CHAPTER 13 BECOMING AN EFFECTIVE INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATOR
Questions for discussion
1.Do you identify yourself primarily as a local citizen, a national citizen, a global citizen, all or none of these, or something different? Give reasons for your answer.
2. Do you think that news organizations from different cultures report the world in the same way? Why?Do you trust that the news produced in your country is fair and accurate? Give reasons for your answer.
3. How has modern technology(the Internet, satellite television etc.), increased your opportunities to communicate with culturally different others? What are the advantages and disadvantages associated with this?
4. Could you mention some ways in which your own cultural values influence your interpretation of the cultural products you consume? Think of how you react to foreign news reports or foreign popular culture.
5. Have you had to communicate with someone who didn’t like you? How did you deal with this situation? What do you think is the most effective way to communicate with those with whomthere is a stereotyped understanding?
6. What is an example of a cultural threat that you have witnessed or heard about? In what ways is your culture influenced by another culture’s hegemony?
7. Do you ever buy things because of the brand? Why do you think people place importance on brands? How do advertisers use symbols to manipulate people’s desires?
8. How is your own country branded? Do you find this ‘branding’ accurate? How do other countries ‘brands’ influence your perception of them? Share your answers with your classmates and compare the differences.
Activities
1. Globalization has both acted to homogenize cultures and generated large differences between cultures. Form into groups of three to five classmates, with at least one student from a different culture. Discuss the ways that globalization has homogenized or fragmented cultures.
2. Do a search on the internet and make a list of global media organizations. Find out who owns them. Discuss with your classmates how the ownership of media organizations influences the content of the media. Discuss the possible implications of this on intercultural dialogue in your country.
3.The chapter outlines three core strategies for developing intercultural communication competence: seeking commonalities, overcoming stereotypes and prejudice, and developing flexibility and openness. Try to grade your own competence on each strategy from 1–5. Share your answers with classmates and discuss reasons for your answers.
4. Search for some ‘icons’ from your own culture and discuss the significance they have to the national identity. Share your answers with your classmates.
5. Cultural hybridization is defined as a new cultural form that combines elements of other cultures. Search through the local newspapers and find an example of cultural hybridization. Discuss the possible explanations for this. Try to think of economic and political reasons as well as cultural.
6. Not only do people from different cultures come into face to face contact, they also come into contact with people in the cyberspace. Facebook, chat rooms and a number of other social network websites play an important role in linking people from different parts of the world together. Join a social networking site (if you have not yet). Set up a forum to discuss the following questions:
a) How does online social networking affect human relations?
b) What impact does online social networking have on the youth today?
c) In your opinion, will online social networking appeal to the older generation? Why?
Gather the answers from people who have participated in your forum, analyze the responses and write an essay about your findings.