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About this Assignment
Effective intercultural communication requires an understanding of the various aspects of culture and how people respond to different cultures in a variety of settings. Beyond understanding concepts such as bias and stereotyping, effective communication includes the ability to understand the nuances of both verbal and non-verbal communication, how these are reflections of culture, and how strategies can be developed for more effective intercultural communication. For your final assignment, in a paper of approximately 2,500-3,000 words, address the prompts below using concepts you learned from the course to support your analysis.
Project Prompt
Select a culture other than your own. Compare and contrast your selected culture with your own on these dimensions in terms of how they influence communication:
Core values
Religious belief systems
Gender roles
Verbal and non-verbal communication
Communication context
Then, analyze how characteristics of both cultures influence communication in the following settings and identify the issues and opportunities that exist for each:
Education
Healthcare
Business settings
Finally, formulate strategies for improving intercultural communication in these settings including the development of cultural intelligence (CQ)
Using Sources
Please write your paper in APA format. You may refer to the course material for supporting evidence but you must also use at least three credible, outside sources and cite them using APA format as well. Please include a mix of both primary and secondary sources, with at least one source from a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. If you use any Study.com lessons as sources, please also cite them in APA (including the lesson title and instructor’s name.)
Primary sources are first-hand accounts such as interviews, advertisements, speeches, statements, and press releases.
Secondary sources come from peer-reviewed scholarly journals, such as the Journal of Management. You may use sources like JSTOR, Google Scholar, and Social Science Research Network to find articles from these journals. Secondary sources may also come from reputable websites with .gov, .edu, or .org in the domain. (Wikipedia is not a reputable source, through the sources listed in Wikipedia articles may be acceptable.)
If you are unsure about how to use APA format to cite your sources, please see the following lessons:
What is APA Format? Definition & Style
How to format APA Citations
If you use any Study.com lessons as sources, please also cite them in APA (including the lesson title and instructor’s name.)
Before You Submit
When you are done writing your essay, we suggest taking some time to check for any errors or to add some final touches. We also suggest that you use online plagiarism checkers such as PlagScan or DupliChecker to make sure that your essay is not too similar to any existing materials.
Unless otherwise stated in the assignment instructions, AI-generated content is not permissible. The use of ChatGPT or other AI applications to generate work presented as your own is a form of plagiarism. Plagiarized submissions will NOT be graded and may result in disciplinary actions.
How to Submit Your Paper
When you are ready to submit your written paper, please fill out the submission form and attach it as a Microsoft Word, PDF or Text document. After turning in your paper, you may go ahead and take the proctored final exam. You do not need to wait for your written response to be graded. You should receive your essay grade within one week.
This page lists the terms, theories, and studies from Communications 301: Diversity and Intercultural Communication that require attribution. Please feel free to use these citations for your own research or further learning.
Communication as a Process
The Communication Process
Term: Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver Model of Communication
Citation: Berlo, David. The Process of Communication: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1960.
How Perception Influences the Communication Process
Term: Attribution Theory
Citation: Heider, Fritz. The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations. Martino Fine Books, 1958.
Understanding Culture
Comparing Cultural Evolution & Cultural Relativism
Term: Cultural Evolution
Citation: Tooby, John, and Leda Cosmides. ”The psychological foundations of culture.” The Adapted Mind: Evolutionary Psychology and the Generation of Culture, edited by Jerome H. Barkow, John Tooby and Leda Cosmides. Oxford University Press, 1992, pp. 19-136.
Term: Cultural Relativism
Citation: Boas, Franz. The Mind of Primitive Man. New York, Free Press, 1965.
High-Context Culture: Definition & Examples
Term: High-Context Culture
Citation: Hall, Edward T. Beyond Culture. Garden City, NY, Anchor Press, 1976.
Low-Context Culture: Definition & Overview
Term: Low-context culture
Citation: Hall, Edward T. Beyond Culture. Garden City, NY, Anchor Press, 1976.
The Influence of Culture on Communication
Kaplan’s Thought Patterns & Intercultural Communication
Term: Cultural Thought Patterns
Citation: Kaplan, Robert B. ”Cultural Thought Patterns in Inter-Cultural Education.” Language Learning, vol. 16, no. 1-2, 1966. Wiley Online Library, doi/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1966.tb00804.x.
Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Communication
The Importance of Space in Nonverbal Communication
Term: Equilibrium Theory
Citation: Sundstrom, Eric. ”A test of equilibrium theory: Effects of topic intimacy and proximity on verbal and nonverbal behavior in pairs of friends and strangers.” Environmental Psychology & Nonverbal Behavior, vol. 3, no. 3-16, 1978. APA PsycInfo, doi: 10.1007%2FBF01114528.
The Impact of Cultural Conflict on Communications
Individualistic vs. Collectivistic Cultures: Differences & Communication Styles
Term: Individualist Culture and Collectivist Culture
Citation: Hofstede, Geert. Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications, 2001.
Comparing Communication in Cultures with High & Low Tolerance for Ambiguity
Term: Ambiguity Tolerance
Citation: Frenkel-Brunswik, Else. ”Intolerance of ambiguity as an emotional and perceptual personality variable.” Journal of Personality, vol. 18, no, 1, pp. 108-143 ,1949. Wiley Online Library, doi: doi/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1949.tb01236.x.
Monochronic vs. Polychronic Cultures: Definitions & Communication Styles
Term: Chronemics, Monochronic, and Polychronic
Citation: Hall, Edward T. The Silent Language. New York, Anchor Books, 1973.
Sexism, Gender Roles & Communication
Sexism and Patriarchy: Definitions and Forms
Term: Sylvia Walby’s Patriarchy Theory
Citation: Walby, Sylvia. Theorizing Patriarchy. Cambridge, MA, 1990.
Term: Inevitability of Patriarchy
Citation: Goldberg, Steven. Inevitability of Patriarchy. New York, Morrow, 1973.
Term: Bateman’s Principle
Citation: Bateman, A.J. ”Intra-sexual selection in Drosophila.” Heredity, vol 2, pp. 349-368, 1948.
Term: The Creation of Patriarchy
Citation: Lerner, Gerda. The Creation of Patriarchy. New York, Oxford University Press, 1986.
Term: Justice, Gender and the Family
Citation: Moller Okin, Susan. Justice, Gender and the Family. New York, Basic Books, 1989.
Gender Changes Over Time: Agency and Communion
Term: Social Role Theory
Citation: Eagly, A. H., & Kite, M. E. ”Are stereotypes of nationality applied to both women and men?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 53, no. 1, 1987, pp. 451-462. APA PsycArticles, doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.53.3.451.
The Role of Culture & Gender in Listening
Term: Proportion of Time Listening
Citation: Hargie, Owen. Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice. London, Routledge, 2017.
Term: Time-Oriented Listening Style
Citation: Johnston, Michelle Kirtley and James B. Weaver III, Kittie W. Watson, & Larry B. Barker. ”Listening Styles: Biological or Psychological Differences?” International Journal of Listening, vol. 14, no. 1, 2012, pp. 32-46. Taylor & Francis Online, doi: 10.1080/10904018.2000.10499034.
Ethnocentricity, Prejudice & Stereotypes
What is a Stereotype? – Definition, Function & Formation
Term: Social Learning
Citation: Bandura, Albert. Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall, 1977.
Term: Personality Theory
Citation: Eysenck, H. J. ”Personality and experimental psychology.” Bulletin of the British Psychological Society, vol. 19, no. 62, pp. 1-28, 1966.
Term: Motivational Theory
Citation: Maslow, Abraham. ”A Theory of Human Motivation.” Psychological Review, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 370-396, 1943. APA PsycArticles, doi: 10.1037/h0054346.
Term: Social Identity Theory
Citation: Tajfel, Henri. The Social Identity Theory of Intergroup Behavior. Psychology Press, 2004.
Prejudice: Theories and Ideas on Origins
Term: Scapegoat Theory
Citation: Glick, Peter. ”Sacrificial lambs dressed in wolves’ clothing: Envious prejudice, ideology, and the scapegoating of Jews.” Understanding Genocide: The Social Psychology of the Holocaust, edited by Leonard S. Newman & Robert Erber. Oxford University Press, 2002, pp. 113-142.
Term: Conflict Theory
Citation: Tucker, Charles W. ”Marx and Sociology: Some Theoretical Implications.” Pacific Sociological Review, vol. 12, no. 2, 1969. Sage Journals, doi: 10.2307/1388559.
Term: Cultural Transmission Theory
Citation: Cavalli-Sforza, L. L., & Feldman, M.W. Cultural Transmission and Evolution: A Quantitative Approach. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1981.
Term: Social Identity Theory
Citation: Tajfel, Henri. The Social Identity Theory of Intergroup Behavior. Psychology Press, 2004.
Contact Hypothesis: Definition, Limitations & Criteria for Successful Contact
Term: Contact Hypothesis
Citation: Pettigrew, Thomas F., and Linda R. Tropp. ”A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 90, no. 5, pp. 751-783, 2006. APA PsycArticles, doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.90.5.751.
Intercultural Communication in the Workplace
Developing Intercultural Competence in Business
Term: The Bennett Model/Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
Citation: Bennett, Milton J. ”Development model of intercultural sensitivity.” International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication, edited by Young Yun Kim. Wiley Blackwell, 2018.
Culture & Communication in Healthcare
Multicultural Theory and Treatment of Abnormal Functioning
Term: Multicultural Theory
Citation: Kymlicka, Will. Multicultural Citizenship. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995.