The Great Courses are good for updating and extending your education. On their own site, courses in audio download form cost about $35. On the Amazon site, the same course costs about $30 but some courses may not be available there.
I just finished the course "Customs of the World" conducted by Dr. David Livermore. He also has some books on the same subject, which is how to travel into other cultures and be a success there while enjoying, appreciating and cooperating with culture ideas and practices that differ from your own. There are 24 half hours lectures.
After some introductory talks, Livermore discusses 10 basic dimensions on which cultures differ:
1 Identity—Individualist versus Collectivist- Person or group, usually the family
2 Authority—Low versus High Power Distance - Boss is one of us or no way
3 Risk—Low versus High Uncertainty Avoidance - Like everything spelled out or not so much
4 Achievement—Cooperative versus Competitive - Group efforts or being the best
5 Time—Punctuality versus Relationships - be on time or wait until it is ok to leave
6 Communication—Direct versus Indirect - direct order or circumlocution
7 Lifestyle—Being versus Doing - work and more work or just enough work and then fun
8 Rules—Particularist versus Universalist - all treated the same or particular circumstances
9 Expressiveness—Neutral versus Affective - are people emotionally demonstrative?
10 Social Norms—Tight versus Loose - are there many rules that are carefully enforced?
Then, he discusses culture groups around the world:
1 Anglo Cultures
2 Nordic European Cultures
3 Germanic Cultures
4 Eastern European/Central Asian Cultures
5 Latin European Cultures
6 Latin American Cultures
7 Confucian Asian Cultures
8 South Asian Cultures
9 Sub-Saharan African Cultures
10 Arab Culture
All of the presentations are eye-opening. He emphasizes the value of being well-rested, well hydrated and successful at handling jet lag when in a different culture.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
