Intercultural Class Notes
Chapter 2: Intercultural Communication: Building Blocks and Barriers
I. Building Block 1: Culture:
a. Culture is learned.
i.
b. Culture involves Perception and Values.
i. Perception –
ii. Values –
c. Culture is shared.
i. Membership
d. Culture is expressed as behavior.
i.
e. Culture is dynamic and heterogeneous
i. Dynamic-always changing
ii. Heterogeneous-composed of parts of different kinds
II. Building Block 2: Communication: A symbolic process whereby meaning
is shared and negotiated.
a. Communication is symbolic
i.
b. Communication is a process
i. Message, channel, context
c. Communication is sharing and negotiating meaning.
i. Shared negotiating meanings
ii. Impact on intercultural communication
d. Communication is dynamic
i. Ongoing and multi-channeled
e. Communication does not have to be intentional.
i. Sometimes unknown.
ii. Impact on intercultural communication.
f. Communication is receiver-oriented.
i. Receiver response is crucial to future events.
III. Culture and Communication
a. Communication, worldviews, and values
i. Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck’s value orientation
1. The nature of human nature
2. Relationships between human and nature
3. Relationships among humans
4. Preferred form of activity
5. Orientations to time
ii. Hofstede’s value dimensions are also found to impact communication
1. Power distance--
2. Masculinity/femininity--
3. Uncertainty avoidance--
4. Long-term(Confucian) vs. short term orientation to life--
iii. Limitations of value frameworks
1.
IV. Building Block 3: Context
a. physical, social, political, and historical structures in which
the communication occurs.
b.
c. The political context includes those forces that attempt to change
or retain existing social structures and relations.
i. Protests
d. The historical context may influence what exists in the present.
i.
V. Building Block 4: Power
a. Power is always present during communication although it is not
always evident or obvious.
i. Social hierarchy
ii. Those in power (consciously or unconsciously)…
b. Two levels of group related power
i. Primary and involuntary dimensions—
ii. Secondary and voluntary dimensions—
c. Power also comes from social institutions and the roles within
i. Consider the classroom
d. Power is dynamic
i. Students have power as well in the classroom
ii. How?
e. Power should be thought of in broad terms
i. Dominant cultural groups / Subordinate cultural groups
ii. Disempowered
f. Power is complex
i.
ii.
VI. Barriers to Intercultural Communication
a. Ethnocentrism
i. Definition—
b. Stereotyping
i. Definition—
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
c. Prejudice
i. Definition—
ii.
iii.
iv.
v. Types of prejudice
1.
d. Discrimination
i. Definition-
ii. Discriminatory acts range to subtle to overt
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