Week1: Module description and assignments

We will start our exploration of Polish culture learning a little bit about Poland's geography, its place in Europe and the political system, and then reflecting on what culture is. To this end we will look at different definitions of culture (and there are a lot of them!) and see what they have in common.  We will also have a  look at Geert Hofstede's model that allows for comparison of national cultures and use it to see what it reveals about Poland.  

You need to do the following:

1. Watch my lecture Poland: Introduction Links to an external site.
2. Complete the quiz "Introduction to Poland". View the lecture "Poland: Introduction" and then complete the quiz. The quiz has also 6 extra credit questions (not based on the content of the lecture) at the end. In order to answer them, you will need to do google searches.  (Max. 2 points plus possibility of getting 0.3 extra point.) FYI: Since I recorded this lecture, a year ago, the population of Poland went down from 37.980,000  (2016) mentioned in the slide to 37,788,000 in 2021. Also the density of the population went down from 318 per sq. mile to 314 per sq. mile. At the same time, the population of Michigan grew, and it is now 10,200, 000. 

3. Find and share one general definition of culture. Once you have posted the definition, read other students postings and comment on two posts by other students. In your comments, focus on how different or similar the definitions are to the one you have posted. In order to receive the maximum points your comment shave to be thoughtful and well-written. You will be able to see other students posts only after you have posted yours. (Max: 2+1 =3 points ) 

4. View a  presentation about Geert Hofstede Links to an external site. (15 minutes)  and his concept of cultural dimensions, and answer the corresponding questions. (Max: 1 point)
5. Complete the final module project (Max: 2+1 =3 points):
Go to the Hofstede site that allows for comparing the countries Links to an external site..
Choose 4 countries (one of them needs to be Poland), see how they compare to each other, take a screen shot of the graph, and post it together with a short analysis . Then comment on two other student posts.  (My video introduction to Geert Hofstede includes an example of such analysis.) You will be able to see other students posts only after you have posted yours.  Links to an external site.

6. Extra credit: watch the film "Poland: The Road of Revival" Links to an external site. and post your comments here for extra credit.