LU2 : Intercultural Communication
What will we learn?
• What this is
• Why its important
• Different theories on I.C.
• Key Dimensions of I.C.
• Principles & Problems of I.C.
• Barriers to I.C.
• 7 principles to building harmonious communities
Intercultural Communication
What is Communication?
What is Inter?
What is Culture?
DEFINITION pg 35
Is culture LEARNED or BORN in?
IMPORTANT to study I.C.Comm?
• To understand yourself/identity better
• To better personal & social communication
• To solve mis-understandings/comm/trust
• To improve quality of civilization
• To b effective citizens of your country
Page 37 : 4 MORE Reasons!
Theories on I.C.Comm :
(Steinberg 2007:299)
• Social Science approach
– We can study ICC, observe a group of Lagos State
street vendors & RSA street vendors. Measure &
Predict their behaviour. Then you can compare it
to another.
• Interpretive approach
– Goal is to understand/interpret behaviour. Eg:
Why do a young black RSA pay lobola? OR Why do
young white people drink brandy & coke and dance
to tradisional afrikaans music?
• Critical Approach
– Focus : To Create Change by looking at Power
relationships within cultures. This outcome might
lead to actual change. What brings on change?
How did the ANC went from struggle to
democracy?
Dimensions (pg39)
(look @ different angles 2 understand better)
of Cultural Differences
• Worldview/values/beliefs VS your own
• Social norms & role expectations: Females may work. Girls
may wear pants. Young baby boys get circumsized.
• Individualism-Collectivism : YOU and YOU in YOUR FAMILY
• High and Low Context Cultures: Nonverbal comm (listen
more) VS verbal comm (listen less)
• Power distance : Unequal distribution of power is tolerated
like Pres. Mugabe
• Masculinity-Femininity: Which values rule? Men do hard
labour jobs, Women cook? Men don’t cry, Women may.
• Uncertainty-Avoidance : High : prefers rules and specific
way of doing things, to b different is not a good idea. Low:
Welcomes diversity & change & uncertainty
INDIVIDUAL QUICKIE
I.C.Comm Principles & Problems.
• Do these men have a shared code system?
• Substantiate answer using pg 42
Barriers to I.C.Comm
• Ethnocentrism (pg43)
• Stereotyping (pg45)
• Generalisation (pg45)
• Group polarisation (pg45)
Go : www.tolerance.org (dig deeper bias test)
Effects of I.C.Comm/
Build a Lekke Community
(gudykunst&kim)
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B committed
B mindful
Unconditionally accept people as they r
B concerned 4 urslve & others
B understanding
B ethical
B peaceful
Food Preparation & Consumption
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The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.
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A 1991 Gallup Poll indicated that 49% of Americans didn’t know that white bread is made from wheat.
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Often a child’s first solid food, one of every 11 boxes of cereal sold in the U.S. is Cheerios.
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Every day, Americans eat an estimated 18 acres of pizza.
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About 4% of all Americans are vegetarians.
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There are 450 types of cheese in the world, and 250 come from France.
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Fortune cookies were actually invented in America in 1918 by Charles Jung.
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Among Americans, 37% drink their coffee with milk and sugar, while 21% drink it black.
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The top 4 sources of caffeine in the American diet are coffee, soft drinks, tea, and chocolate.
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People in Western China, Tibet, and Mongolia put salt in their tea.
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Laws & Government
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In Omaha, NE, it’s illegal to burp or sneeze in church.
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Donald Duck comics were banned from libraries in Finland because he doesn’t wear pants.
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During the Middle Ages, you could be accused of witchcraft if your pets disobeyed you.
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Legal experts say that every year, about 12% of the U.S. population is arrested.
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Hawaii is the only U.S. state that was once a kingdom.
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It’s against the law to stare at the Mayor of Paris.
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In Alaska, it is illegal to look at a moose from the window of an airplane or any other flying object.
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It is illegal to plow a field in North Carolina with an elephant.
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Dueling in Paraguay is legal as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
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It is illegal to plow a field in North Carolina with an elephant.
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In 1939, Pacific Grove, CA passed an ordinance making it a misdemeanor to molest a butterfly.
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Marriage/Dating
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Americans send an estimated 900 million Valentine’s Day cards each year.
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In 1976, a Los Angeles secretary formally married her 50 pound pet rock.
The Ideal Physical Form
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Akebono, the sumo wrestler superstar from Hawaii, weighs 516 pounds.
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Disney animators used Marilyn Monroe’s body as the model for Tinkerbell.
Grooming
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In 1845, Boston had an ordinance banning bathing without a doctor’s prescription.
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During the time of Peter the Great, any Russian man who wore a beard was required to pay a special tax.
Achievements
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The Great Wall of China is the largest construction project ever undertaken by man, and its stones could
build an 8-food wall around the world and the equator.
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Q-tips were invented by Polish-born Leo Gerstenzang. The Q stands for “quality.”
$$$$
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There are no clocks in Las Vegas casinos.
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Until the 19th century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia.
Leisure Activities/Sports/Special Occassions
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Judo was devised by Dr. Jigoro Kano in Japan in 1882.
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The official state sport of Alaska is dog mushing.
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Karate first started in India and spread to China before reaching Japan in the 1600s.
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There are more bagpipe bands in the U.S. than in Scottland.
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Since its introduction in 1935, more than 150 million Monopoly board games have been sold worldwide.
Communication (verbal and nonverbal)
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The White House had a telephone before it had an indoor bathroom.
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The first President to greet people with a handshake was Thomas Jefferson. Before that, Presidents bowed.
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In Tibet, it is considered polite to stick out your tongue at your guests.
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IN Albania, nodding your head means “no” and shaking your head means “yes.”
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Honolulu is Hawaiin for “Sheltered Harbor.”