4.3.4 The term cross-cultural is typically used to refer to the study of a particular idea or concept within many cultures. The goal of such investigations is to conduct a series of intracultural analyses in order to compare one culture to another on the attributes of interest.
4.3.5 International communication takes place between nations and governments rather than individuals; it is quite formal and ritualized. 4.3.6 Interethnic communication refers to communication between people of the same race but different ethnic backgrounds.
4.3.7 Interracial communication occurs when the sender and the receiver exchanging messages are from different races that pertain to different physical characteristics.
4.3.8 Interregional Communication refers to the exchange of messages between members of the dominant culture within a country.
4.4 Ethics addresses the question of how we ought to lead our lives. 4.4.1 Western ethics include autonomy, justice, responsibility and care. 4.5.1 Competent communication is interaction that is perceived as effective in fulfilling certain rewarding objectives in a way that is also appropriate to the context in which the interaction occurs.
4.5.2 Competent intercultural communication is contextual; it produces behaviors that are both appropriate and effective; and it requires sufficient knowledge, suitable motivations, and skilled actions. 2.Supplementary Case and material
1． Communication: the Process of Understanding and Sharing Meaning The word communication is used in a variety of ways. Before we use the term any further, we should establish a common understanding of its definition. Communication comes from the Latin communicare, which means to make common. This original definition of the word is consistent with the definition of communication used in this text.
In this text, communication is defined as the process of understanding and
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sharing meaning.Communication is considered a process because it is an activity, exchange, of set of behaviors—not an unchanging, static product, in which we participate. David Berlo, a well-known communication figure, probably provides the clearest statement about communication as a process. Berlo wrote: If we accept the concept of process, we view events and relationships as dynamic, ongoing, ever-changing, continuous. When we label something as a process, we also mean that it does not have a beginning, an end, a fixed sequence of events. It is not static, at rest. It is moving. The ingredients within a process interact, each affects all of the others.
What is an example of how a process operates in everyday communication? Picture two students passing on the sidewalk between classes and exchanging a few sentences. Did this very tiny communication episode really begin and end with their first and last word: Do we have to consider that both of them spoke to each other in English, that they must have had some prior encounter, or that they would not have stopped to exchange messages, If they have a common understanding of what was said, then they must share some experiences that shape their perceptions similarly. Didn’t their message go beyond the words to how they looked, if they smiled, and how much volume they use? Did the episode end with the last word and look or was it used to solidify their relationship: would their brief conversation be thought about later that day and the next, and did it lead to another meeting that night? Communication is a complicated process. It is variable, active, and dynamic. It starts long before the words begin to flow and can last long after the words stop.
Communication is a process that requires understanding. Your professor asks, what is the ontogeny of your misogeny? You hear the words, but you may not be able to understand or interpret them, An Asian student who has to struggle with English as a second language may have the same trouble with words that most Americans regard as easy to understand. Understanding , or grasping, the meaning of another person’s message does not occur unless the two communicators can elicit common meanings
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for words, phrases, and nonverbal codes. The importance of this kind of understanding was emphasized by humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers in his book On Becoming a Person., He wrote, I have found it of enormous value when I can permit myself to understand another person.
In addition to understanding, communication involves sharing. Consider the popular use of the word sharing. We share a meal, we share an event, we share a sunset. Sharing is a gift that people exchange. We can also share with ourselves when we allow ourselves time to relax and daydream, time to consider who we are and what our goals are. We share with others when we talk to them alone or in larger groups. Regardless of the context, communication involves sharing.
What exactly is understood and shared in the communication process? When you use language for expression, meaning is the shared understanding of your feelings. When you use language for pragmatic purposes, meaning is the appropriate response that indicates the message was understood. For example, you ask for a drink, and the other person gives you one. Meaning is the message you construct in your mind as you interpret the message sent.
An example of how meaning operates is the Rodney King incident in which people around the world saw an African American being beaten by Los Angeles police. The meaning of the videotaped event was whatever interpretation people developed in their own minds. Most people perceived the incident as police power gone away. When the jury acquitted the police, many people interpreted the decision as a miscarriage of justice. Everyone who saw the videotapes of who read about the verdict constructed their own meaning, their own interpretation of the incident. The meaning attributed to the incident fashioned responses from agreement ,to disbelief ,to violence.
( Source: Judy Cornelia Pearson, Paul Edward Nelson. Understanding and Sharing An Introduction to Speech communication .Wm .C. Brown Communications, Inc.1994.5-8) Questions:
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1．How do you understand the statement that communication is a process of understanding and sharing?
2．What is understood and shared in a successful interaction?
3．What must speakers share if they want to understand each other in a conversation?
4．What implications does this passage have on the study of intercultural communication?
2．Students can be divided several groups to discuss the topic (what intercultural communication competence a person should have to be a effective intercultural communicator)
Good intercultural communicators have personality strength( strong sense of self and socially relaxed) , communication skills (verbal and nonverbal), psychological adjustment(ability to adapt to new situations),and cultural
awareness(understanding how people of different cultures think and act).These areas can be divided into eight different skills: self-awareness, self-respect, interaction, empathy, adaptability, certainty, initiative and acceptance.
Chapter V Cultural Values
I. 主要内容
本章主要讲文化价值观及文化的深层核心构成。首先作者介绍了一些与文化价值观相关的术语，如：价值观、世界观及宗教等。然后详细介绍了世界上主要的宗教，包括基督教、伊斯兰教和佛教。对不同国家的文化价值观的对比，便于人们理解不同的行为模式。接着本章阐述了人类学家Florence Kluckhohn和Strodtbeck的价值取向理论及荷兰学者Hofstede衡量文化维度的理论。不同文化团体的价值取向也不同，因此，有效的跨文化交际需要我们理解不同文化的价值取向。
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II Teaching Objectives
1.to identify the definitions of value, worldview and religion 2.to identify some relevant concepts about the major religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Shinto
3. to identify Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck’s value orientations and Hofstede’s value dimension
4.to cultivate students to be able to understand the various implications of cultural values for international communication III. Teaching Course
1.Present the Cultural Phenomena to Students.
(1) Present some cases involving different cultural contact between persons from different countries or different parts of the same country and why? (2) How Chinese colleagues call each other? (Sister Liu, Brother Li, etc.) 2.Warm-up Questions.
1) How much do you know about Christianity? 2) How much do you know about Islam? And Koran? 3.Key terms. 5.1.1
value（价值观）：one’s principlesor standards or one’s judgment of what is valuable or important in life.（一个人对周围客观事物的价值或重要性的总体评价及处理原则或标准） 5.1.1.a.
value（价值观）：Hofstede says values are a broad tendency to prefer certain states of affairs over others.（Hofstede认为价值观就是一种倾向于事物的某种状态优于其他状态的总体趋势） 5.1.1.b.
value（价值观）：Kluckhohn says values are a conception, explicit or implicit, distinctive of an individual or characteristic of a group, of the desirable which influences the selection from available modes, means, and ends of action.（克
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