Intercultural Communication

Culture and Socialization, Corporate Discourse Systems

E-pals Project

Due end of week 14 (Sunday)Use Scollon and Scollon pp. 183-184 for basic guideline of issuesObservation + direct questioningInclude short excerpts of interaction as examples to support your pointsPay attention to the medium Eg. MSN discourse system?

E-pals Project

Analyze yourself What discourse systems do you belong to? How do they influence the way you communicate

Analyze your e-pals What discourse systems do they belong to How do they influence the way they communicate

Analyze your interaction Problems/successes Similarities/differences

Conclusion and references

Discourse Systems

Ideology (Beliefs)Face systems (Relationships)Forms of Discourse (Patterns of Communication)Socialization How people learn to be members of

their discourse systems

Culture is learned

Nature vs. nurtureStudies with twins Eg. Studies on criminal behavior

What things are ‘innate’ or ‘human nature’? Task

What things are learned? Relationships Beliefs Patterns of Communication

Task

How did you learn to be Chinese (or…)?

Socialization

In every group one has to learn the rules, expectations, and truths of that group, whether the group is your family, the army, your school or company, or the state (nation)Socialization is the process through which we learn to be a member of a discourse system

Socialization vs. Education

Socialization Informal Continuous Implicit Uncredentialed

Education Formal Periodic Explicit Credentialed

Socialization vs. Education

Both valued in all societiesValued in different waysSocialization associated with ‘being normal’ Socialization: associated with GemeinschaftEducation: Associated with Gesellshaft

Example: Gender Socialization and Gender Roles

An important part of socialization is the learning of culturally defined gender roles. Gender socialization refers to the learning of behavior and attitudes considered appropriate for a given sex.  Boys learn to be boys and girls learn to be girls. This "learning" happens by way of many different agents of socialization. The family is certainly important in reinforcing gender roles, but so are one’s friends, school, work and the mass media. Gender roles are reinforced through countless subtle and not so subtle ways.

Agents of socialization

You

Religion Family

Work Peers

SchoolMassMedia

Agents of Socialization

The role these different institutions play in socialization differ in different societies at different times As well as for different individualsYour parents’ generationYouMeThe Cultural Revolution

Primary vs. Secondary Socialization

Primary Socialization (enculturation) Early in life Within family or group of intimates

Secondary Socialization Later in life Outside primary group

Education and Secondary Socialization

Education Formal Explicit

Socialization Informal Intuitive Implict

Task

Watch the videoWhat do you think children learn through this program?What aspects of this learning are part of education and which are part of socialization

How Socialization Occurs

George Herbert MeadSeparation of self from othersLearning to use symbolsObserve othersTake the role of others‘Looking glass’ self

Factors influencing Socialization

Nature of humans Motivation

Nature of the ‘self’ Individualistic vs. collectivistic

Human life cycle When does adulthood begin?

Child-rearing practicesShame Culture vs. Guilt CultureBENEDICT R (1967) The Chrysanthemum and the Sword

Shame Collectivistic External sanctions Face Concept of duty Hierarchical

Guilt Individualistic Internal sanctions Concept of sin Egalitarian

Guilt CultureGuilt-

cultureOther people believe:

I believe I didn't do it I did it

I didn't do it No problem I protest my innocence and

fight the accusation

I did it I am expected to feel guilty regardless

I am guilty and am

punished

Shame CultureShame-culture

Other people believe:

I believe I didn't do it I did it

I didn't do it No problem I am shamed and

dishonoured by their belief

I did it No-one knows, so I am not

shamed

I am guilty and am

punished

Guilt and Shame

Heidi Fung Role of stories told by adults about

children in Chinese socialization

Video

American child-rearing practices

Child rearing practices reflectIdeologyFace SystemsForms of Discourse

American child-rearing practices

1914-1928 Emphasis on limiting child’ self

expression Human nature is basically evil ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’

1929-1945 Self-regulation Influence of Scientific Management Toilet training

American child-rearing practices

1946-1964 Dr. Spock, Baby and Child Care Self-expression/ Individual creativity Comfort NO HITTING!/ Talk it out

1964- Role of professional expertise Complicated (scary) world Media and technology Technological solutions

Athakbaskan Child-rearing

Adults who comment on a newborn baby ask, ‘Who came?’ The child is thought to have an identity that is to be discovered by those in this world, not to be created or shaped by us. Thus the role of the living in respect to the newborn is to welcome this person and to seek to learn about who he or she is.

Reflection

What kinds of principles do you think your parents used to raise you?How do you think these principles were the same as/different from those by which they were raised?How do socialization practices reflect the larger society?

Enculturation vs. Acculturation

Enculturation Learning your own culture

Acculturation One culture being dominated by

another

Assimilation Learning to adapt to a (dominant)

culture

Cultural Adjustment

Re-entry