1、Lecture One and Two1-To help you improve your English, especially your ability to To help you improve your English, especially your ability to discuss and explain ideas, and your ability to talk about culture discuss and explain ideas, and your ability to talk about culture in Englishin English.-To
2、help you learn more about the cultures of Western nations. To help you learn more about the cultures of Western nations. The textbook pays special attention to the culture of the United States, not only because it is the largest English-speaking country, but also because its culture is different fro
3、m Chinas in a number of especially interesting ways.-To help you become a better intercultural communicatorTo help you become a better intercultural communicator. You will learn this partly by studying more about the process of intercultural communication and also about the factors that affect that
4、process. However, even more important, you will develop new skills and thinking habits that will help you make sense of foreign cultures and their people, especially of things Westerners do which may seem strange, puzzling, or even bad.2- To familiarize you with basic concepts of To familiarize you
5、with basic concepts of intercultural communicationintercultural communication. The textbook introduces many of the basic concepts of intercultural communication, assuming that the more students understand about the various factors that affect intercultural communication, the more aware they will be
6、of the role these factors play in influencing how they interpret the behavior of foreigners.3-Reading the textbook and other related materials (assigned by the teacher or found/searched by you upon the teachers request)-Regular attendance of the classes-If possible, make friends with one or two fore
7、igners to gain some personal experiences in cross-cultural communication. 4Dear Fran, Yesterday was my first day in China, and it was a little bit strange. I decided to go to a park, and there I met several Chinese students. They started talking with me in Chinese, and I was happy to finally have a
8、chance to practice speaking in Chinese with real Chinese people, and maybe also to make some Chinese friends. At first they asked me some pretty easy questions about how long I had been in China, what country I was from, and so forth. But then the questions started getting more complicated and harde
9、r for me to understand and answer; also, sometimes when I was struggling to answer a question the students would laugh. That kind of bothered me, and I felt like they were making fun of me. Then one of the students said something that I thought was a little weird. “Wo men zuo pengyou ba.” I mean, I
10、did originally hope to make friends with them, but I didnt expect someone I hardly knew to just say “Lets be 5Friends!” That seemed a little strange and rather pushy. BY that point, I was feeling a little uncomfortable, so I just made an excuse and left. Im not quite sure what to make of this experi
11、ence. I cant tell if the students were enjoying themselves at my expense; Im also not sure if they are trying to get something from me. Finally, if I see them again Im not sure if I should talk to them, or maybe just try to avoid them. You know China a lot better than I do, so any advice or suggesti
12、ons you have would be appreciated. Sincerely, Pete6Part of the problem was that Petes Chinese wasnt very good, so it was hard for him to communicate.It seems likely that Pete didnt understand Chinese culture very well, and this made it harder for him to understand why the students acted as they did.
13、Another part of the reason lies in the way Pete handled this intercultural communication situation. When the Chinese students did or said things that seemed strange to him, he tended to jump to conclusions. 7-E.B.Tylor(1967): Culture is a complex whole of our social traditions and as prerequisite fo
14、r us to be a member of the society.-Can be a set of fundamental ideas, practices, and experiences of a group of people that are symbolically transmitted generation to generation through a learning process. -May as well refer to beliefs, norms, and attitudes that are used to guide our behaviors and t
15、o solve human problems.- Or a negotiated set of shared symbolic systems that guide individuals behaviors and incline them to function as a group. 8 As the software of human mind, culture, in addition to allowing our participation in a specific group, serves two major functions: -Culture provides a c
16、ontext in which three aspects of Culture provides a context in which three aspects of human society are embedded: linguistic, physical, human society are embedded: linguistic, physical, and psychological and psychological (Borden, 1991). Language allows us to communicate with people who have similar
17、 value and belief system. Physical aspects supply an environment of activities and permit what we do within the culture. Finally, the psychological aspect is related to our mental activities, including what we believe and what we have learned.9-Culture functions to provide structure, stability and C
18、ulture functions to provide structure, stability and security that are used by the group and members to security that are used by the group and members to maintain themselves as a healthy systemmaintain themselves as a healthy system. For example, according to traditional Chinese custom, the marriag
19、e of young people had to be arranged by their parents. A matchmaker was used to introduce the two parties. If the parents of the male were interested in seeing the lady, the matchmaker would plan an arranged meeting for both sides to meet and observe each other. If the male family was pleased with t
20、he lady, the matchmaker would be sent to the female family to formally propose a marriage. A payment made by the grooms family to the family of the bride would be made when the couple married. Dowry, including money, jewelry, or other gifts, from the brides family usually accompanied the bride.10 Th
21、e structural process of this matching process for the young people in traditional Chinese society clearly reflects the functions of culture. This practice not only maintained the stability of the Chinese society for many hundred years but also ensured the financial security of the female family afte
22、r a daughter moved out to stay with the other family.11Four basic characteristics: holistic, learned, dynamic, and pervasive1. Culture is holistic . Culture is holistic (整体的）. It can be broken down into several subsystems, including a kinship system, an educational system, a religious system, an ass
23、ociation system, a political system, and so on, but the various aspects of culture are closely interrelated. In other words, any change in a subsystem will affect the whole system. For example, the American Civil Rights Movement brought about changes in different facets of American culture and alter
24、ed American attitudes, values, and behaviors. 122. Culture is learnedCulture is learned. Because culture is a shared symbolic system within a relatively large group of people, the only way for group members to integrate into, reinforce, and co-create this shared symbolic system is through a learning
25、 process. We begin to consciously and unconsciously learn our culture in our early life through the process of socialization or enculturation. Interaction with family members and friends is the most common way for us to learn about our culture. Other sources for learning our culture are schools, chu
26、rch, media, folk tales, and art. Question: What is ethnocentrism?13The process of learning our own culture will inevitably foster a phenomenon called ethnocentrismethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism leads group members to tie themselves tightly together and to be proud of their own heritages by subjectivel
27、y using their cultural standards as criteria for interpretations and judgments in intercultural communication.143. Culture is dynamic.Culture is dynamic. Cultures are constantly changing over time. Some cultures are more open and accepting of change, others tend to resist it. Culture change in the p
28、rocess of transmission from generation to generation, group to group, and place to place.Question: What would bring about the changes of a culture? 15Four major mechanisms account for the change of cultures: technological invention, disasters( natural and human), cultural contact, and environmental
29、factors (e.g. Increasing population).164. Culture is pervasiveCulture is pervasive. Like the ubiquitous（无所不在的） air we breathe, culture penetrates into every aspect of our life and influences the way we think, the way we talk, and the way we behave.17Intercultural communication refers to the communic
30、ation between people from two different cultures. The study of intercultural communication aims to understand the influence of culture on our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in order to reduce misunderstandings that result from cultural variations.18According to Dodd(1991), successful intercultura
31、l communication is based on three factors:1. the positive feeling we possess at the affective level, including affirmation, self-esteem, comfort, trust, and safety;2. the beliefs we bring into the intercultural encounter at the cognitive level, including expectations, stereotypes, uncertainties, and
32、 misunderstanding of rules or procedures;3. the action or skills we possess at the behavioral level, including verbal and nonverbal communication skills in intercultural settings. 19Kenneth, an American student, met Vernon, a student recently arrived from Malaysia, and they decided to have dinner to
33、gether at the university cafeteria. In the cafeteria, Kenneth ordered a pizza and some other food for their dinner. When the food was sent to them, Kenneth tore the pizza into pieces and handed one piece to Vernon, using his left hand. Vernon took that piece of pizza and put it on his plate without
34、eating it. Kenneth was quite confused about what had gone wrong, so he asked Vernon, “Are you all right?” “Yes, Im fine,” Vernon replied. Kenneth kept on asking, “Why dont you eat the pizza?” Vernon said nothing but began to eat the other food, ignoring the pizza. Kenneth was confused but he ceased
35、his questioning. And the two just kept on eating without much conversation. How would you help explain Vernons behavior?20Some likely interpretationsuMs. Kelsen may feel that teachers should not accept gifts, especially valuable ones, from students. (In the West, it is rare for individual students t
36、o give teachers gifts, especially expensive ones.)uMs. Kelsen does not think it is right to accept a gift, especially a valuable one, just for doing her duty as a teacher.uMs. Kelsen is afraid that other people will find out that she accepted the gift, and that they will think she took a bribe.uMs.
37、Kelsen may feel that she only did her duty, so she has done nothing to deserve such a special gift.uMs. Kelsen may feel uncomfortable because she assumes Frank cannnot afford to give expensive gifts.uMs. Kelsen may feel that accepting the gift would put her under obligation to Frank. (Most Westerner
38、s feel that accepting a valuable gift entails a degree of reciprocity互惠，互给.) 21Gift giving in the West: Westerners generally only give gifts on certain culturally designated occasions such as birthdays or certain holidays such as Christmas. “In general, Westerners do not use gifts to incur or repay
39、social obligations” (Davis 2001:113) It is not generally necessary to reciprocate for small personal favors by giving gifts; usually saying “thank you” is sufficient. In situations where someone does want to show gratitude by offering a gift, Westerners are often comfortable with being taken out to
40、eat, or with a small gift that has more personal significance than monetary value. Perishable gifts like food and drink can also generally be accepted relatively easily. Valuable gifts are an appropriate way to show gratitude only for a truly significant favor, and only in situations where it will n
41、ot look like the gift-giver is trying to buy favor. 22Gifts and bribes: In most Western cultures, it is not considered appropriate to accept a private gift, especially a valuable one, as a reward for performing a work-related duty. Such a gift would often be viewed as a bribe. “Outside ofwell establ
42、ished occasions like Christmas and birthdays, circumspection(谨慎） is observed so that gift giving appears personally anonymous or offhand（即席的）. The gifts significance is carefully limited to avoid a personal meaning that might be construed as offering a bribe, seeking special favors, or as requiring
43、reciprocity.”(Steward and Bennett1991:95) 23Public and private distinction: In both China and the West, expressing gratitude for work-related service by giving a personal gift would often be considered inappropriate. There are, however, differences between East and West on more specific points of ho
44、w this general principle is applied. On the whole, Western (individualist) cultures generally feel there should be a clearer distinction between public and private life then Eastern (collectivist) cultures would make, and this causes Westerners to fell it is more wrong to do things that would transg
45、ress (违反）the boundaries between these two parts of life. One consequence of this is that Westerners are less likely to feel it is necessary to be rewarded (privately) for doing (public) duties. 24Gift giving in China (for example: lucky money in Spring Festival) 25“Lee” is a Chinese student who has
46、just arrived in the US to do graduate studies. After a long and tiring flight from China, she goes through customs at the airport. Them with all of her luggage, she waits in line for a taxi. After a long annoying wait, she finally gets a taxi. However, the taxi driver seems friendly enough, and the
47、taxi is comfortable, so she is able to relax a little during the long drive to her school. When she gets to the school, the taxis meter reads $32.5, so she starts getting the money out of her wallet. But when the taxi stops the driver turns around, smiles at Lee, and says that she should give him $5
48、0!Do you know why the driver asks for $50 rather than $32.5?26uThe taxi driver is trying to cheat Lee.uThere are extra charge for luggage that Lee doesnt know about.uThere are extra charges for tolls that Lee doesnt know about.uThere is an honest misunderstanding. Maybe there is something wrong with
49、 the meter, or fares have recently gone up and the meter hasnt been adjusted yet.uLee misunderstood what the driver said, or didnt hear what he said clearly.uThe driver has included a tip for himselfan unreasonably large one.uThe driver has included a generousbut not entirely unreasonabletip for him
50、self, perhaps because he knows Lee is a foreigner and thinks she doesnt know that she should tip, or because in the past other foreigners have given him very stingy tips.27Taxi charges: In taxis in the US, it is quite normal to have a small extra charge or each piece of luggage. Usually there will b
