Module 2: Who am I with others?
The world in which I live
What role does culture play in your life? How do you connect what is happening directly around you with what is happening globally? Here we start to explore the significance of our cultural identity and diversity. Did you know that if you have the ability to understand and appreciate multiple cultural perspectives, you will be able to be a highly effective and empathetic person within personal and professional situations.
The why
In this module, we explore where our sense of identity comes from and how it influences how we interact with the world around us. The PPS course, this stems from the theme of intercultural understanding. We will be using a range of research, communication and thinking skills to explore this.
You can see from the picture below the topics and subtopics this encompasses in the image below. Remember, though, that whilst we might look through the lens of a theme like Intercultural Understanding, all the themes connect together.
Before you start, have a look at the topics and subtopics here and make a note with a question mark of any words or phrases you are unsure about. Do some initial research for definitions to lay the foundation for our introduction to Intercultural Understanding. However, move your thinking on to where any of these topics and subtopics have come up in any of your CP courses so far.
Now find images to illustrate your understanding of what culture means to you.
You might use some of the following words and prompts to help you further with your choices and annotations.
Values and Norms: these are an individual's internalized beliefs and values about how they should behave in a given situation. What do you hold as most important in your life?
Empathy: this is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Who do you feel you understand the most in the world around you? Who would you like to understand more?
Commonalities: this means shared attributes and values. Who do you find you have most shared values with?
Environment: The environment in which you live and thrive can influence your values, behaviour and ambitions. Also, your cultural values can affect how one sees the environment in terms of the natural world. What sort of environments do you inhabit and which one do you feel the most comfortable in?
Personality: Individualism focuses on the rights and concerns of each person whereas collectivism stresses the importance of the community. Some cultures are more individualistic than others. Equally some cultures are more collectivist. This can impact how one's personality develops. How do these attitudes show up in the world around you? What do you think about this?
Now share and discuss your ideas with each other.
Who has a different response to you? Where are the commonalities?
Can you deduce who might have a different perception or outlook to you in terms of culture, environment and values and norms, who might have a different perception or outlook to you?
Who might share your experience across the world?
'While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel around the constituency is that we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us'.
Jo Cox, 1974-2016
Same, Different, Connect, Engage
Pair up with someone and discuss your work from the Activate section. Then agree on someone to discuss with whom you ordinarily would presume you are very different to. Discuss together your responses to the following question together.
Same: In what ways might this person and you be similar?
Different: In what ways might the person and you be different?
Connect: How might the person and you be connected as human beings?
Engage: What would you like to ask, say, or do with the person if you had the chance?
How do the local and global connect together?
The 3 Whys
Ever feel like big topics have nothing to do with you? Or don't you know how to think about them?
This routine is excellent for seeing how the personal, local and global play a part in the significance of a topic or situation and how they all connect together. Equally suitable for considering how the personal has more wider significance.
Let's use this picture as a prompt: What topic or issue does it represent?
Why might this [topic, question] matter to me?
Why might it matter to people around me [family, friends, city, nation]?
Why might it matter to the world?
This process is beneficial, where for developing an understanding of criterion B in the reflective project and exploring how an ethical dilemma is seen from different perspectives and cultures. It also helps you develop Criterion C critical thinking skills.
International-mindedness and the lifelong learner
The Learner Profile
Caring, Knowledgeable, Principled, Inquirer, Thinker