Lecture I.

Introduction to the Course

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Intercultural (Cross-Cultural) Communication

Key-words

El
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Society

Culture

Cultural Diversity

Communication

Cross (Inter) - Cultural Communication (CCC)

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I. Society

Society

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Study of cultural diversity problems implies investigation of a
complex, multi-factor phenomenon. This investigation requires
considerable expenses and an adequate methodology.

Analysis of literature related to the issue demonstrates that the

greater is the number of factors and interrelations a researcher
takes in consideration the greater is a researchers confidence in
conclusion that the cultural diversity plays the decisive role.

Thus existence of social institutions and functions, social activities

and interaction among people, diversity of social statuses and
roles in a society suggests that the very society is diverse.

Society

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1. Speaking about the society people often mean
not only national-state (social-historical) organism
but the whole system of such organisms (for
instance, West Europe or, with increasing frequency,
the EU or Arabic world and so on).

2. Society is connected with processes of

globalization and formation of network society and
network enterprises all over the contemporary world.

Society

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Unity of territory, of economic life, commonality of

language (or availability of a language that serves
as a vehicle of communication, along with other
means of communication), commonality of social
norms, stereotypes and values make a stable
communication of groups etc. possible.

Society

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The systemic principles of the society are:

Cohesiveness, wholeness (properties of the society cannot be reduced

to the sum of its components properties);

Structural nature (the society can be described through analysis of

relations and ties that exist among its components);

Interdependence of the society and its environment (the society forms

and expresses its properties in interaction with the environment);

Hierarchical nature (every element of the society is seen as a system in

respect of elements that constitute it and as a sub-system of the
society);

Functional character of the system and of its elements: the society and
every its element carry out strictly defined functions that are irreducible
to each other.

Society

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Analyzing the social structure of society social

scientists examine norms and patterns of behavior,
views and beliefs, interests and life chances, typical
forms of communications that happen among
individuals who occupy various positions in the
social structure of a society and the extent of their
coherence.

Society

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The traits of post-modern society (Z. Bauman):

Pluralism of cultures (it embraces absolutely

everything: traditions, ideologies, forms of life etc.);

Permanent and continual changes;

Lack of whatever universals of power;

Dominance of media and its products;

Absence of basic reality because everything, in the

last resort, is a symbol.

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II. Cultural Diversity

Society

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Globalization increases national and cultural diversity of the
present-day world and this diversity is the base of national
management models diversity. We are observing cultural and
national dierentiation of the society and this dierentiation
finds manifestations on inter-civilization, inter-confessional and
inter-ethnic conflicts.

Diversity as a category of sociology implies that the

cultural relativism, not absolute ethic norms or ideological
requirements is the most important for appraisal of human
acts.
There is a multitude of examples when diversity
(heterogeneity) prompted cultural and technological progress.

Diversity entails a number of negative consequences such as

disunity, alienation, inequality, national and religious conflict.

Society

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The UNESCO Universal Declaration on
Cultural Diversity (2001)
consists of twenty sets of long-term objectives
(Main Lines of Action) to be achieved in order to
maintain, reinforce, enrich
and in many cases even reintroduce cultural
diversity in society at the local, national and
international levels
THE THREE Ds:
DIVERSITY, DIALOGUE, DEVELOPMENT

Society

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The Member States commit themselves to taking appropriate steps to disseminate widely the
UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity and to encourage its effective application, in
particular by cooperating with a view to achieving the following objectives:
1.Deepening the international debate on questions relating to cultural diversity, particularly in
respect of its links with development and its impact on policy- making, at both national and
international level; taking forward notably consideration of the advisability of an international legal
instrument on cultural diversity.
2.Advancing in the definition of principles, standards and practices, on both the national and the
international levels, as well as of awareness-raising modalities and patterns of cooperation, that are
most conducive to the safeguarding and promotion of cultural diversity.
3.Fostering the exchange of knowledge and best practices in regard to cultural pluralism with a view
to facilitating, in diversified societies, the inclusion and participation of persons and groups from
varied cultural backgrounds.
4.Making further headway in understanding and clarifying the content of cultural rights as an integral
part of human rights.
5.Safeguarding the linguistic heritage of humanity and giving support to expression, creation and
dissemination in the greatest possible number of languages.
6.Encouraging linguistic diversity while respecting the mother tongue at all levels of education,
wherever possible, and fostering the learning of several languages from the earliest age.
7.Promoting through education an awareness of the positive value of cultural diversity and improving
to this end both curriculum design and teacher education.
8.Incorporating, where appropriate, traditional pedagogies into the education process with a view to
preserving and making full use of culturally appropriate methods of communication and transmission
of knowledge.

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III. Culture

Culture

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Culture comprises traditional ideas and related

values, and it is a product of actions (Kroeber and
Kluckhohn, 1952); it is learned, shared, and
transmitted from one generation to the next (Linton,
1945); and it organizes life and helps interpret
existence (Gordon, 1964).
Culture also is the way a people have learned to
respond to lifes problems.

Culture

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Culture (Hall, 1977) - All countries have their own identity,
language, systems of nonverbal communication, material culture,
history and ways of doing things (p. 2).
Culture can be divide into two concepts (Moran, 2001):
1. Big C - the traditional, objective culture (for example, food,
theater, art, dance, or music).
2 Small c - the subjective culture. This has no existence except
in human behavior. Small c culture is an abstraction produced by
thought and can define characteristics such as body movement,
how we live, how we learn, how we work, and how we express
love, in response to similar events and experiences.

Culture

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Culture can also be identified through three layers
(ONeil, 2006):

Cultural traditions that identify person as being part of

a particular society (for example, Russians).

Subculture. Here, complex societies can be labeled

even further as having a cultural tradition, within which
one may identify oneself as a part of that group with
further defining characteristics, such as Tatars in
Russia or Italian Americans in USA.

Human cultural traits.

Culture

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These traits are shared among all cultures. Here are 12 examples of
such traits:
1. Communicating with a verbal language, using a limited set of sounds
and grammar rules;
2. Using a classification based on age and gender;
3. Classifying people based on marriage and relationships;
4. Raising children in a family-like situation;
5. A concept of privacy;
6. A sexual division of labor;
7. Rules that regulate sexual behavior;
8. A definition of good and bad behavior;
9. A definition of humor and playing games;
10. A definition of body adornment;
11. Art (part of the big C);
12. A kind of leadership role for deciding upon community issues
(ONeil, 2006).

Culture

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Another definition of thinking of culture is to compare it to an onion
(Trompenaars Hampden-Turner, 2009). Here are three layers defined as
follows:
1. Outer Layer: Associated with the visual reality of behavior, clothes, food,
language, housing, and so forth. This is the level of explicit culture.
2. Middle Layer: Basically like the small c (something you cannot see), it
refers to the norms and values which a community holds; for example, what
is considered right and wrong (norms) or good and bad (values). Norms are
often external and reinforced by social control. Values tend to be more
internal than norms. Society doesn't have many means of controlling their
enforcement. These values and norms structure the way people in a
particular culture behave.
3. Inner Layer: This core consists of basic assumptions, a series of rules and
methods to deal with the regular problems that people face every day
unconsciously. These basic assumptions are automatic, like breathing. We
do it automatically and do not think about it.

Culture

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Cultural paradigms define and dictate how human beings live and
experience life. Brown and Landrum-Brown (1995) describe the
dimensions along which cultures can differ.

Psychobehavioral modality refers to the mode of activity most

preferred within a culture. Do individuals actively engage their world
(doing), more passively experience it as a process (being), or
experience it with the intention of evolving (becoming)?

Axiology involves the interpersonal values that a culture teaches. Do

they compete or cooperate (competition vs. cooperation)? Are
emotions freely expressed or held back and controlled (emotional
restraint vs. emotional expressiveness)? Is verbal expression direct or
indirect (direct verbal expression vs. indirect verbal expression)? Do
group members seek help from others or do they keep problems
hidden so as not to shame their families (help seeking vs saving
face)?

Culture

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Ethos refers to widely held beliefs within a cultural group that guide
social interactions. Are people viewed as independent beings or as
interdependent (independence vs. interdependence)? Is ones first
allegiance to oneself or to ones family (individual rights vs. honor and
protect family)? Are all individual group members seen as equal or is
there an acknowledged hierarchy of status or power (egalitarianism
vs. authoritarianism)? Are harmony, respect, and deference toward
others valued offer controlling and dominating them (control and
dominance vs. harmony and deference)?

Epistemology summarizes the preferred ways of gaining knowledge

and learning about the world. Do people rely more on their
intellectual abilities (cognitive process), their emotions and intuition
(affective processes, vibes, intuition), or a combination of both
(cognitive and affective)?

Culture

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Logic involves the kind of reasoning process that group members adopt.
Are issues seen as being either one way or the other (either-or thinking)?
Can multiple possibilities be considered at the same time (both-and
thinking)? Or is thinking organized around inner consistency (circular)?

Ontology refers to how a culture views the nature of reality. Is what is real
only what can be seen and touched (objective material)? Is there level of
reality that exist beyond the material senses (subjective spiritual)? Or are
both levels of reality experienced (spiritual and material)?

Concept of time involves how time is experienced within a culture. Is it

clock-determined and linear (clock-based)? Is it defined in relation to
specific events (event-based)? Or is it experienced as repetitive (cyclical)?

Concept of self refers to whether group members experience themselves

separate beings (individual self) or as part of a greater collective (extended
self)?

Culture

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Dimensions of Culture (Worldview Positions)
Worldview Dimensions

Sample worldview positions

Psychobehavioral modality axiology (values)

Doing vs. being vs. becoming

Competition vs. cooperation
Emotional restraint vs. emotional
expressiveness

Ethos (guiding beliefs)

Independence vs. interdependence

Individual rights vs. honor and protect family
Egalitarianism vs. authoritarianism
Control and dominance vs. harmony and
deference

Epistemology (how one knows)

Cognitive processes vs. affective processes

(vibes)
Intuition vs. cognitive and affective

Logic (reasoning process)

Either-or thinking vs. both-and thinking vs.

circular

Concept of time

Clock-based vs. event-based vs. cyclical

Concept of self

Individual self vs. extended self

Brown, M.T. & Landrum-Brown, J. (1995)

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IV. Communication

Communication

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Communication is one of the forms of human

activity, which is familiar to everyone.
Communication:

Direct conversation;
TV program;
Transmission of signals from the satellite to the
Earth;
Our external appearance, etc.

Communication

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The concept of communication comes from the Latin
communicatio - sharing, communication,
conversation.
1. The concept is applied when it is necessary to
process information transmission, which includes
components such as the sender of the message
channels, content destination, efficiency, feedback and
others.
2. To describe an act of communication between people
by means of the symbol, the purpose of which is
understanding.

Communication

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Types of Communication
Parameters of
Communication

Interpersonal
communication

Mass communication

Source of the Message

Family, neighbors - inner

circle

Institution

Distribution Channel

Face to face

Diffusion of technology

Time of Transmission

Direct

Direct / With a delay

Distance

Minimal, close

Vast

Receiver

Family, neighbors - inner

circle

Anonymous, diverse
audience

Feedback

Direct reaction of
recipient

Direct/indirect reaction
of recipient

Personal, individual

System of norms and

regulations

The Nature of
Regulation

Communication

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Communication Process
(Shannon Weaver Model)

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VI.

CCC

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When we combine these three wordscross, culture, and
communicationinto one concept, we must define it as a very
complex term.
To live in a global world with intertwining cultures, we need to
understand why these communication messages are
interpreted differently. We need to know which messages are
positive ways of communicating and which are perceived as
negative.
CCC can be defined as an understanding and sharing of
meaning between people from different cultures in a verbal
and non-verbal context through interpersonal and masscommunication

CCC

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Levels of Cultural Competence

Cultural Destructiveness

Cultural Incapacity

Cultural Blindness

Cultural Precompetence

Basic Cultural Competence

Cultural Proficiency

The Management of Diversity in Societies

Post-Society (P. Sztompka)
Globalization
Cultural Diversity

New forms of risks, Inequality, Marginality, Social

Conflicts, Social Exclusion

Eective Cross-Cultural Communication

(Culture Proficiency)

Social Cohesion. Cultural and social progress.

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V. Activities

Activities

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1. Explore your culture. This exercise will help you

became more aware of your cultural roots and
identity. Answer the following questions* in relation to
each ethnic group that constitutes your culture of
origin. You might need to seek additional information
from parents or other relatives.
2. Take a cultural self-inventory. Review
Dimensions of culture. Ask yourself where you fit on
each dimension.
*standalone document

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Thank you!