TOPICS COVERED
ACTIVITY
WEEK#
THEME
WK5
Individualism and Collectivism
There is a moment in the film Monty Python’s Life of Brian, when the hero, Brian, opens his bedroom window to find the streets filled with adoring followers.
'You don’t have to do this!’ he shouts.
'You’re all individuals
'Yes’, they chant, ‘We’re all individuals!’ ‘You’re all different!’
‘Yes, we are all different!’
(Chapman et al., 1979)
According to a major survey of political attitudes in all 28 of the block’s member states, Britain is the most individualistic country in the European Union. The regular Eurobarometer survey, which is conducted by the European Commission, asked people across the continent whether, looking forward to the future, they would rather society be more based on “individualism” or “solidarity”.
British and Irish people came joint top in preferring individualism – with 29 per cent in both nations preferring to go their own way in the world. The result is more than twice the EU average of 13 per cent who preferred individualism.
This lecture will introduce you to the terms: Individualism and collectivism, exploring the implications of these in relation to people, work and society.
Assignment drop-in week. The week we will be reviewing your progress on your concept maps. You will be given the opportunity to run through them with your lecturer and peers so that you can receive some formative feedback on your progress and receive some feedforward in preparation for the final assessment.
There will be no lecture this week, but you should use the time to review any of the previous materials.
Lecture, discussion, and Film (The Trap Part 1).
Introduction to reading journals
Guiding Question 1: are we an individualistic or collectivist nation?
Guiding Question 2: what are the implications of this?
WK6