1、Intercultural Communication,Class 3,What is Communication?,Communication occurs whenever persons attribute significance to message-related behaviorIt involves a transmitter, a message, and a mediumIt is a process of signs being passed from one party to anotherThese signs must be interpreted, and if
2、interpreted incorrectly, miscommunication occurs,Communication Postulates,Communication is dynamicCommunication is irreversibleCommunication is proactiveCommunication is interactive (intrapersonal and interpersonal)Communication is contextual,Media of Communication,Media of Communication,Notes on Co
3、mmunication,Everything that we do “communicates”The goal of communication is always persuasionThe communication process is generally more complex than most people realizeWe always communicate through more than one channelFoundational Question: How can I build trust in the intercultural communication
4、 process?,What is Culture?,What makes up culture?Can we see culture?Can we lose culture?What is Chinese culture?Is there only one Chinese culture?,Culture Our Definition,Culture is the shared assumptions, values, and beliefs of a group of people which result in characteristic behaviors,Culture is,Le
5、arnedBehind our every actionAn inter-related systemDiverseDynamic (not static)Taken for granted and rarely examinedEmbedded in environment,Culture includes,A set of assumptions which provide an interpretive grid through which we filter all we experienceA plan for using those assumptions in determini
6、ng how we liveSocial rules and practices which grow out of the assumptions and planArtifacts (physical, ritual, symbolic) which express values and feelings,Levels of Culture,Decide whether these behaviors are Universal, Cultural, or Personal,Sleeping with a bedroom window openRunning from a dangerou
7、s animalConsidering snakes to be “evil”Men opening doors for womenRespecting older peopleLearning ones native languageSpeaking ArabicSpeaking Arabic as a foreign language,Decide whether these behaviors are Universal, Cultural, or Personal,Eating regularlyEating with chopsticksLiking novels by Charle
8、s DickensCalling a waiter by clapping your handsRegretting being the cause of an accidentFeeling sad at the death of your motherWearing white clothes for 30 days after your mothers deathDisliking having to wear white clothes for 30 days after your mothers death,Come up with a response to or an inter
9、pretation of these actions,1.A person comes to a meeting half an hour after the stated starting time.Your interpretation: This person is late and should at least apologize or give an explanation.2.Someone kicks a dog.3.At the end of a meal, people burp (喷出) loudly4.The young person you are talking t
10、o does not look you in the eye.,Come up with a response to or an interpretation of these actions,5.A woman carries a heavy pile of wood on her back, while her husband walks in front of her carrying nothing.6.A male guest helps a hostess carry dirty dishes into the kitchen.7.A young man and a young w
11、oman are kissing on a park bench.8.While taking an exam, a student copies from the paper of another student.,Dimensions of Culture,Visible dimensionBehaviorWhat are some visible behaviors about Chinese culture?Invisible dimensionAssumptionsValuesBeliefsWhat are some invisible dimensions of Chinese c
12、ulture?,Do the same as before, but with some invisible dimensions given.,1. A person comes to a meeting half an hour after the stated starting time.A culture where people always arrive 30 minutes after the stated starting time.2. Someone kicks a dog.A culture from a country where dogs always carry d
13、isease3. At the end of a meal, people burp (喷出) loudlyA culture where burping is the way to compliment the food4. The young person you are talking to does not look you in the eye.A culture in which it is considered to be rude to make eye contact with someone older than yourself,Do the same as before
14、, but with some invisible dimensions given.,5.A woman carries a heavy pile of wood on her back, while her husband walks in front of her carrying nothing.A culture where men take care of the children and women always carry heavy loads on their back6.A male guest helps a hostess carry dirty dishes int
15、o the kitchen.A culture where men never clean up after a meal7.A young man and woman are kissing on a park bench.A culture where, if men and women touch in public, they could be sent to prison8.While taking an exam, a student copies from the paper of another student.A culture where exams are not fai
16、r and designed to only help teachers favorite students,The Onion,Adapted from Cultures and Organizations by Hofstede and Hofstede,Cause and Effect,A persons behavior is a direct result of what they assume, value, or believe inUnderstanding the cause and effect relationship is essential for an effect
17、ive cross-cultural understanding,Match the values with the behaviors,Inter- and Cross-cultural,Intercultural when two people of diverse cultures interactCross-cultural when we study the same differing phenomena in two differing cultures and compare/contrast them,Ways to study Culture,Emic ApproachSt
18、udies a culture from the insideAttempts to understand a culture as a member of that culture would understand it Etic ApproachStudies a culture from the outsideCompares cultures using pre-determined characteristics,Emic Approach,Studies the behavior from within the systemExamines only one cultureStru
19、cture discovered by the analystCriteria are relative to internal characteristicsProvides a way of understanding how reality is organized within a particular cultural perspective.,Etic Approach,Studies the behavior from outside the systemExamines many cultures, comparing themStructure created by the
20、analystCriteria considered absolute or universalAssumes that cross-cultural comparisons can generate observational categories that are a useful way of comparing a wide variety of cultures,What will we use?,Primarily the etic approach since you are not living in another cultureWill teach you principles for both approachesWhat is the best way?,
