These are my (James Ameen ) notes regarding the first weeks of class. The notes are applicable to my lecture on culture. (These notes, regarding the first few weeks of the class, are taken from other text interpersonal textbooks and not your classroom textbook. If you are interested in these texts, I can show them them to you.) All other notes regarding the class will be taken from your class textbook and will not be written here. I will tell you which notes to focus on as we proceed through the classroom text. I will also show many videos examples that I will refer to as I lecture. The videos are meant to provide examples that may be unfamiliar to most of us and teach us something new about life, cultures, and relationships.
The classroom text is:
Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters (5th edition), by Julia T. Wood (2007)
Culture lecture notes
(Please do NOT purchase the following texts)
When I write "Interplay," I am referring to this text:
Interplay: The Process of Communication (9th edition), written by Ronald B. Adler, Lawrence B. Rosenfeld, and Russell F. Proctor II (2004)
When I write "Understanding," I am referring to this text:
Understanding Interpersonal Communication: Making Choices in Changing Times, written by Richard West and Lynn H. Turner (2006)
I will be showing several videos during the semester that reveal the differences between our individualistic culture and collectivistic cultures. Understanding this issue is important and concerns our communication choices and relationship choices.
Before we begin, remember that there are three issues that are important to understand about human communication: what we perceive to be "good" or "bad" communication is relative; (1) it all depends on the culture we choose to dwell in, (2) the context (or situations) we find ourselves in from time to time, and (3) the consequences of our communication behavior within a particular culture or context. (Each culture and context has different rules that tell us what is appropriate or inappropriate to do or say.)
1. The growing diversity of American culture and the increased exposure to people from around the world make an understanding of intercultural communication essential. Intercultural communication occurs when members of two or more cultures or other groups exchange messages in a manner that is influenced by their different cultural perceptions and symbol systems. In other words, intercultural communication requires the perception of differences, not just their existence. (350, Interplay)
2. Culture is the language, values, beliefs, traditions, and customs people share and learn. There is a cultural dimension to human communication: when people from different backgrounds interact [e.g., "your" in-group interacting with "their" out-group], they face a set of challenges different from those that arise when members of the same culture communicate. The term co-culture is used to describe the perception of membership in a group that is part of an encompassing culture (e.g., African-American, Native American, gay and lesbian groups, etc.). (329-330, Interplay)
3. In-groups are groups to which a person feels he or she belongs. Out-groups are those groups to which a person feels he or she does not belong. (80, Understanding)
4. Co-cultures refers to cultures within cultures. [For example, in America, we have many cultural communities co-existing with each other--a Hispanic or Latino community, a Vietnamese community, etc.] A culture clash exists when two (or more) cultural expectations have conflicts amongst each other. [For example, there exists a conflict between gay and lesbian same-sex marriage advocates and the religious evangelical conservatives who advocate that marriage is only between a man and a woman.] (68, Understanding)
5. Intercultural communication refers to communication between and among individuals and groups whose cultural backgrounds differ. Knowledge of others' cultural values and practices enhances intercultural communication. (64, Understanding)
6. Culture is the shared, personal, and learned life experiences of a group of individuals who have a common set of values, norms, and traditions. The values of a culture are its standards and what it emphasizes most. Norms are patterns of communication. Traditions are the customs of a culture. These values, norms, and traditions affect our interpersonal relationships within a culture. (67, Understanding)
7. The three assumptions embedded in our definition of culture are: culture is learned, culture creates community, and culture is multi-leveled (i.e., co-cultures exist). (67-68, Understanding)
8. Values and norms that shape how members of cultures think and act include: high and low context, individualism vs. collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and achievement vs. nurturing. (332-338, Interplay)
9. Four dimensions of cultural values are: uncertainty avoidance, distribution of power, masculinity-femininity, and individualism-collectivism. (69)
10. Uncertainty avoidance refers to how tolerant (or intolerant) you are of uncertainty. Referring to cultures, those cultures that resist change and have high levels of anxiety associated with change are said to have a high degree of uncertainty avoidance. Those cultures that are unthreatened with change have a low degree of uncertainty avoidance. (69, Understanding)
11. How a culture deals with power is called power distance. Citizens of nations that are high in power distance tend to show respect to people with higher status [e.g., the North Koreans towards their Dear Leader]. (70, Understanding) [Citizens of nations following a high power distance mentality may or may not know the degree of respect they need to show to people with higher status. However, the masses will demonstrate behaviors that must be followed to stay in line with the authority. This obedience will supposedly bring positive consequences; whereas, the disobedience will supposedly bring negative consequences.]
12. Masculine cultures focus on achievement, competitiveness, strength, and material success--that is, characteristics stereotypically associated with masculine people. Feminine cultures emphasize sexual equality, nurturance, quality of life, supportiveness, and affection. (70-71, Understanding)
13. Individualist cultures prefer competition over cooperation, the individual over the group, and the private over the public [e.g., United States]. These cultures emphasize self-concept and personal achievement. Collectivist cultures prefer the self be secondary to the group and its norms, values and beliefs [e.g., traditional Asian cultures]. Collectivist cultures tend to take care of extended family members and value duty, tradition, and hierarchy. (71, Understanding)
14. In high-context cultures, the meaning of a message is primarily drawn from the surroundings. People in high-context cultures do not need to say much when communicating because there is a high degree of similarity among members of such cultures [e.g., traditional Asian cultures]. In low-context cultures, communicators find meaning in the messages, not the context. Nonverbal communication is not easily comprehended, and information must be explicitly related, usually in words [e.g., United States]. (72-73, Understanding)
15. The codes that are used by members of a culture are often the most recognizable factors that shape communication between people from different backgrounds. Verbal codes include language spoken and the worldview created by it, as well as verbal communication style. Nonverbal codes also differ significantly, as do the attributions that cultural conditioning generates. (351, Interplay) [For example, the "right" or "correct" codes used by a so-called primitive tribal person are far different from the so-called modern capitalist viewpoint.]
16. Linguistic determinism reveals that the worldview of a culture is shaped and reflected by the language its members speak. (Language has a powerful affect on cultural identity--sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.) Linguistic relativism reveals that language exerts a strong influence on perceptions. [For example, think of the different definitions and perceptions each individual has concerning the words beauty and success.] (341-342, Interplay)
17. Why study intercultural communication? The important imperatives are: technology imperative (e.g., the Internet), demographic imperative (e.g., cultural diversity and "melting pot" theories), economic imperative (e.g., trade), peace imperative (e.g., travel and safety), ethical imperative (e.g., what is right and wrong, and what to say or do, according to a culture). (73-76, Understanding)
18. The term global village means that all societies--regardless of their size--are connected in some way. (74)
19. Because of the availability of cheap labor, United States firms continue to send work and workers overseas, a practice called outsourcing . People in business and industry, education, media, and politics communicate with others of different cultures, if for no other reason than that is cost efficient to do so. (74, Understanding)
20. Five obstacles to intercultural understanding include: ethnocentrism, stereotyping, anxiety and uncertainty, misinterpretation of nonverbal and verbal behaviors, and the assumption of similarity. (77, Understanding)
21. Ethnocentrism is an attitude that one's own culture is superior to others. Ethnocentrism leads to an attitude of prejudice. (348-349, Interplay)
22. Ethnocentrism is the process of judging another culture using the standards of your own culture. Ethnocentrism is a belief in the superiority of your own culture [over other cultures]. (77, Understanding)
23. Stereotypes are "pictures in our heads" (e.g., politicians are crooks, doctors know best, etc.). Such statements generalize the qualities of some members of a group as a whole. (79, Understanding) [Stereotyping can lead to negative or demeaning stereotypes or prejudice . For example, saying "All lawyers are rich" is a stereotype; however, saying "All lawyers are rich and corrupt" is a prejudice and may not be wise to believe since you or I may need a lawyer someday.]
24. Intercultural communication competence involves four dimensions: motivation and attitude, tolerance for ambiguity, open-mindedness, and knowledge and skill. These dimensions go hand in hand since none alone is sufficient. Whereas motivation, attitude, tolerance, and open-mindedness are cultural-general, knowledge and skill are usually culture-specific, requiring the active acquisition of information and training to reduce uncertainty about another culture. (351, Interplay)
25. Three strategies for moving toward a more mindful, competent style of intercultural communication include: passive observation (e.g., noticing, or being mindful of, people's cultural behavior), active strategies (e.g., reading, watching educational videos, asking experts about a culture, etc.), and self-disclosure (e.g., sharing information with people from different cultures and learning from the communication transaction). (350, Interplay)
26. Some suggestions for improving our communication with people from different cultures include: know your biases and stereotypes, tolerate the unknown, practice cultural respect, educate yourself, be prepared for consequences, relate to the individual--not the culture, and re-evaluate and eliminate your prejudices. (82-87, Understanding)
27. We seek a balance in relationships and to try to manage our differences. Dialectics refers to the competing desires in our interpersonal relationships that result in contradictory tensions. For instance, in our relationships, we often find we want to have both independence [individualism and low-context communication] and connection [collectivism and high-context communication]. Also, we want to be open and self-expressive with our relational partners [individualistic], but at the same time, we want to maintain our privacy and respect other's privacy [collectivistic]. (81, Understanding)