Module 1: What is the culture of Kirkwood and the community it serves?

Module Objectives: By the end of this module, participants should be able to...

• To produce an individual and group definition of culture
• To compare our definitions with others
• To attempt to identify culture(s) of, within, and surrounding Kirkwood Community College
• To explain the relationship between Kirkwood's groups, communities, or cultures
• To provide examples of culture as a process

Overview of the Course

• Introduce the facilitators
• Introduce the syllabus & schedule
• Browse through the site

Participant Introductions

• Name, department, years at Kirkwood
• What inspires you to learn about others?
• How do you handle ambiguity in the academic context?

Activity 1 - What is culture?

Activity 2: Discussion - Kirkwood Culture/Kirkwood's Cultures
Does Kirkwood Community College have or produce its own culture?
Does Kirkwood have definite institutional cultures?

• Faculty cultures
• Adjunct faculty cultures
• Administrative cultures
• Department cultures
• Staff cultures
• Student cultures

How do these cultures relate to each other?  How do these cultures differ?  Why do these cultures differ?

How do you feel when immersed in these cultures?  Why do you feel this way?

Activity 3: Discussion - Community/Culture

What is the community that Kirkwood Community College serves?

How can this community be defined culturally?

What is the relationship between the cultures within Kirkwood and the cultures in the community that Kirkwood serves?

How do foresee these cultures changing in 5 years?  10 years?  50 years?

Module Evaluation
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