3). Pick one concept from throughout the semester that you feel can use further discussion.
a: I think that the topic of cultural communication could be explored further. It is understood that to be a cosmopolitan, global citizen, we must be able to understand cultural differences. To be able to adapt is also another important skill in this type of communication. To the Japanese, you are not allowed to speak casually with a stranger or anyone unless you ask for permission or are granted permission. In the middle east, women are not allowed to speak and males are the dominant person in the household. Cultural differences influences the topic of communication heavily. And another heavy impact is also the history of the country. For example, in China males are favored because of the traditions in which the male son carries down. It is considered an honor to carry down the family name and other heirloom/artifacts. If we had known this then during a wedding ceremony we would understand why everything is paid for by the male family and the female family must give at least one expensive heirloom to the male family. Understanding the history also helps us see how much communication as developed in terms of gender roles.
I completely agree with you! I believe we should have covered cultural communication more in this course. To be honest, I find that the majority of my friends are Asian just like me. I do not specifically seek out Asian friends. It simply occurs that I am able to talk and connect easier with same cultured individuals. I believe that culture really does affect two peoples' relationships. If two people are accustomed to two different behaviors, then it proves more difficult to get along. I hoped that we would learn how to get over this obstacle in this class. I hoped we would learn how to prevent this from happening: how to get along with all types of people putting culture aside.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I definitely think culture is very interesting and a very extensive topic. There are a whole lot of cultures in this world and it's important for us to understand them in order to be well rounded individuals. It's also very important for doing business with out countries and maintaining healthy relationships with individuals who share different cultures and beliefs. I think there is a lot that can be talked about an it would be very intriguing to dive further into a discussion about the various cultures across the globe. I also liked your example about China, it definitely shows the usefulness of learning about different cultures in order to understand why the world works the way it does.
ReplyDelete