Understanding World Cultures

Course Description

January 2024

Culture is more than food, language, and the arts. It is a set of
thought patterns, basic assumptions, and solutions to life’s
problems. This course begins by presenting an intellectual
framework for understanding world cultures, based on concepts
from cultural anthropology. The bulk of the course features
in-depth studies of a dozen specific countries on six continents,
in nearly all of which the instructor has lived and worked.
Conceptual analysis of each culture's distinctive logic is
accompanied by examples and anecdotes, to provide a feel for
everyday life as well as enable insight into world events and
enrich travel experiences.