Methods of research Methods of Research based

Methods of research

Methods of Research based on ethnicity • Mentalist --- the salient • Behavioural --- the aspects of culture exist boundaries of culture are exended into the in the mind, though external world to they are evidenced in encompass the world. They outcomes of these include beliefs, interior beliefs and concepts, values, and concepts, and even rules. physical artefacts.

Samovar/Porter “…we define culture as the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving. ” (Samovar and Porter (Eds. ), 1997, p. 12 f. )

Samovar & Porter behaviourist interests an empiricist philosophy

“We have intentionally selected materials that will assist you in understanding those intercultural communication principles that are instrumental to the achievement of success when interacting with people from diverse cultures. Fundamental to our approach is the conviction that communication is a social activity; it is something people do with and to each other. While the activity might begin in our heads, it is manifested in our behaviors – be they verbal or non-verbal. ” (Samovar and Porter (Eds. ), 1997, p. Ix)

The issue of the breadth of the notion of culture has implications for the explanatory power of any communications theory that employs it. As culture is allowed to encompass more, it becomes highly tempting to invoke it to account for a wide range of intercultural problems and issues. At the same time it is less able to explain when invoked, as it masks the fact that many different potential causes and effects are sheltering under its roof.

Questions: 1. What is a key delineator of cultural groups? 2. What are the two broad groupings of approaches to ICC? Characterize each of them. 3. What do Samovar and Porter include into their definition of culture? 4. What are the two types of approaches to ICC problems? What’s the difference btw them? 5. Do you agree that to examine the barriers to intercultural communication is an efficient approach to ICC? What barriers can you name?

Approaches to studying intercultural communication: culture specific - deal with communication between people of two specific cultures culture general - deal with intercultural communication in a more general way, looking at various theories of intercultural communication and the types of problems that are likely to come up when people of different cultures come into contact

ETHNOGRAPHIC AND CULTURAL APPROACHES Read the following court transcript (Liberman, 1981) and assess how success-ful you think the communication was:

ETHNOGRAPHIC AND CULTURAL APPROACHES Read the following court transcript (Liberman, 1981) and assess how success-ful you think the communication was: Magistrate: Can you read and write? Magistrate: Can you sign your name? Magistrate: Did you say you cannot read? Magistrate: Can you read or not? ! Magistrate: [Reads statement. ] Do you recall making that statement? Magistrate: Is there anything else you want to add to the statement? Magistrate: Did you want to say anything else? Magistrate: Is there anything in the statement you want to change? Magistrate: [Reads a second statement. ] Do you recall making that statement? Magistrate: Do you wish to add to the statement? Magistrate: Do you want to alter the statement in any way? Magistrate: What do you want to alter? Magistrate: Do you want to change the statement? Defendant: Yes. Defendant: Hm. Defendant: No. Defendant: Yes. Defendant: [No answer. ] Defendant: No. Defendant: Yes. Defendant: No. Defendant: [Slight nod. ] Defendant: [No answer. ] Defendant: No.

If you examined the transcript in detail to locate the problems the defendant and the magistrate had in their exchange, your approach was ethnographic. If you asked for information about Aboriginals and the Australian legal system, your approach was cultural. ethnographic cultural

Ethnography is the direct observation, reporting, and evaluation of the customary behavior of a culture. Ethnography requires • an extended period of residence and study in a community, • knowledge of the language of the group, • participation in some of the group’s activities, • use of a variety of observational and recording techniques. Modern ethnography tries to avoid questionnaires and formal interviews in artificial settings; observation in natural settings is preferred. The objective is an analysis of cultural patterns to develop a grammar or theory of the rules forappropriate cultural behaviors.

A cultural approach attempts to develop an ideal personification of the culture, and then that ideal is used to explain the actions of individuals in the culture. Western European discourse style Australia: Consensus must is direct, confrontational, and be preserved (unassertiveness, avoidance of direct argumentation, individualistic. deferral of topics that would produce disharmony), the people think together and “speak with one voice. ” If any dissension is sensed, there are no attempts to force a decision, and the discussion is abandoned.

The barriers to inter-cultural communication La. Ray M. Barna (1997) : • anxiety, • assuming similarity instead of difference, • ethnocentrism, • stereotypes and prejudice, • nonverbal misinterpretations, and • language.