Week 5: Culture and Communication (outline pending)
Week of Mon, Sep 14 · week closes Sun, Sep 20
This week's items
- Week 5 reading — Culture & Communicationpoints in Canvas
- Intercultural Interviews projectpoints in Canvas
- Blog on Othering activitypoints in Canvas
Exact due times are in Canvas.
Read this week
Know these cold
- Define culture and explain why culture is inseparable from communication.
- Distinguish between in-group and out-group dynamics and how they affect message interpretation.
- Compare high-context and low-context cultures with specific examples.
- Define ethnocentrism and explain its impact on intercultural communication.
- Describe Hofstede's cultural dimensions: individualism/collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity/femininity, long-term vs. short-term orientation.
- Define cultural norms and values and explain how they regulate communication behavior.
- Explain 'othering' as a communication process — how language excludes and marginalizes.
- Describe strategies for improving intercultural communication competence.
Meerk's quiz — open the Week 5 gate
10 questions, no time limit. 85% on your first attempt in a 24-hour window opens the gate. Retakes inside the window are practice — they help you learn, they don't count. Work alone; the point is to know it, not to have seen it.
Stuck?
Raise your hand. Mr. James gets a message right away and can help you remotely. Nothing else is stored — just your last name, grade, and where you're stuck.
Dinner Table Question
Ask at home: Describe a moment when a cultural difference — in expectation, value, or communication style — led to confusion or surprise. What did you learn from it?
En español: Describe un momento en que una diferencia cultural — en expectativas, valores o estilo de comunicación — causó confusión o sorpresa. ¿Qué aprendiste?