A1 Level – Elementary
1. What is a famous food from another country?
2. Do you like learning about other cultures?
3. What makes a country unique?
4. Do you know another language?
5. What is the difference between custom and law?
6. Do you travel to different countries?
7. What makes a greeting polite?
8. What is a common cultural misunderstanding?
9. Do you think world cultures are all the same now?
10. What makes a piece of music traditional?
11. Do you have friends from different countries?
12. What makes a country friendly to visitors?
13. What is the opposite of a cultural tradition?
14. What are some different types of clothing styles?
15. Do you think all cultures should be respected?
A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate
1. What are the key differences between collectivist cultures and individualistic cultures?
2. Describe one fascinating cultural custom you have learned about recently.
3. What are the pros and cons of global cultural exchange (e.g., global music, food)?
4. What role does language play in preserving a unique world culture?
5. Have you ever committed a social faux pas or cultural mistake in a foreign country?
6. What specific behaviors (e.g., eye contact, touching) vary significantly across different world cultures?
7. What is the difference between a cultural stereotype and a generalization?
8. What are common challenges when trying to celebrate different religious holidays in a multicultural workplace?
9. How does technology (e.g., social media influencers) spread awareness of new cultural trends globally?
10. What are the biggest challenges of maintaining cultural identity in a globalized world?
11. What is the importance of teaching world cultures and global history in schools?
12. Do you think all cultures are equally valuable, or are some more successful than others?
13. What are the challenges of translating complex philosophical or comedic concepts across different world cultures?
14. What are the best ways to approach a new culture respectfully when visiting for the first time?
15. What is the difference between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation?
B1 Level – Intermediate
1. Discuss the difficulty of adapting to cultural differences in communication styles, such as directness versus indirectness.
2. How can organizations with international teams foster effective collaboration despite deep differences in work culture?
3. What are the ethical issues surrounding the commercialization and mass production of traditional cultural art or clothing?
4. Do you agree that the globalization of media (e.g., Hollywood films) leads to the dominance of one cultural worldview?
5. Describe a time when understanding a specific cultural context completely changed your interpretation of a person’s behavior.
6. To what extent should immigrants be expected to adopt the cultural norms of their new host country?
7. What role do food, rituals, and ceremonies play in reaffirming and maintaining cultural identity?
8. How do cultural norms about time (e.g., punctuality) affect business and social interactions across world cultures?
9. Discuss the psychological challenge of dealing with “cultural fatigue” or the stress of navigating constant cultural differences.
10. What are the challenges of preserving intangible cultural heritage (e.g., oral traditions, unique music styles) in the digital age?
11. How does the concept of “intercultural competence” help individuals navigate professional life in a globalized context?
12. Should public funding prioritize the documentation of endangered world cultures and languages?
13. What is the difference between a national culture and a subculture (e.g., youth culture, professional culture)?
14. Discuss the concept of “cultural relativism”—the idea that a person’s beliefs must be understood in their own cultural context.
15. What is the long-term impact of tourism on the authenticity and practice of local world cultures?
B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate
1. How does the economic power of specific nations influence which world cultures and languages are deemed “high-status” globally?
2. What are the ethical arguments about wealthy tourists visiting and observing the traditional practices of remote, vulnerable world cultures?
3. Should international organizations adopt an artificial language (e.g., Esperanto) to ensure fair communication between diverse world cultures?
4. What are the psychological reasons why humans often feel a deep sense of loyalty and attachment to their inherited cultural norms?
5. How has the dominance of highly visual media (e.g., Instagram) led to the simplification and aestheticization of complex world cultures?
6. Discuss the idea that cultural fusion and hybridization are the primary engines of human creativity and progress.
7. What is the role of legal frameworks (e.g., UNESCO protections) in safeguarding world cultures and historical sites?
8. How do our cultural narratives about individualism versus collectivism affect the way we organize our workplaces and families?
9. What are the challenges of creating unified international law when it must respect the legal traditions of diverse world cultures?
10. Discuss the concept of “ethnocentrism”—judging other cultures based on the values of one’s own culture.
11. What is the difference between a culture that values confrontation and one that values harmony in conflict resolution?
12. Should there be stricter rules about the removal of cultural artifacts and historical treasures from their country of origin?
13. What is the impact of mandatory cultural diversity training programs on employees’ genuine acceptance of difference?
14. How does the history of colonialism and empire continue to shape the power dynamics and representation of world cultures today?
15. Discuss the idea that true understanding of a world culture requires humility and a willingness to question one’s own assumptions.
C1 Level – Advanced
1. Analyze the socioeconomic factors that correlate with the global “cultural brain drain”—the migration of talent from one world culture to another.
2. To what degree should the legal system accommodate cultural or religious practices that conflict with fundamental principles of human rights?
3. Discuss the philosophical concept of “post-colonialism” and its critique of Western dominance over the narrative of world cultures.
4. Evaluate the efficacy of using targeted aid and funding to revitalize and sustain endangered cultural practices and languages.
5. How does the strategic use of cultural diplomacy (e.g., international exchange programs) function to enhance soft power and political influence?
6. Examine the legal challenges of intellectual property rights when a global company patents a process based on traditional cultural knowledge.
7. What ethical guidelines should govern the use of AI to analyze and simulate the unique artistic and linguistic patterns of diverse world cultures?
8. Discuss the concept of “cultural homogenization”—the fear that all world cultures are becoming indistinguishable due to globalization.
9. How do different national policies on immigration and integration affect the long-term vitality and preservation of minority cultures?
10. Analyze the interplay between the increasing ease of physical travel and the resulting challenge of maintaining local cultural distinctiveness.
11. What ethical challenges arise when new medical technologies are deployed in a way that conflicts with the deeply held beliefs of a local world culture?
12. Debate whether a system of total cultural freedom would lead to enriching diversity or to an overwhelming chaos of conflicting moralities.
13. How does the architecture of major international organizations reflect the struggle for equitable representation of diverse world cultures?
14. Discuss the concept of “deep culture”—the unconscious values and assumptions that shape a person’s worldview.
15. To what extent does the emotional commitment to one’s own world culture create a psychological barrier to genuine, open cross-cultural dialogue?
C2 Level – Proficiency
1. How do you analyze the idea that the diversity of world cultures is fundamentally a reflection of the planet’s vast ecological and historical variety?
2. Formulate a critique of global education systems that prioritize teaching universal technical skills over deep, nuanced understanding of diverse world cultures.
3. Analyze the intersection of complexity theory, social network dynamics, and the challenge of managing highly interdependent global cultural flows.
4. Discuss the philosophical distinction between “cultural identity” (who one is) and “cultural performance” (what one does in public).
5. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of international law in protecting the collective cultural rights of indigenous and minority populations.
6. Propose a new educational model that systematically integrates the study of world cultures across all academic disciplines, not just the humanities.
7. Examine the psychological function of shared cultural myths and narratives in providing a stable framework for collective meaning and action.
8. How does the semiotics of diplomatic protocol and international negotiation communicate complex, non-verbal cultural messages of status and intention?
9. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of anthropologists and ethnographers in ensuring that their research benefits, rather than exploits, the cultures they study.
10. Analyze the historical relationship between cycles of global migration and the subsequent formation of entirely new, hybrid cultural forms in urban centers.
11. Articulate the inherent tension between the need for a globalized workforce (standardization) and the value of cultural distinctiveness (innovation).
12. Debate whether the future dominance of digital communication will ultimately create a single, unified global culture or simply amplify existing differences.
13. Assess the long-term societal effects of mandatory cultural sensitivity training on workplace trust and genuine intercultural competence.
14. Discuss the philosophical definition of ‘tolerance’ and whether it is an adequate response to the deep differences found across world cultures.
15. How might the principles of cross-cultural communication be used to model processes of organizational merger and post-acquisition integration?
