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Context of this site and the LESCANT model

The idea behind this site is to give students experience in identifying cultural differences that come up whenever we deal with people from other cultures. In some cases this may be with the person who lives across the street, other times it will be related to those we encounter while traveling abroad or while interacting with people from different countries. Most of the contributions to this database come from students who were enrolled in our study abroad programs. We use the LESCANT model as a way to categorize the photos and the topics.

Searching the Database

Users can view the database by clicking on any of the LESCANT letters at the top of the homepage or along the right column of the homepage. This will open up a window where we can view the photos by LESCANT category (Language, Environment, Social Organization, Context, Authority, Non-Verbal, Time), Country, City, or Author. Click on any of those lists. Next, there are thumbnails of each of the photos. By clicking on the thumbnail, you are taken to actual photo, together with its metadata: Contributor, Country, City, and most importantly, the contributor’s description about cultural aspects in the picture.

Alternatively, users may use the search box. Simply write in the country, city, author, or LESCANT category to open up the database.

Contributing to the Photo Database

After logging on to the site (currently limited to U.T. students who log in using their UTeid), contributors can click on any LESCANT category and they will then see a link in the top navigation bar entitled "Add a Photo". Fill in the metadata: the LESCANT topic (pop up list), and the country and city (existing cities and countries appear on the pop up, if you are the first contributor to a specific city or country you will have to type the name in the box).

Next, write a brief description about why you think the photo represents the LESCANT topic, what you think the cultural significance of the photo is, and any other information that you feel is related to the issues at a hand.

After than, click on “Choose File” and select your photo, which can either be in a jpg or gif format. Finally, click on "Submit" to add your photo to the database.

Photo Commentary

All of the photos contain a discussion blog where users and visitors are invited to contribute their comments about the pictures, the LESCANT categories, and the cultural descriptions that are in the database. This is not limited to UT students, but anybody is invited to add comments. Simply click on the phrase "Add new comment" that is found at the bottom of every page.

Other Links that are part of LESCANT Database