Iceberg

Subgroup Size

Entire group

Duration

25 minutes

External Cost

No

Lesson Plan

Source

Activity developed by Dr. Kris Acheson-Clair, CILMAR. 

 

The idea of the cultural iceberg (or the iceberg analogy of culture) comes from Edward T. Hall's Beyond Culture.

Hall, E.T. (1976). Beyond culture. Anchor Books. 

 

A Qualtrics version of this assessment added by Heidi Parker, College of Engineering, Purdue University

Tags:

  1. behavior
  2. CILMAR staff collection
  3. customs
  4. differences
  5. generalizations
  6. IPG created
  7. metaphor
  8. other awareness
  9. preparation for study abroad
  10. self-awareness
  11. stereotyping

There is a video modeling this activity in Links. The relevant portion begins at 34 seconds and ends at 7 minutes. 

We have included two sample iceberg images. However, there are a variety to choose from on Google Images.

There are two alternative versions of this activity, focusing on familiar and unfamiliar cultures, available in Downloads. One of those versions uses a Jamboard (see Links). 

A Qualtrics version of this activity was submitted by Dr. Heidi Parker, Purdue College of Engineering in fulfillment of the requirements of the Intercultural Pedagogy Grant program. To obtain a copy of the Your Personal Iceberg Activity Qualtrics contact cilmar@purdue.edu.