This is a clip that I edited and posted on YouTube. I use this clip in my Intercultural Communication course to introduce students to the idea of cultural literacy and the role it plays in intercultural communication.
E.D. Hirsch: education scholar who proposed the idea of cultural literacy. The idea was first introduced in the book Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know
.Cultural Literacy: All U.S. American students should have a commonly shared set of knowledge.
Rationale: Better communication and thus better relations.
- People w/o a shared cultural literacy have less effective communication. (Heterophily).
- People w/ a shared cultural literacy more effective, efficient communication. (Homophily)
Additional rationale: Many business leaders find young graduates lack good communication skills.
Examples of Things All Americans Should Know
- 1492
- 1776
- Achilles
- Adam & Eve
- Adams, John
- Aesop's Fables
- Ahab, Captain
- Alamo
- Alcott, Louisa May
- Ali, Muhammad Allah
- Allen, Woody
- All roads lead to Rome
This is a somewhat representative sample of his list of 500+.
Video: Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire - lyrics.
You may also want to see the official music video for the song.
Your task: You are in China and have to teach
An American Culture/English Language class. What would you do?
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See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.
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