COM 263 DQ - Discussion PDF

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Topic 1 1. Why is intercultural literacy needed in today's world? a. Intercultural literacy is the understanding of identities and attitudes of participation in a cross-cultural setting. I think this is very important in today's world because we have access to many different cultures other than our own. Because of social media, I am able to communicate with people across the world. Due to advancements in traveling technologies, I am able to travel around the world and experience another culture first hand. Along with the easy access that we now have to the rest of the world, it is continually becoming more and more important to understand those who come from places that we don't live. My culture, being raised in New Mexico, is different from one's culture who was raised in Arizona, it is more different from someone who was raised in New York, and it is exceptionally different from someone who was raised in Hong Kong. If I want t be able to properly interact with those not only around me in my current environment, but those across the world, I need to be literate in their cultures. Intercultural literacy is key to effective intercultural communication which is also needed to make our country, and every other country, run how their government wants it to be run. In order to keep nations safe, intercultural communication and literacy is necessary. 2. What does it mean to take a contextual approach to studying intercultural communication? a. Taking a contextual approach to studying interculture communication means that you are considering the context in which the communication is happening in. The text book states that the cultural context that communication between people occurs in may be the most important and defining influence on interaction between individuals. Our culture is what drives everything about us -- our thoughts, actions, opinions, and feelings. In some cultures, for example, it is very illegal for citizens to chew gum. Us, as Americans would find that very weird, overbearing, unnecessary, and if we were to travel somewhere that had that law in place, we would probably chew gum anyways. However, if the context in which that law was made is because the towns are very small and crowded, so littering is a huge deal. If someone were to spit their gum on the street, not only would it get on peoples' shoes and feet, but whoever saw that happen would then think it is okay to put more gum or an item of trash on the street as well, creating a chain reaction of littering in these small crowded areas. Once the context of that cultual law is explained, it no longer seems weird and unnecessary. b. This is why context is important when it comes to cultural communication. Understanding the context is how you will understand the communication. 3. What are relevant ethical issues involved with studying intercultural communication? a. There are many ethical issues that are involved with studying intercultural communication. One of these issues developing a sence of social justice. Different countries have different standards for what their government thinks is and is not acceptable. For example, those who live in America may see population control in China as an injustice. The sense of social injustice is also present in countries such as North Korea or Germany during the time of the holocaust. Another ethical issue regarding intercultural communication is that of the english language in the

United States. It has been debated if english should be deemed the official language of the united states and that members of microcultures should be required to speak english, especially in legal affairs. 4. In what context(s) are intercultural communication skills and understanding most valuable? a. Intercultural communication skills and understanding are valuable in many circumstances. One context intercultural communication skills and understanding are most valuable are in the government. When it comes to protecting the country, the government officials need to have incredible intercultural communication skills and understanding. If an official doesn't understand something that is being communicated to him, it could put the entire country at risk. Another instance that intercultural communication skills are valuable are in business. If someone wants to successfully run a business and have it known worldwide, it is important to be able to communicate with those from other countries and be able to persuade them in regards to their own culture. Even if one doesn't intent to have their business be known around the world, different cultures are still present within the workplace and proper communication has to be done in order to avoid people quitting and even law suits. A final context where intercultural communication skills and understanding is a school setting. Teachers, administaration, and students need to have skills to communicate with people of different ages and cultural backgrounds. Failure to have these skills can result in students not being able to learn, angry faculty, and frustrated parents. Topic 2 1. What is the relationship between macro-culture, micro-culture, and power? a. A macro-culture is the dominant culture of the society, and a micro-culture is a smaller division of the macro-culture. Multiple micro-cultures can exist within a macro-culture. An example of a macro-culture is America. All Americans follow things stated within the constitution and share basic values such as freedom and human rights. The citizens within the macro-culture of America have different values and beliefs, with divides them into smaller and more specific groups with certain characteristics. Christians, for example, would be a micro-culture in America because of their belief in God and the Holy Trinity. Another way to see micro-cultures in America is in each state, which are also micro-cultures. Each city in every state is a micro-culture, and from there is can be narrowed down to sides of town or even neighborhoods that have different characteristics than others. b. When it comes to power, the micro-cultures often fight for power over one another while the macro-culture remains the main power figure. Using America as an example, the federal government has the most power, and each state has its own government, which hold less power, and then cities or towns hold less power than that. The power struggles within the micro-cultures can be seen using the example of cross-town rivals for schools. My home town is pretty small, around 40,000 people. There are two high schools, one school is seen as the "rich kid" school and the other is seen as the "poor kid" school because of the sides of town

they are located on. This rivalry created two micro-cultures within my home town that were characterized by the assumption of the amount of money families made or how big their houses were. The school and side of town that was considered rich felt as if they had more power over the school/side of town that was considered poor. 2. How does the communication between micro-culture add to the notion that culture is dynamic and heterogeneous? a. Communication between micro-culture adds to the notion that culture is dynamic and diverse because of different languages spoken within the macro-culture. In the last post, it was concluded that language is a factor that makes a micro-culture disctinct from a macro-culture. In the American macro-culture, there are microcultures of individuals who speak different languages such as English, Spanish, Asian languages, African languages, French, German, Russian, and others. The seperation of micro-cultures and communication between them due to the languages they speak make the heterogeneous nature of culture evident. Even in micro-cultures of a single language, that language can cause the micro-culture to split even further and more specificly. For example, Spanish spoken in northern New Mexico is different thatn the Spanish that is spoken in southern New Mexico. The two areas of the state have difficulty understanding eachother when they communicate because the Spanish that is spoken is very different. Along with that, Spanish spoken in New Mexico is different than that of Spain, Mexico, Central America, and Puerto Rico. The language barries within the micro-culture of those who speak Spanish make it more evident that culture is very diverse. However, none of these differences would be noticed if the different microcultures did not communicate with themselves and with others. 3. Is there a difference between diversity in micro-cultures and division among microcultures? If so, what is the difference? What does an effective/appropriate response to micro-cultural diversity look like? a. Diversity has a positive connotation. Something that is diverse is unique and has a wide range of options. Something that is divided, or has experienced division, has been broken apart. This is usually due to differing opinions and beliefs. The word also has a negative connotation. An example of division would be the American Civil War, where the country divided and went to war against itself. An example of diversity would be the multiple races of individuals who live in America. b. An appropriate response to diversity within micro-cultures looks like accepting the differing beliefs and practices of individuals. It would also be beneficial for people within the micro-culture to look into the diversity that is around them and try to understand it. Acceptance of diversity within a micro-culture will diminish the opportunity for division among the micro-culture. 4. How can muted group theory be used to understand current communication trends in micro-cultural groups within the U.S.? a. The muted group theory is when, "multicultural groups’ speech and writing are not valued by the dominant cultural group” (Neuliep, 2017). This means that certain groups are muted and excluded via the use of languages. The muted group theory defines who is seen as powerful or powerless in the United Stated. Within the United States, different groups who are or have been muted consist of women,

impoverished individuals, African-Americans, and many others. However, when it comes to language specifically, one group that has been muted are those who speak native language. Native Americans were forced to no longer speak their language and speak English instead. The cultural assimilation of Native Americans was the effort of the United States to transform their culture to European-American culture. Native Americans were not only expected to speak English, but were tortured if they failed to do so. b. In the United States today, the macro-culture speaks English. Individuals are expected to learn and speak English in their every day lives, especially in public. The different micro-cultures within the U.S. that speak other languages are typically viewed as one of two things: special and talented, or less than and should be avoided. Knowing a different language can either make someone special, and they are praised for being bilingual, or they are seen as less than. They are individuals who cannot communicate with the typical English-speaking American. Topic 3 1. Where do stereotypes come from? What are some examples of Christian stereotypes present in U.S. media? a. A stereotype is a learned and widely held, but fixed and oversimplified, image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. They are associated with groups of individuals based on their race, gender, age, or career and are then generalized into a category and are believed to be associated with specific traits of those individuals (Neuliep, 2017). Stereotypes help people identify a group of individuals. Stereotypes can be learned from parents, significant others, and media. b. Christian stereotypes are a major reason why people dislike Christians and want nothing to do with the Christian faith. Some of these stereotypes that I have heard from others include: we love to argue, and attack, we practice religion through groups and institutions, we love labels, we are judgmental, we are hypocrites, we try to be perfect, we think we are better than everyone else, we ignore science, and many others. c. Many stereotypes, especially those regarding Christianity, come from a misunderstanding or lack of knowledge of the topic or people. A lot of stereotypes can be debunked, but others are simply exactly what they appear to be. 2. How does the presence of stereotypes in mediated communication influence interpersonal communication between persons from different cultures? a. The presence of stereotypes in mediated communication influence interpersonal communication between persons from different cultures in many ways. People use stereotypes to classify individuals and make judgements prior to communicating with them. These judgements can manipulate others and defeat the purpose of having a mediator in a conversation. When communicating with people from another culture, stereotypes can create tension or cause a conversation to go no where because of the opinions that were formed prior to communication. b. According to Lamei's article, scholars argue that, "stereotypes are created for social comparison purposes" (Lamei, n.d.). There stereotypes can be useful in

some ways but often cause imbalances in social and cultural power. Studies done in Lamei's article show that 80% of the international students have experienced being "unfairly stereotyped and negatively judged" (Lamei, n.d.), while the percent of American students who experienced this was far less. c. Mediated communication is meant to build bridges and resolve issues between individuals. Unfortunately, the presence of stereotypes makes mediation difficult between cultures no matter who the mediator is. 3. What is the role of communication research in response to stereotyping and ethnocentrism? a. Ethnocentrism is the "evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture" (Neuliep, 2017). Stereotypes are "usually negative but sometimes positive perceptions we have of individuals based on their membership in groups" (Neuliep, 2017). Stereotyping and Ethnocentrism can create misunderstandings and mis-judgments about other cultures. Those misunderstandings and mis-judgments can cause conflict interculturally and among different cultures. It is important to recognize the roles that stereotyping and ethnocentrism play on communities. If people understand the two, there will be less conflict caused by the two topics. Communication research is used to help create appropriate perceptions and responses to ethnocentrism and stereotyping. Communication research uses quantitative, qualitative, and rhetorical methods to come up with a solution to some problems within different societies (n.d.). It avoids gathering information from the negative perceptions caused by stereotypes or ethnocentrism, while allowing others to understand the effects they have on cultures. 4. What are some relevant differences between representations of U.S. culture in U.S. media versus representations of U.S. culture in foreign media? a. United States media revolves around the United States. The people, places, and ideas of what is happening in the United States are what is shown in the United States media. There are typically two sides to the U.S. media: The side that thinks everything is great, and the side that thinks everything is bad. Depending on which side is represented better or which side an individual pays most attention to, the American culture can be portrayed either way. I think the U.S. media has less stereotypes that foreign media, because it is representing its own culture. b. The way American culture is represented in foreign media, from what I have seen, is more negative than positive. The foreign media is full of stereotypes and they are allowed to be more open about what they see going on throughout American life. A lot of foreign countries are also not too pleased with America, leading them to have more bias media approaches. Topic 4 1. What is the relationship between the language one speaks and the history, beliefs, values, and environment the person comes from? Give some examples that illustrate this relationship and explain how they illustrate the relationship. a. Language can often be viewed as two things: the way a culture communicates verbally, or a symbolic system. This symbolic system can represent things such as history, beliefs, environment, and values. Language has a very strong cultural

influence, that influence can be seen from those inside and outside that culture. The environment can consist of things such as traditions, values, and history. Each of these elements influence who we are as individuals and who we are as a country. The words people use when they communicate shows what they value and what they believe. Words also help express the importance of a culture's history and environment. b. In America, we speak English. All American citizens learn the language throughout their education. Because of that, Americans are conditioned from a young age to generally have the same values and beliefs. If all Americans grew up speaking different languages, and did not unite by speaking/learning English, there would be a communication barrier that would keep people from sharing many of the values that Americans hold. 2. According to our readings, what role do nonverbal behaviors have in intercultural communication? Give examples from research to illustrate. a. Non-verbal behaviors play a large role in intercultural communication and communication as a whole. A form of non-verbal behavior is body language. A person's body language can tell you their true emotions. This body language Aside from body language, there are certain hand gestures that can be perceived differently interculturally and often will offend people. Facial expression is also a way to tell what someone may be thinking; however, true emotions can be masked if you don't know what to look for in micro-expressions. Examples of this could be smiling and nodding. If someone is doing this during a conversation it is easy to assume that the person is following what is being said or agreeing with it. b. Non-verbal communication can cause complications across cultures. This is due to language barriers. Often when someone learns a new language and even becomes fluent in it, they are not familiar with the proper body language of the culture. This can make a person come across in a negative way and even create misunderstandings between individuals and cultures. 3. Watch "Don't Insist on English!" by Patricia Ryan (TED Talks) in Films on Demand (2011). This film can be accessed via the GCU Library or on YouTube. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx? wID=96349&xtid=48621 After watching the video, answer the following: How are culture and language connected? Reference the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, and provide an example. a. I found this video very interesting! Culture and language have a direct connection. This connection is much deeper than we normally would think. According to the video, a language dies every 14 days. This means that part of a culture dies every 14 days. Once a language is gone, everything connected to that language can no longer be understood in its fullest and most complete sense. Patricia Ryan also states that when we lose a language, we don't know what we lost along with it. b. According to the textbook, "the Sapir-Whord Hypothesis states that there are certian thoughts of an individual in one language that cannot be understood by those who live in another language" (Neuliep, 2017). People who speak different languages have different worldviews. A simple example of this is with the word and meaning of love. In latin languages, this word has a very deep and intimate meaning. However, in english, the word is used in a less intimate way.

4. How do you think the use of slang words and phrases influences communication between English-speakers and people from other cultures? Or regional slang among different English-speaking dialects? Please provide a few examples and discuss. a. I think that the use of slang words and phrases influences communication between English speakers and people...