These teaching materials use the Deep Culture Podcast to introduce key themes related to the psychology of intercultural understanding. These materials are open-source and are free to use for non-commercial purposes. Please attribute to: The Japan Intercultural Institute. 

Episode 18 – Culture Shock:In this episode, Joseph Shaules and Ishita Ray discuss culture shock, the psychological disorientation caused by foreign experiences. They tell the story of Kalervo Oberg – the anthropologist who first wrote about culture shock, and explain the difference between culture surprise, culture stress and culture shock. They explore research into resilience, which reminds us that foreign experiences are often deeply meaningful even if they’re not always ‘fun’.

Materials included:

  • Episode Overview: 
    • A summary of the episode content, a link to play the episode, a list of key themes
  • Opening Discussion: Discussion activity focused on a short clip from the episode. 
  • Key ideas and insights are introduced using quotes from the episode, together with comprehension and discussion questions. Ideas/insights covered include:
    • What is culture shock?
    • Different experiences of culture shock
    • Honeymoon and crisis
    • Culture shock never ‘disappears’
  • Deep Understanding: Provides more detailed information about the psychology behind the key ideas and insights. It includes episode quotes and comprehension questions. 
  • Digging Deeper: Introduces discussion questions based on quotes and clips from the episode. This section helps learners connect themes to their experience. 
  • Testing and further activities: The slide set contains comprehension questions based on clips from the episode. These can be used to create quizzes. Discussion questions can be used for interactive activities and presentations.