Тезисы лекционных занятий

№ 1. Studying Intercultural Communication.

1. The Peace Imperative

2. The Technological Imperative

3. The Demographic Imperative

4. The Self-Awareness Imperative

5. The Ethnical Imperative.

1. The Peace Imperative. The key issue is this: Can individuals of different genders, ages, ethnicities, races, languages and religions peacefully coexist on the planet? The history of humankind, as well as recent conflicts in the Middle East, Iraq, North Korea, Iran, India, Pakistan and Ireland are hardly grounds for optimism. Contact among different national groups- from the earliest civilization until today- often leads to disharmony. Of the approximately 75 armed conflicts in the world between 1990 and 2004, only 10 have been traditional international conflicts. The rest have arisen between ethnic or political groups within a country. Businesses all around the world are continually expanding into overseas markets in a process of globalization. “If companies are going to sell products and services globally, then they will need a rich mix of employees with varied perspectives and experiences. They will need top executives who understand different countries and cultures.” Carol Hymowitz. Maquiladoras – foreign-owned plants that use domestic labor- have negative impact on environment. Economic exchanges will drive intercultural interactions and will create not only more jobs but also more consumers to purchase goods from around the world.

2. Today, people are connected- through text messaging, e-mail, bulletin boards, blogs and websites on the Internet to other people whom they have never met face-to-face. Through high-tech communication we come into contact with people who are very different from ourselves, often in ways we don’t understand.

3. Demographics refer to the general characteristics of a given population. Another interesting fact is the increase in multicultural people. The second source of demographic change is immigration.

Self-reflexivity refers to the process by which we “look in the mirror” to see ourselves. In studying intercultural communication you must understand yourself and your position in society. Four skills are important: practicing self-reflexivity, learning about others, listening to the voices of others and developing a sense of social justice. Learning about others: never lose sight of humanity of the topic of study. Listening to the voices of others. Good intercultural listeners are receptive to “life stories” from a wide range of culturally different individuals, as a way of understanding and explaining the world around them. These listening skills are based on a foundation of openness, curiosity and empathy. Developing a sense of social justice.

5. Ethics may be thought of as principles of conduct that help govern the behavior of individuals and groups. These principles often arise from communities’ views on what is good and bad behavior. Cultural values tell us what is “good” and what “ought” to be.

Рекомендуемая литература

Абдыгаппарова С.К. Практикум по межкультурной коммуникацию – Ч. I-III. – Алматы, 2002.

Верещагин Е.М., Костомаров В.Г. Лингвострановедческая теория слова. – М., 1980.