Chapter 12 - Intercultural Communication and Education - Summary Form PDF

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Summary of Chapter 12 from "Experiencing Intercultural Communication: an Introduction"...

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COMS3370:I nt er cul t ur alCommuni cat i on

June26,2018

Chapter Summary Form 1. What are the major theories and/or topics discussed in the chapter? (2 pt.) ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒

Educational Goals Studying Abroad Culturally Specific Education Intercultural Communication in Educational Settings Communication, Education, and Cultural Identity Social Issues and Education

2. Who are the representative theorists discussed in the chapter? (1 pt.) ‒ Bennett & Salonen - lntercultural communication and the new American campus (2007) ‒ Lomawaima - They called it Prairie Light: The story of Chilocco Indian School (1994) ‒ Davidson - Making and molding identity in schools: Student narratives on race, gender,

and academic empowerment (1996) ‒ Giroux - ls there a place for cultural studies in colleges of education? (1996) ‒ Loewen - Lies my teacher told me: Everything your American history textbook got

wrong (1995) ‒ Simpson - I have been waiting: Race and U.S. higher education (2003)

3. What are the key claims discussed in the chapter? (6 pts.) Chapter 12 discusses the role of different cultures in the communication and education. It is obvious that education and learning process depend on different cultures and ways of thinking. The percentage of students with different origin is rising in the US society. That is why we should be aware of intercultural communication issues. Systems of education over the world differ. Students study history, language, geography, culture of their own countries, and look at the world through their own culture’s framework. Within the colonial educational system, the colonized people study things imposed by the colonial power. In such a way, the colonial past of the United States influences the country’s educational goals. Americans tend to value European culture more than Asian or other cultures, because of closer ties with European countries. This colonial past also effects other countries, for instance, Indonesia and the Netherlands, India and Britain, Belgium and Congo, etc. Educational systems of two countries are similar, making the process of adaptation for international students easier. Under the influence of world economy, tendencies among languages studied by students also change. Nowadays there is a clear switch from Spanish, French, German and other languages to Chinese, Korean and Portuguese. As we can see, students should choose languages to study carefully, paying attention to global environment today and in the near future. Talking about culturally specific education, there are Minority-Serving Institutions in the USA. They are established especially for ethnical minorities giving them an opportunity to get an

COMS3370:I nt er c ul t ur alCommuni cat i on

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education. There are also similar institutions for women. The educational experiences in these institutions are different from majority, reflecting different histories, social contexts and institutional goals. Things are more difficult for immigrants. Some states provide great opportunities for these children to study and assimilate into American community, while others are resisting. Intercultural communication is also important within educational settings. Learning and teaching styles are different in various countries making both teachers and students adapt to cultural differences. These differences also include grades and attitude towards them, and relationship between students and teachers. Grading scales are also different depending on countries, which should be taken into consideration as well. The process of university admission may also be prejudiced based on race and culture of applicants. This issue was burning in the middle of the 20th century, but nowadays it is not that common. However, there is a problem called “reverse discrimination”. White and/or male applicants are ignored by universities in favor of minorities and women, in order to look more tolerant. That is why the job of admission officers is very difficult, since they have to choose applicants carefully not to look discriminating. Educational experiences are an integral part of society. Some social issues exist in the system of education. Bullying is not always an intercultural interaction, but cultural differences may be one of its causes. Problems of tolerance and intolerance are also urgent nowadays. Acts of racial discrimination still happen in the US, and they will affect the decision of African-Americans, Asians and representatives of other minorities to study in American colleges. 4. What are some interesting applications of the theories/topics/key claims that are discussed in the chapter? For example, how can the ideas from this chapter be applied to your own life? Chapter 12 was very interesting describing how intercultural communication influences education. The experience of studying abroad may be life changing for students. I have one friend who was participating in the study-abroad program, and was studying in the UK. It was quite easy for him to assimilate, since the language of teaching there is English, and the educational system in general is very similar. The only thing challenging for him was the need to study British history, geography and culture. My other friend was sent to France. He had relatively more problems, since in addition to history, geography and culture he also had to study language. American and British cultures are quite similar, while differences between American and French people are bigger, which created additional problems for my friend in France. Talking about social issues and education, my friend experienced recently some situation. When he was looking for college to attend, he was visiting campuses of his preferred colleges, paying attention to the details. Eventually, he picked two colleges, and had to choose between them. Therefore, he started looking for some additional information. Ultimately, he managed to find information about some cases of intolerance towards African Americans within campus of one of colleges. It repulsed hit and it was the final factor helping him to choose the right place to study.

COMS3370:I nt e r cul t ur alCommuni cat i on

June26,2018

5. Think of a pop culture reference to the theories/topics/key claims that are discussed in the chapter. What song, movie, TV shows, etc. can be applied to illustrate the ideas from the chapter? Chapter 12 provides interesting ideas about intercultural communication in education. The pop culture example of these issues is a French-Spanish film L'Auberge Espagnole about a French student who is participating in the Erasmus program and studying in Barcelona. He is living in a student share-house together with students from different Western-European countries. The mixture of different people and their cultures creates chaos and cultural shock, including linguistic and cultural challenges. Problems of intolerance and bullying are urgent nowadays. An American documentary film Bully narrates about these issues and students from different states who suffered from bullying. The film describes lives of five teens who went through harassment, and one of them committed suicide. The film demonstrates in detail the process of bullying. The school and teachers ignore the problem, while teenagers cannot defend themselves. The main idea of the film is to show how difficult can be a life of the average American student, and what should a school and teachers do to prevent tragic consequences....