Abstract

Taking the cultural dimensions of individualism vs. collectivism as a theoretical framework, this paper compares and analyzes the significant differences between China and western countries in terms of spoken language culture, classroom culture, campus life culture and street cultures with the consideration of my experiences and cases of learning and life at home and abroad.   

This paper works on the differences of college students arrangements about English curriculum and the influences brought by different courses, and thus having a reflection on the problems resulted from the rigid curriculum arrangement in China. Starting from the cultural dimensions theory of Hofstede, this paper first introduces knowledge related to the American cultures mainly dominated by individualism and Chinese cultures mainly dominated by collectivism followed by a comparison between the two cultures and a summarization about their different effects. Classroom culture also varies from China to western countries, and this paper compares and analyzes the differences of classroom culture from the aspects of the way of learning and discussion and uses the good systems for reference to give perfect classroom experience to teachers and students. Campus life culture is aimed at analyzing the differences of college students’ life culture after class. Because the city’s street cultures are rich and colorful when I studied abroad, the differences of western and Chinese street cultures from the perspective of individualism and collectivism are analyzed as the last part of this paper, which deepens our understanding of western cultures. This paper aims to improve the intercultural communicative competence and to deepen the understanding of the differences between western and Chinese cultures through the analysis and comparison of the four cultural categories.

Key words:  individualism, collectivism, American cultural, Chinese cultural

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. The description and analysis of individualism-2

2.1 The definition of individualism-2

2.2 The characteristics of individualism-2

2.3 The analysis of some cases related to individualism-3

3. The description and analysis of collectivism-4

3.1. The definition of collectivism-4

3.2 The characteristics of collectivism-4

3.3 The analysis of some cases related to collectivism-5

4. The study on the differences between individualism and collectivism-6

4.1. The cultural differences between individualism and collectivism-6

4.2 The classroom cultures between individualism and collectivism-7

5. The study on the street cultures from the perspective of individualism and collectivism-8

6. Conclusion-10

7. References-11

Acknowledgments-12