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| Surf's Up! The Cross-Cultural Communication Table's Questions to Ask About Culture Web site (www.nwrel.org/cnorse/booklets/ccc/table2.html) lists 19 aspects of culture, with questions for each. Which three aspects do you think are the most important for your culture? What do your classmates think? Do different cultures emphasize different aspects? Surf's Up! Although individualism and collectivism are culture-specific value orientations, some cultures seem to favor one or the other as a barometer for proper living. Check out the websites for the Individualist Research Foundation (home.earthlink.net/~whm/) and Enter Stage Right (www.enterstageright.com/). Do these groups equate individuality with liberty and freedom? How might these groups adapt to life among collectivist cultures like the Navajo or the Thai? Surf's Up! Visit the Deaf Culture website (www.aslinfo.com/deafculture.html). How does deaf culture exemplify the five elements of this textbook's definition of culture? Surf's Up! Do you think it's possible for the world to move into the next century with a more universal value system? See what efforts UNESCO is making through their Universal Ethics Project (http://www.unesco.org/opi2/philosophyandethics/pronpro.htm). The website notes, "In a multipolar world of heightened individualism and a possibly unprecedented splintering of perceptions, it is more than ever necessary to look for the acknowledgement, or rather the emergence of a common substratum of values which would make economically, ecologically, socially and culturally viable coexistence possible on a world-scale." Surf's Up! If culture is sometimes about making spaces to resist the dominant culture, Native American cultures are good examples of this. A website that seeks to further this resistance is On This Date in North American Indian History (americanindian.net). What happened on today's date? Surf's Up! The Internet has created new and exciting possibilities for communication across cultures. But just as there are barriers to effective cross-cultural communication in "real" life, there are similar constraints in cyberspace. Consider the total number of languages spoken on the Internet (http://www.global-reach.biz/globstats/index.php3). How many groups are potentially excluded from online discourse based on language? Surf's Up! Discriminatory practices oftentimes go unnoticed by those who are responsible for them. We tend to perceive ourselves as fair, good-hearted human beings, unaware that there are hidden biases ingrained in us based on our cultural upbringing or socialization. Our cultural biases may be based on such factors as religion, race, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or even body image. Test yourself to explore your hidden biases, and reflect on what you can do to fight hate and prejudice in society (http://www.tolerance.org/hidden_bias). Surf's Up! There are many barriers to intercultural communication. Read the frequently asked questions page American Misconceptions About Japan (www.faqs.org./faqs/japan/american-misconceptions). How many of these stereotypes do you believe in? Surf's Up! While it is understandable that September 11th was a shocking and unthinkable event for most Americans, many individuals have done little to control their emotions in response to the tragedy. Instead, some individuals have chosen to resort to physical violence and discrimination against Muslims, Arab Americans, mosques, or any person or entity they deem to be connected to the vivid face of terrorism that U.S. media sources have so often highlighted. See the stories of violence that have been documented in and around the United States since the attacks (http://www.adl.org/terrorism_america/adl_responds.asp). What are your feelings about the attacks? How did you respond to the event when you became aware of what happened? What is your reaction to the stories of others' responses? Discuss your feelings with a classmate. |