Intercultural Communication Overview

Intercultural Communication

• Intercultural communication is the communication between individuals with different cultural backgrounds.
• Prejudice opinions make equal opportunity unattainable.
• Understanding differing cultural norms is essential for successful multicultural interactions.
• Cultural practices are products of values, beliefs, and attitudes.

Objective of this course

• Understanding the evolving social environment.
• Understanding the role of culture in shaping daily life and interactions.
• Recognizing why different people have differing perceptions of the world.
• Gaining knowledge of cultural communication practices to interact effectively.
• Developing essential communication skills for interaction in a multicultural world.

Introduction

• The world is changing rapidly, requiring adjustments to evolving technology and social conditions.
• Interactions with people from different cultures are common in classrooms, workplaces, and healthcare settings.
• Globalization relies on global events, and global health is interconnected.
• Increased interdependence, population growth, and ethnic diversity demand diverse food imports.

Content (Intercultural Communication)

• Intercultural communication is defined as verbal and nonverbal interaction between individuals from different cultural backgrounds.
• Effective intercultural communication is crucial for world peace, improved relationships between cultures and countries, and resource sustainability.

The Requirements for Intercultural Cooperation

• Globalization is generally focused on economic benefits and interdependence.
• The global community faces diverse challenges including environmental, physical, and financial demands on national governments.
• Successful resolution of global issues requires global governance and a transnational approach to cooperatively engage and solve multi-state problems.

Social Challenges

• Scientific and socioeconomic advances in the 19th and 20th centuries led to rapid population growth.
• Improved healthcare, sanitation, and food production led to reduced infant mortality and increased life expectancy.
• Mass migration, internationalization, and competition for jobs are common in today's economy.
• People move to urban areas due to job availability and access to resources.

Content (Social Changes)

• People with different ethnicities, religions, views, beliefs, and values are more often found together.
• Learning to cooperate with and respect others is necessary.
• Increased diversity necessitates intercultural communication skills.
• Rise in intercultural relationships (e.g., marriages) has highlighted the role of intercultural communication.

Content (Social Changes - Aging Population)

• The aging population is increasing in most countries.
• Declining birth rates contribute to this aging population.
• Globally, the percentage of people aged 60 and over is increasing in 2020–2050.
• The significant rise in the elderly population impacts the economic and social aspects of other age groups.

Ecological Concerns

• Competition for natural resources is growing and leading to conflict.
• Raw materials, especially food, water, and energy resources are scarce.
• Growing water scarcity by 2050, and threats exist due to overconsumption, misuse, pollution, and climate change.
• Protecting natural habitats is crucial to conserve plant and animal diversity.
• Climate change (e.g., haze in Malaysia) underscores the need for competent intercultural interactions.

Content (Ecological Concerns - Natural and Climate Change)

• Pelagic or oceanic resources declining, fish stock depletion, ocean pollution, and climate change pose major problems.
• Illegal fishing, unreported fishing, and harmful fishing practices contribute to issues with the ocean ecosystem.

Humanitarian and Legal Cooperation

• Advances in communication technologies facilitate the dissemination of information about contagious diseases and natural disasters.
• Problems with disease control (e.g., Ebola and COVID-19) demonstrate a need for better global cooperation.
• Concerns about intellectual property rights and rules, such as those regarding copyright, in a globalized market.

Political Questions

• International legal systems have issues, such as capital punishment.
• Scientific advancement ethics, like genetically modified foods, is a global challenge.
• Cultural value differences between countries like the U.S. and China cause global tensions.
• Effective intercultural communication is needed.

Security Issues

• Global security is threatened by weapons of mass destruction (e.g., nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons).
• Terrorism, conflict, and piracy are increasing threats.
• Maintaining peace requires international cooperation in peacekeeping missions.
• Tensions relating to nationality, religion, and political disputes.

Technology

• IT has globalized and democratized access to information.
• The internet is a powerful tool for knowledge, entertainment, communication, and other reasons.
• Communication with people globally fosters both cohesion and conflicts.
• Digital technology has created a filter bubble that isolates people from differing viewpoints.

Content (Developing Intercultural Awareness)

• Five caveats clarify the crucial link between culture and communication.
• The uniqueness of each individual must be considered.
• Hazards of overgeneralizing cultural groups should be avoided, and objectivity is essential.
• Communication is not a universal solution to problems.
• Cultural diversity requires respect and compromise.

Developing Intercultural Awareness (Uniqueness)

• Individual behavior is shaped by various factors, with culture only one of many.
• Overcoming generalizations for cultures is essential.
• Understanding cultural generalizations, however, can be useful for learning.

Developing Intercultural Awareness (Generalizing)

• The act of generalizing, e.g., all people from the U.S. have tattoos, listening to hip hop, or eating fast food.
• Such generalizations can be harmful.
• Generalizing from limited data must be treated as approximations.

Developing Intercultural Awareness (Generalizations)

• When making generalizations, deal with primary cultural values and behaviors.
• Try to use generalizations backed by multiple sources.
• Avoid absolute statements.

Developing Intercultural Awareness (Objectivity)

• Objectivity, not influenced by personal feelings, perceptions, or prejudices, is essential.
• Difficulties arise when engaging in intercultural communication because people tend to view other cultures through their cultural lens.
• Ethnocentrism is overemphasizing one's own culture as a template.

Developing Intercultural Awareness (Objectivity II)

• Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own culture is superior to others.
• Avoiding judgment and practicing objectivity is critical.
• Promoting learning about distinct groups from diverse backgrounds is vital.

Developing Intercultural Awareness (Compromise)

• Compromise is a positive step in intercultural conflict.
• Cultural conflict involves differing perceptions of right and wrong.
• Reaching mutual agreement is the best resolution.
• Culturally based conflicts with value disagreements are more complex.

Developing Intercultural Awareness (Conflict Resolution)

• Use compromise to solve intercultural conflict.
• Embrace an open mind in intercultural conflict.
• Clearly and sincerely express your own feelings, attitudes, beliefs, and values in a cultural context.

Developing Intercultural Awareness (Communication Limitations)

• Communication is not a universal solution for all intercultural conflicts.
• Participants may hold irreconcilable differences, causing alienation or conflict.