Intercultural Communication Culture and Socialization, Corporate Discourse Systems

E-pals Project Due end of week 14 (Sunday) Use Scollon and Scollon pp. 183-184 for basic guideline of issues Observation + direct questioning Include short excerpts of interaction as examples to support your points Pay attention to the medium Eg. MSN discourse system?

E-pals Project Analyze yourself Analyze your e-pals What discourse systems do you belong to? How do they influence the way you communicate Analyze your e-pals What discourse systems do they belong to How do they influence the way they communicate Analyze your interaction Problems/successes Similarities/differences Conclusion and references

Discourse Systems Ideology (Beliefs) Face systems (Relationships) Forms of Discourse (Patterns of Communication) Socialization How people learn to be members of their discourse systems

Culture is learned Nature vs. nurture Studies with twins Eg. Studies on criminal behavior What things are ‘innate’ or ‘human nature’? Task What things are learned? Relationships Beliefs Patterns of Communication

How did you learn to be Chinese (or…)? Task How did you learn to be Chinese (or…)?

Socialization In every group one has to learn the rules, expectations, and truths of that group, whether the group is your family, the army, your school or company, or the state (nation) Socialization is the process through which we learn to be a member of a discourse system

Socialization vs. Education Informal Continuous Implicit Uncredentialed Education Formal Periodic Explicit Credentialed

Socialization vs. Education Both valued in all societies Valued in different ways Socialization associated with ‘being normal’ Socialization: associated with Gemeinschaft Education: Associated with Gesellshaft

Example: Gender Socialization and Gender Roles An important part of socialization is the learning of culturally defined gender roles. Gender socialization refers to the learning of behavior and attitudes considered appropriate for a given sex.  Boys learn to be boys and girls learn to be girls. This "learning" happens by way of many different agents of socialization. The family is certainly important in reinforcing gender roles, but so are one’s friends, school, work and the mass media. Gender roles are reinforced through countless subtle and not so subtle ways.

Agents of socialization Religion Family Work Peers You Mass Media School

Agents of Socialization The role these different institutions play in socialization differ in different societies at different times As well as for different individuals Your parents’ generation You Me The Cultural Revolution

Primary vs. Secondary Socialization Primary Socialization (enculturation) Early in life Within family or group of intimates Secondary Socialization Later in life Outside primary group

Education and Secondary Socialization Formal Explicit Socialization Informal Intuitive Implict

Task Watch the video What do you think children learn through this program? What aspects of this learning are part of education and which are part of socialization

How Socialization Occurs George Herbert Mead Separation of self from others Learning to use symbols Observe others Take the role of others ‘Looking glass’ self

Factors influencing Socialization Nature of humans Motivation Nature of the ‘self’ Individualistic vs. collectivistic Human life cycle When does adulthood begin?

Child-rearing practices Shame Culture vs. Guilt Culture BENEDICT R (1967) The Chrysanthemum and the Sword Shame Collectivistic External sanctions Face Concept of duty Hierarchical Guilt Individualistic Internal sanctions Concept of sin Egalitarian

Guilt Culture Guilt- culture Other people believe: I believe I didn't do it I did it No problem I protest my innocence and fight the accusation I am expected to feel guilty regardless I am guilty and am punished

Shame Culture Shame- culture Other people believe: I believe I didn't do it I did it No problem I am shamed and dishonoured by their belief No-one knows, so I am not shamed I am guilty and am punished

Guilt and Shame Heidi Fung Video Role of stories told by adults about children in Chinese socialization Video

American child-rearing practices Child rearing practices reflect Ideology Face Systems Forms of Discourse

American child-rearing practices 1914-1928 Emphasis on limiting child’ self expression Human nature is basically evil ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’ 1929-1945 Self-regulation Influence of Scientific Management Toilet training

American child-rearing practices 1946-1964 Dr. Spock, Baby and Child Care Self-expression/ Individual creativity Comfort NO HITTING!/ Talk it out 1964- Role of professional expertise Complicated (scary) world Media and technology Technological solutions

Athakbaskan Child-rearing Adults who comment on a newborn baby ask, ‘Who came?’ The child is thought to have an identity that is to be discovered by those in this world, not to be created or shaped by us. Thus the role of the living in respect to the newborn is to welcome this person and to seek to learn about who he or she is.

Reflection What kinds of principles do you think your parents used to raise you? How do you think these principles were the same as/different from those by which they were raised? How do socialization practices reflect the larger society?

Enculturation vs. Acculturation Learning your own culture Acculturation One culture being dominated by another Assimilation Learning to adapt to a (dominant) culture

Cultural Adjustment

Re-entry