Intercultural Class Notes
Chapter 1: Studying Intercultural Communication

I. The Peace Imperative

a.Can we live among diversity in a peaceful manner?

b. Contact among different cultural groups often leads to disharmony

II. The Economic Imperative: Tremendous changes are taking place both domestically in the workplace as well as in the global economy

a. The workplace

b. The global economy

III. The Technological Imperative

a. Global Village-

b. Change in human relationships

c. Technology / frequency of interaction

d. Family mobility

IV. The Demographic Imperative

a. Changing U.S. Demographics

i. Demographics-

ii. Age in workforce

iii. Women in workforce

iv. Workforce will be more diverse (emphasis in West & South U.S.)

b. Changing Immigration Patterns

i. More immigrants from Latin America and Asia.

c. These demographic changes present many opportunities and challenges for students of intercultural communication and for society.

i. California

ii. States with high percentages of non-White residents are the same states with very contentious racial histories (Alabama, Mississippi, & S. Carolina)

iii. Hawaii—no majority

V. The Self-Awareness Imperative

a. Awareness of one’s own culture.

b. Knowledge of one’s self vs. knowledge of others

VI. The Ethical Imperative

a. Ethics-

b. Cultural values - “good” and what “ought” to be

c. Ethical judgments – “rightness” and “wrongness”

i. Some ethical judgments are explicitly stated while others are not.

d. If no cultural pattern is inherently right or wrong, is there any universality in ethics?

i. Universalist position-

ii. Relativist position-

Also know: Assimilation (assimitable) -