Supplementary materials for beginning Spanish that focus on issues of cultural identity of Spanish speakers in the United States. They are intended as a bridge between paper-based textbooks and Acceso, the online curriculum for second year Spanish developed at the University of Kansas. The modules are designed to be covered in two class periods each and include glossed readings, extensive multimedia content, flash-based comprehension questions and activities that leverage Web 2.0 tools.
Cultural Interviews with Japanese-Speaking Executives is a compilation of brief video clips in which Japanese and Japanese-speaking executives discuss cultural issues that are of interest to North Americans. The objective of the interviews is three-fold: First, provide practical cultural information about business topics. The opinions represent those of real people. At times they are even contradictory, but they are designed to be a catalyst for discussion, not a definitive answer about some stereotype. Second, the interviews provide vocabulary in areas within a professional setting. The interviews present diverse vocabulary within the context of each individual's comments. Third, these materials provide non-native speakers of Japanese with multiple examples of natural speech, illustrating the way that speakers really talk.
Khallina is an open source tool that helps teachers and independent learners of Arabic explore Arab culture. This website contains Cultural Modules suitable for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners, on a variety of subject matters including: music, food, politics, humor, gender issues, and much more.