Work in pairs. Student A: Read Text 1. Student B: Read Text 2. Then tell each other what happened to the person in each text.

1. Imagine you are taking part in a students' discussion on stereotypes and prejudices. Read the questions and the answers some other students gave. Think of your possible answer or comment and tell the class.

Name some specific stereotypes you have learned. From where/whom did you learn these stereotypes? Are they positive or negative? Are the stereotypes and prejudices the result of group membership/social and cultural identities? Which ones? How do they influence your behaviors when you have interactions with the people the stereotypes and prejudices are about?

One stereotype I have/had was that Japanese people are extremely polite and reluctant to speak their minds. I got that stereotype both from the media and, interestingly enough, from the Japanese language classes I took in high school. This affected the way I interacted with Japanese people that I met and befriended in the last 6 or 7 years (15 to 20 years after high school). It turns out that those stereotypes are no longer true, if they ever were.

Posted by pohnpei397 on February 6, 2012.

A stereotype that I have inherited comes from my own very fortunate schooling. I was lucky enough to attend a private school in Britain, and as a result of this and my own middle-class upbringing I have a very "posh" accent. This does mean that I do have a stereotype of those that do speak with some regional accents being associated with certain classes and also certain strata of society in terms of their educational achievement. Working amongst such learners for a number of years is slowly making me realise that this is not true, however!

Posted by accessteacher on February 6, 2012.

One stereotype I held for many year was that athletes were not intelligent. I think this was to some degree formed from my interactions with some athletes in a few classes I took. I have since changed my mind, believing that athletes are like anyone else, some intelligent and some not. I should also say that successful athletes have a form of intelligence that I clearly do not, a kinesthetic intelligence, and that, like most people, I suspect, I tend to value forms of intelligence that are most like my own and discount those that are not. I think that is not so admirable, and it is something I work on.

Posted by speamerfam on February 7, 2012.

(Источник: http://www.enotes.com/soc/discuss/stereotypes-prejudices-118265)

2. Have you ever had problems or embarrassing moments because of the lack of knowledge on culture? What happened? Why do you think people get into such situations?

Work in pairs. Student A: Read Text 1. Student B: Read Text 2. Then tell each other what happened to the person in each text.

Text 1

After a ten-hour journey from London I was really happy to have arrived at my host family's house in Colombia. They were extremely friendly even though I spoke only a little Spanish. After a while the mother asked me: "Estas casado?" I thought she was asking me if I was tired, so I said:" I, un poco," which means "yes, a little". Suddenly everyone laughed. Later I found out that 'casado' means married, and 'cansado' means tired. So she had asked me if I was married and I said: "Oh, a little"! that was just the first of many linguistic blunders I made.

Text 2

I'm from Colombia but I've lived in the US for ten years. When I first got a car, I needed to buy gas so I drove to a gas station and sat there waiting to be served. And I sat there, and I sat there, and no one came. Eventually, I went into the store and asked for a full tank of gas. The girl took my money and I went back to the car and waited again. Still no one came. So I thought maybe someone had done it for me while I was in the store. So I drove off. But then I looked at the gasometer and the tank was completely empty. I drove back to the gas station and suddenly I realized I had to fill the car myself. I've never done this before because in Colombia the people who work at the gas station do it for you. Well, I felt a bit stupid, as you can imagine.

Find some information about people in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, about their attitude to each other. Read the dialogue and say whether you agree with what is said about the Scots and the Welsh.

- I've never been to Scotland, what are the people like there?

- Uh, well, that depends; they're quite different from the English. They're much more outgoing and talkative. They're much less reserved and they love chatting – especially the country people, you know, from the Highlands.

- They've the reputation for being tight with their money. Do you think they're mean?

- No, they're quite the opposite. They're great people, very generous and hospitable. I mean, a lot of them don't have much, but they always welcome visitors with open arms and will offer them lots of food and drink at home. I think the Scots are brilliant people! I don't think Welsh people are that friendly though.

- I disagree, it's difficult to generalize but I think the Welsh are quite friendly. They are proud of the Welsh language and often speak it. They're Welsh and speak Welsh, so why shouldn't they speak their language? People thin the Welsh are unfriendly just because they want to speak their own language!