1. Culture:
*Is learned
*Involves a set of shared interpretations about
norms, attitudes, values, and beliefs that affect behavior
*Involves a large group of people

2. Three Levels of Culture Ting-Toomey & Chung (28-37)
Surface-Level: Popular Culture
Easily observed culture: Pop music, television, gadgets, etc.
Intermediate Level: Symbols, meanings and norms
Words, gestures, and nonverbal behaviors: idioms, expressions
“The nail that sticks out gets hammered down” (a Japanese idiom)“Let’s hang out” “What’s up?!” Language students enjoy these “real” expressions

3. Deep Level: Traditions, beliefs, and values; A patterned way of living by a group of individuals who share a common set of history, traditions, beliefs, values and interdependent fate. (Stable over time)
For example: Religion, Military, LGBT, Academic, consumer culture, etc.

4. Intercultural Communication:
a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual process in which people from different cultures create shared meaning. (Koester and Lustig)
two persons from different cultures, or co-cultures exchanging verbal and non-verbal messages.
(Neulip 2006)

5. Everyone has culture!

6. Cultural Patterns Components: Beliefs Values Norms Social Practices
“Stable over time”

7. Taxonomies
Hall’s high and low context
Hofstede’s cultural taxonomies

8. Hall’s High and Low Context Taxonomy
High Context Characteristics
Implicit messages- beat around the bush
Nonverbal communication- “tells”
Distinct in-groups and out-groups
Strong interpersonal bonds
Time is open and flexible

9. Low-Context Characteristics
Overt and explicit ( addresses, debate)
Details verbalized (A law, or ballot proposition)
Flexible in-groups and out-groups (numerous co- cultures simultaneously)
Fragile interpersonal bonds
Time is highly organized (planners)

10. Hofstede’s Cultural Taxonomy
Individualism Collectivism
Low uncertainty avoidance---High uncertainty avoidance
Low power distance High power distance
High Relationship Orientation------High Achievement Orientation
Indulgence—————Restraint (Time)

11. A continuum of interculturalness
Most Intercultural Least Intercultural

12. 4. Present the comparison to the class. This is worth 5 points.
1. Which “Cultural Patterns” (Beliefs, values, norms that are stable over time) play a role in your life? (Identify 3-5 of them)
2. Where did they originate? How were the patterns communicated to you? Provide examples.
3. Discuss, compare, and contrast them with 3-5 cultural patterns of a partner. Imagine that you are going to be housemates. Create a “third culture” so the transition to sharing a home is more harmonious.
4. Present the comparison to the class. This is worth 5 points. I

14. Intercultural Competence:
the ability to adapt your behavior toward another person in ways that are appropriate to the other person’s culture.
Knowledge
Skill
Motivation

15. Improving Intercultural Competence

16. Develop knowledge
Create a “Third Culture” (Communication partners join aspects of separate cultures to create a third, “new” culture).
Tolerate ambiguity
Be mindful of your thoughts. Avoid negative judgments
Develop skills to adapt

18. Communication Accommodation Theory
was developed by Howard Giles and others in the 1970s. We adjust our speech to accommodate the person we are addressing. All people adapt their behavior to others to some extent.

19. Convergence: This is more common and occurs when we move our speech closer to that of the other person. ex: swearing less when speaking to elders
Divergence: When people’s speech styles move further apart. Ex. When one wants to demonstrate intelligence, they use larger words.

20. How do you most frequently adapt to others with whom you identify as co-culturally different from you?
Provide three examples
Provide an example of when you have used convergence and one when you used divergence.
(If you are having trouble thinking of examples, refer to chapter 4, Table 4.2)

22. Barriers To Intercultural Communication Competence

23. Cultural Biases
Ethnocentrism: is the tendency to use the categories of one’s own culture to evaluate the actions of others. All cultures have this tendency to varying degrees.
Stereotyping: a form of generalization that does not take account the vast differences between group members.

24. Prejudice: Refers to negative attitudes toward other people that are based on faulty and inflexible stereotypes. Pre-judging!
Discrimination: Whereas prejudice refers to people’s attitudes (mental), discrimination refers to the behavioral manifestations. “Prejudice in action.”

25. http://www.ted.com/talks/verna_myers_how_to_overcome_our_bia ses_walk_boldly_toward_them