write a 2 – 3 page paper (500-750 words) summarizing your findings and evaluating the experience. What did
(or did not) surprise you?

Reflection Prompts: Chose 1 or 2 of these question clusters to guide your reflection of 1-2 pages (300-500
words, double-spaced).

 What have you discovered is part of American culture that you had not realized before? What did you
think was just “normal” which is actually cultural?

 What is the perception of Americans in London and/or the United Kingdom? Do you agree with or
reject these perceptions?

 What was the most frustrating thing anyone ever said about the U.S.A.? Did you respond? If so, how?

 What was the most insightful thing you heard anyone say about the U.S.A.? What about it was
insightful?

 Did you ever feel you had to defend the United States? Why and when? Did you ever feel ashamed of
your country?

 Has your perception of the U.S. A. changed—in cultural, political, or other terms?

 How does the United Kingdom see the U.S.A.’s role in world affairs? What do they think that the States
can or should be doing, on any number of topics: war and peace, aid to developing nations,
environmental issues, etc.?
Week 3: This week, we'll focus on learning about your host culture

Reading from Cultural Intelligence: “Ch. 1: Living and Working in the Global Village” and “Ch. 2: Cultural
Knowledge.” Complete the reading assignment before beginning the writing assignments.

Interaction Assignment: "Iconic Image."

Take a photo of an iconic image. Then do some research on it: What are the social, historical, environmental,
and / or economic factors contributing to or resulting from it?

Ask 1 or 2 Londoners: what makes this special to you? What do tourists not understand about this?

Take another photo of the same icon, but this time see if you can incorporate something you learned about the
icon into the photo.
Write a 2 – 3 page paper summarizing your findings and evaluating the experience. What did you do, and what
did you learn?

Reflection Prompts: Chose 1 or 2 of these question clusters to guide your reflection of 1-2 pages (300-500
words, double-spaced).

 What is daily life like for the people in London/the United Kingdom? What joys and challenges do they
say they experience? How is it different from life in the United States?

 What are the habits of Londoners? Are there environmental, physical, cultural, or other reasons why
they engage in those habits? Have you tried to emulate those habits, and what was that experience
like?

 What differences and similarities do you see between your host culture and the U.S.?

 What are the roles of men, women, and children in the families you have observed and/or interacted
with?

 How are gender and sexuality issues perceived in London (i.e., same-sex marriage, trans-gender
individuals, acceptance of homosexuals, etc.)?

 How does the United Kingdom see America’s role in their country’s affairs?

 How does the UK news media report on local, national, and international events? Do you feel that they
are more biased or more objective than the U.S. media?

 How is technology used by Londoners? What is its impact on the UK? Do you think this technology
enhanced your cultural immersion, either positively or negatively?

 Students living abroad experience physical differences regarding space, noise, weather, and topography.
How has your study abroad experience lead to a broader understanding of societal values shaped by
the constraints of space and the physical environment?
Week 4: Mid-Term Visit with Faculty. Your assignment this week is to attend the mid-term visit activities with
the faculty member and contribute to the discussion.

In preparation, please think about 2 cultural encounters, in which you have felt frustrated, elated, confused,
or intrigued. Please be prepared to share these encounters with the group and to discuss them during the class
time with the faculty member.

You must write a 1 – 2 page summary of the activities and discussion with the faculty member. Submit to the
Drop Box within 1 week of the visitor's departure (November 6)
Week 5: This week, we'll focus on developing empathy.

Reading: Cultural Intelligence Ch. 3: “Mindfulness and Cross-cultural Skills.” Complete the reading assignment
before beginning the writing assignments.

Interaction Assignment: "Local Pride"

Ask two locals: What are some things that make you proud of your country, or proud to be British? Are you
friends and family proud of the UK, and why?

Write a 2 – 3 page paper summarizing your findings and evaluating the experience. Were you surprised by
what locals said made them proud? Does it change your perception of them?

Reflection Prompts: Chose 1 or 2 of these question clusters to guide your reflection of 1-2 pages (300-500
words, double-spaced).

 Reflect on an emotional or memorable experience or interaction. How would you describe it? How did
you feel in the moment? Have you told others about? If, so, how did they react? What did you learn
from the experience or interaction?

 Reflect on a time you stretched yourself. Did you use creative thinking, problem-solving, decision-
making, visualization, socialization, negotiation, leadership, and / or teamwork? How did you adapt to
a culturally different setting?

 Describe about a time you felt like a local and why.

 Describe a memorable experience or interaction. Reflect on what you learned from it

 Describe a time you offended someone. What did you do wrong? Did the situation escalate because
you continued to use U.S. styles and norms, rather than culturally-appropriate ones?
Week 6: This week, we'll focus on developing effective intercultural communication skills

Reading: Cultural Intelligence Ch. 5: “Communicating, Negotiating, and Resolving Conflict”

Interaction Assignment: Market Interactions

Go to the market, or to a shop or store.
Observe how locals interact with vendors: what are greeting forms? Who initiates the interaction? How does
the customer ask for something different? Does price negotiation occur? How do interactions conclude?

Speak with a vendor. How long have they been selling the product? How did they become interested in selling
the product? How did they gain expertise in the product? What would [they] like tourists or non-natives to
know about the product?

Write a 2 – 3 page paper summarizing your findings and evaluating the experience. What did you do, and what
did you learn?

Reflection Prompts: Chose 1 or 2 of these question clusters to guide your reflection of 1-2 pages (300-500
words, double-spaced).
 Explain a new phrase or word you learned that is special. What does it mean? How is it used?
 How has learning the language, dialect, and communication style affected you?
 Was there a point at which you noticed you’d made a communication breakthrough?
 Describe differences in gestures, body posture, use of space, use of silence, use of directness, and or
use of politeness, and what those differences communicate.
Week 7: This week, we'll focus on increasing your curiosity

Reading found on Doc Sharing: “Observation, Note-Taking, and Curiosity” from Getting the Whole Story by
Cheryl Gibbs and Tom Warhover (email your professor for a copy if you can’t access it). Complete the reading
assignment before beginning the writing assignments.
Interaction Assignment: "Graffiti " OR "Getting Someone's Story."
Graffiti: Find some sort of graffiti or popular posters on the street. Ask a local what it means, how long it has
been there, what it represents/stands for, and/or why they think it is placed there. Ask creative questions and
learn about something that you may never have noticed if you weren’t looking for it.
Summarize your findings and evaluate the experience. What did you do, and what did you learn? How did you
try to delve deeply and creatively into learning about the item?
OR
Get someone’s story: Have an in-depth conversation with someone you have met in London that is not from
the USA, such as a conversation partner, host family member, friend. Discover something new. Use some of the
following question lists for ideas:
 What was the happiest moment of your life? The saddest?
 Who was the most important person in your life? Can you tell me about him or her?
 Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you?
 Who has been the kindest to you in your life?
 What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?
 What is your earliest memory?
 Are there any words of wisdom you’d like to pass along to me?
 What are you proudest of in your life?
 When in life have you felt most alone?
 How has your life been different than what you’d imagined?
 How would you like to be remembered?
 Do you have any regrets?
 What does your future hold?
 Is there any message that you’d like to leave for your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, or for
future generations yet to come?
 Is there anything that you’ve never told me but want to tell me now?
 Is there something about me that you’ve always wanted to know but have never asked?

Go to http://storycorps.org/record-your-story/question-generator/list/ for more questions

Write a 2 – 3 page paper summarizing your findings and evaluating the experience.
Reflection Prompts: Chose 1 or 2 of these question clusters to guide your reflection of 1-2 pages (300-500
words, double-spaced).
 How do people in London engage with issues of justice, health, sustainability, and peace? How do they
say or how do you see these values being addressed? How are these values addressed in London as
compared to in the U.S.?
 What did you see as the perception of ethnic or religious minorities in London? Were you an ethnic or
religious minority in London? As a result, has your belief system been challenged; has it changed?
 Reflect on an emotional encounter, a miscommunication, or a frustration. Feel free to release your
emotions in writing – such as, anger, surprise, amazement, elation, frustration, confusion.
 How has your worldview changed as a result of study and travel in and around London? When you
return, how will you express what you have learned while away?
 Look back at something you wrote about your host culture when you first arrived. What has changed?
Do you still have the same impressions? Do you have more insight into the aspects you found strange,
quaint, confusing?
 While in London, you attend lectures by international professors who brought their own cultural
mindset to coursework and projects. Explain how completing one of the assignments challenged your
worldview of a new cultural setting. Discuss how this assignment enhanced your understanding of
how culture shapes an individual’s viewpoint of societal norms.
Week 8: We'll focus on increasing your openness and flexibility.

Reading in Doc Sharing: “Conflict Across Cultures” (PDF)

Interaction Assignment: Visit to a Ceremony

Go to a ceremony, rite, celebration, event, or activity – it can be religious, sports, cultural in nature.
Write a 2 – 3 page paper summarizing your findings and evaluating the experience. What did you find
uncomfortable about the experience? What did you learn that surprised you? What confused you, or what did
you not understand?

Reflection Prompts: Chose 1 or 2 of these question clusters to guide your reflection of 1-2 pages (300-500
words, double-spaced).
 While interacting with the people, music, art, economy, natural environment and other aspects of
London, what previously held stereotypes-- yours and theirs-- do you find being challenged?
 What have you had the most trouble adapting to? Have you finally adapted to it, or do you believe
you’ll never adapt to it?
 Do you feel that you assimilated into the London culture over these past few weeks? How long did it
take and what led you to start feeling comfortable?
 Do you remember a time you made a genuine cross-cultural connection? What was it, how, when, and
why did it happen?
 Did you ever get homesick and how did you deal with that? What was your worst day? What was your
best day? Why?
 The accessibility of goods and services in other countries varies greatly. While abroad, how did you
adapt to the contrast between availability of goods and services taken for granted in the USA and these
commodities available in London? How does the availability of commodities in London affect the public
at large?
Week 9: Embracing your new global citizenship

Reading: Cultural Intelligence: “Conclusion: The Essentials of Cultural Intelligence”

Interaction Assignment: Favorite Part of Locale
Describe a favorite TV show, song, magazine, or locale that you discovered while abroad. Why is it meaningful
to you? What does it communicate about the local culture? What does it say about your new self: how does it
demonstrate your understanding or growth?
Write a 2 – 3 page paper summarizing your findings and evaluating the experience.

Reflection Prompts: Chose 1 or 2 of these question clusters to guide your reflection of 1-2 pages (300-500
words, double-spaced).
 How are you better prepared to be a global citizen because of studying in London? How have you been
transformed by studying abroad?
 Daydream about the future. How do you see yourself implementing the knowledge, skills, and
perspectives you’ve gained as a part of this experience? What do you want to do next with your life?
How will this experience help you in the future?
 How would you give advice to a future traveler to this location? What tips and suggestions would help
them?
 Describe something of importance to you in the intercultural context. What was the experience, and
why is it of importance to you?
Week 10: Final
Your final assignment is due December 9
Using the steps of “Examine your LENS,” write a 4 – 5 page (900+ words), double spaced paper examining the
following: Reflect on an emotional encounter, a miscommunication, or a frustration that happened earlier in
your time in London. Now that you are away from the moment, can you identify more clearly what led to the
situation? What were you expecting to happen, and what actually happened? Is this a cultural norm that you
misunderstood? What was your role in the misunderstanding? Papers will be graded on quality of analysis,
inclusion of both the U.S. and host culture’s perspective, along with grammar and overall quality of writing will
also be considered.
1. Look objectively: You are not viewing the encounter or event neutrally, but interpreting it through your
expectations and judgments, which are often conditioned by your culture. Eliminate judgmental words,
and describe the encounter or event objectively.
2. Examine your assumptions: Be open-minded and curious, and look carefully at the assumptions you’ve
made to see what values, habits, beliefs, and other cultural influences have led you to view the
encounter or event as you did.
3. Note other possibilities: Be flexible and use your knowledge of the culture to envision what other
values, habits, and beliefs might be at work here, and how they might lead to a different conclusion.
4. Substantiate with locals: Use your intercultural communication skills, critical thinking skills, and people
skills to ask locals or bicultural people if the new possibilities you’ve generated are accurate, or if there
are other parts of the culture you’ve overlooked.
Structuring the Paper: Use headings, and under each heading address the following:
 Synopsis of the event: write what you believed happened and how you felt at the time
 Look Objectively: re-write the encounter more objectively, eliminating judgmental words
 Examine Your Assumptions: describe your values, beliefs, and other influences that led you to view the
encounter as you did
 Note Other Possibilities: describe other rationales, values, beliefs, etc. which the other person may
hold, and how they played into the encounter
 Substantiate with Locals: write about what you learned when sharing the encounter with others