For me, studying and experiencing different international cultures is a journey of self-discovery. This group class is for people who are genuinely curious and/or fascinated about the subject of culture. Especially cultural differences. In this culture club, we will often refer to 'Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions' (https://www.hofstede-insights.com / https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison-tool ). If it is your first time joining this group class, you may want to take a look at the links to familiarise yourself with the literature a little bit. Don't worry though, we will go over this each class as well to make sure everyone is on the same page (everyone understands). The purpose of this class is not just to talk about culture abstractly. On the contrary, I want you to gain a basic understanding of the research on culture first, and then tell me about YOUR culture, and YOUR experiences with other cultures. Eventually, the goal is to discuss and debate about these cultural dimensions in terms of what YOU think is a best for you and/or for society as a whole.

According to Hofstede, there are 6 cultural dimensions: Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity/Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long Term Orientation and Indulgence. In each group class, we will look in detail at one. It's not necessary that you understand the meaning of these components before the class, but if you're interested or confused you can look at the links provided above which explain everything. In this series you will learn about the idea of culture from a scientific/academic perspective, and how to talk about culture and cultural differences in a complex and insightful way. Ideally, this class will help you to discover more about yourself, just as it did for me when I first learned about these cultural dimensions over 10 years ago.