Test Ch. 1-4 Flashcards
Why does Edward Hall say studying culture is important?
The best reason for a person to study culture is because he/she can learn something about himself/herself….it forces you to pay attention to those details of life which differentiate them from you
6 imperatives to study culture:
- Peace - learn more about different groups of people -more understanding less conflict
- Economic - global economy - globalization
- Technological - world is a click away/marketing is in language of target audience/beware “digital divide”
- Demographic - world is changing/increase in multicultural people/ melting pot, diverse, changing
- Self-Awareness - we study others to learn about ourselves
- Ethical - universalist-what most of the world thinks about an issue (general like murder, treason, theft, etc.) // relativist- only ethics can be judged within that particular culture
a way of life defined by a group of people
culture
100% DNA, not controlled, determines pigmentation, hair, etc.
race
what country you are from
nationality
self-identification, subjective, YOU choose
ethnicity
a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular person or group of people//can be positive or negative
stereotype
Define culture:
Learned patterns of perception, values, and behaviors shared by a group of people that is also dynamic and heterogeneous
6 characteristics of culture:
- Learned through the process of socialization
- Involves perception and values
- Involves feelings
- Shared—family, race, gender, etc.
- Expresses as behavior
- Dynamic and Heterogeneous
Define communication:
A symbolic process whereby meaning is shared and negotiated
6 characteristics of communication:
- Symbolic
- A process involving people, a message, a channel through which the message is communicated, and a context
- Involves sharing and negotiating meaning
- Dynamic, on-going, changing
- Does not have to be intentional
- Receiver-oriented
A particular philosophy of life or conception of the world
World view
What is a cultural identity?
Usually hidden from the mainstream but they have the most influence on intercultural interaction
List some cultural values:
- Power distance - individuals accept that power is distributed unequally
- Masculinity/femininity
- Uncertainty/Avoidance - for/against structure/ less-structure vs more-structure
- Long-term/Short-term - orientation short-quick results, long- patient
What role does context play in communication?
A physical/social setting, political- reactions to political issues, protests debates
historical
What are 4 things you can do to be an “ethical student of culture”?
- Practice self-reflexivity
- Learn about others
- Listen to the voices of others
- Develop a sense of social justice
What are the 4 barriers to intercultural communication:
- Ethnocentrism- belief that one’s cultural is superior to others
- Stereotypes- generalization of a group of people
- Prejudice-subconsciously trying to raise yourself up (tokenism, color-blind, arms-length)
- Discrimination
Give example of stereotypes of several cultural groups including your own:
- Woman-bad at sports, obsessed with having a boyfriend, loves pink
- White people-red neck, have no rhythm, can’t jump or dance, no “soul” as in music
- Black people-loves watermelon, fried chicken, kool aid, only listen to rap, good at basketball/sports in general, can jump
- Asian- smart, good at math, eat rice all the time, like anime
- Hispanic- loud, dirty, family oriented, work outside, women are maids
Why is history “an important element in the experience of intercultural communication”?
Telling stories is fundamental to the human experience, however, there is a strong cultural element that encourages us to forget history.
Recognize several histories which provide the contexts in which we communicate:
- political
- intellectual
- social
- family
- national
- cultural group
What is “identity”?
Our self concept, who we think we are as a person
Characteristics of identity:
- Created and revealed through communication
- Creates in spurts, not a smooth, orderly process
- Multiple
- Influenced by society
- Dynamic, always changing
- Developed in different ways in different cultures
Recognize social and cultural identities:
- gender
- sexual
- age
- racial/ethnic
- physical ability
- religious
- class
- national
- regional
- personal
