What did you do the first time an American instructor asked you for your opinion in class? Did you feel singled out, like the instructor was punishing you? Did you shift awkwardly in your seat, wondering red-faced why she didn't just tell you the correct answer? Or did you speak out, sharing your thoughts and reflections with confidence and authority?

In this lesson, you'll consider aspects of the US concept of who holds authority over knowledge.

1. In section 1, you'll write a short essay and take a quiz that will help you begin to explore where your own culture places the seat of authority over knowledge and will help assess your level of cultural competence in the US classroom. You'll also be asked to guess some of the vocabulary that will be used in the listening passage in the second section. Click here to begin.

2. The listening passage in section 2 discusses cultural differences that arise in relation to this issue. After listening for the first time, you'll have the option of viewing the text and listening to the passage at the same time. A listening exercise will test your comprehension of the listening passage. Click here to begin.

3. In section 3, a post-listening exercise will isolate certain vocabulary words from the passage. You'll then work with a partner to discuss questions that relate to the issue of authority over knowledge. Click here to begin.