Communication and Culture What is culture? Culture is a “way of life” – a system of ideas, values, beliefs, and customs that is communicated from one generation to the next and that sustains a particular way of life and provides rules for how to think, act, communicate and make sense of the world.

Communication and Culture Multiple cultures may co-exist in a single society Sex/Gender is a social community that socializes rules of feminine and masculine communication Social class, racial and ethnic groups are other examples of social communities. Cultures are systems

Communication, Culture, and Social Communities Influence Each Other Communication and Culture Communication, Culture, and Social Communities Influence Each Other Communication expresses and sustains cultures. Cultures consist of material and non-material components. Cultures are shaped by historical and geographic forces. We learn culture in the process of communicating. Cultures are dynamic – they evolve and change over time.

Two Principles For Effective Intercultural Communication Communication and Culture Two Principles For Effective Intercultural Communication Resist the ethnocentric bias Respond to diversity

Responses to Diversity Communication and Culture Responses to Diversity Resistance and Assimilation: the claims of superiority. Tolerance: difference accepted, but not necessarily approved. Understanding:different cultural practices arise from distinct ways of life, belief, and values. Respect: forgoes judgment and appreciates differences in their own right. Participation: incorporates aspects of other cultures into own life.