Cultural Learning
Basic Things You Should Know Before You Go
Establish good relations with the host culture(s) of your study abroad country. For instance,
Investigate the following topics – use the internet, foreign newspapers, and magazines or ask a person from your host country:
Establish good relations with the host culture(s) of your study abroad country. For instance,
- Do you know if you should you bring a gift to your host family?
- How formal should you be with your hosts?
- What should you expect in terms of how to register for your classes?
- What are some major political issues facing your host country?
Investigate the following topics – use the internet, foreign newspapers, and magazines or ask a person from your host country:
- Names of political leaders and political parties; type of government
- Major religion(s)/spiritual beliefs and their effect on the host country
- Hot topics of the day (e.g., government scandals)
- Recent conflicts and the role of the U.S. in those conflicts
- Year of independence and circumstances
- Economic conditions
- Cultural diversity (immigration and refugee populations, etc.)
- Class structure (e.g., what will your status as a student be in this country? What percentage of students in your host country go to college?