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Chapter 5: Understanding Culture
Instructor Resources
OBJECTIVES
• Define the characteristics of culture
• Explore the concept of co-cultures and understand their role in communication
• Discuss the impact of ingroups, outgroups, and prejudice on communication
• Understand the ways in which cultural differences influence communication
• Learn how to improve your intercultural communication competence
Discussion Questions
1. How would you describe the connection between culture and communication? What are
some ways that your cultural upbringing might shape your interactions with others?
2. What does it mean to say that culture is learned? Where do we learn culture? In what
ways can learning a culture make us ethnocentric?
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Think Pair Share
Think Pair Share prompts support the active engagement of students in the learning experience.
The prompts can be particularly useful in punctuating the lecture presentation of chapter
concepts.
1. What are some cultures that you are a member of? With which culture do you most
closely identify, and why?
2. What is an example of a culture that you used to belong to, but no longer do? What are
some cultures that you do not belong to yet, but likely will someday? What are some
reasons why people leave and join cultures?
3. What are some of the primary co-cultures that exist in the United States?
4. How does prejudice differ from stereotypes? How are they related?
5. What are some common forms of benevolent prejudice related to specific groups in the
United States? What are some examples of hostile prejudice toward these or other
groups?
6. Do you believe that prejudice can be beneficial? Why or why not?
7. The dominant culture in the United States is individualistic. What are some examples of
co-cultures in the United States that are collectivist, and how do they exhibit
collectivism?
8. How might a member of a high-context culture answer the question, “How are you?”
How might a member of a low-context culture answer the same question? How and why
would the two answers likely differ?
9. Imagine that a person from a traditional Chinese culture and a person from a traditional
Mexican culture worked in the same office. How might their reactions to the news that a
co-worker is expecting his or her first child differ, and why?
10. In what ways is the dominant culture of the United States masculine? In what ways is it
feminine?
11. If you owned a business, would you establish a work culture that was more masculine or
more feminine, and why?
12. Many Americans have a monochromic time orientation. How might life in the United
States be different if the majority of people had a polychromic time orientation?
13. What are some practical benefits of being world-minded at the college level?
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Journal Prompts
1. Give an example of a way in which you communicate your culture. Explain how this
communication expresses some aspect of your culture, and why it is culturally important.
2. Describe your earliest memory of “learning” your culture. Do you believe that the event
you recall had a significant impact on how you understand culture? Why or why not?
3. One of the cultures to which you belong is as college student. Describe some aspects of
the college student culture, and give a specific example of how you communicate that
you are a college student.
4. Think of a prominent member of a co-culture in the United States (e.g., a celebrity or
other public figure). Describe some ways that he or she expresses their co-culture
positively and/or negatively. In what ways does he or she attempt to act, look, and talk
like members of his or her own culture? In what does he or she attempt to act, look, and
talk like members of the dominant culture?
5. Given the choice, would you prefer to live in a high-uncertainty-avoidance culture or a
low-uncertainty-avoidance culture? Why? In what ways does your cultural background
influence your preference?
6. Given the choice, would you prefer to live in a high power-distance culture or a low
power-distance culture, and why? In what ways does your cultural background influence
your preference?
7. Do you consider yourself monochromic or polychromic, and why? Describe a time when
your monochromic or polychromic view helped or hindered something you were trying to
do.
8. Describe a time in which your use of world-mindedness helped to prevent or overcome a
problem related to interpersonal communication with someone from another culture.
9. Think of a time when someone behaved in a way that you viewed as detrimental. Using
the concept of attributional complexity, think about the forces that influenced that person
to behave that way, and describe how and why your original perspective on the situation
may have been incorrect.
10. Think of a culture that you consider significantly different from your own. Now imagine
that you have been assigned to work on a school project with a person from that culture.
How would you put the principles of Communication Accommodation Theory into
practice, and what would be the benefit of doing so?
11. Think about the co-cultures with which you strongly identify. Which co-culture comes to
the forefront of your identity? Which co-cultural identifications seem less powerful? How
might your answers affect your communication with others?
12. Think about your presence (if you have one) on social media websites such as Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. What type of image do your profiles and posts present
to the world? How might these images be seen differently across various cultures?
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must also rank their 4 candidates in order of priority. Each committee must to be
prepared to justify their choices. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Bring all committees back together in a circle. The next task is for the entire class to
come to an agreement on the top four candidates as one large committee.
5. While the class is “debating” their decisions, you should jot down the various
stereotypes the students are using to justify their decisions. This activity can generate
a lot of discussion and may easily generate stereotypes towards age, income level,
education level, religious beliefs, and ethnic background.
6. Once the class has reached its decision, discuss the process they used to select their
final four candidates. Discuss if or how stereotypes affected their decision-making
process. If time permits, strategize other less-biased ways to make the same decision.
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KIDNEY TRANSPLANT COMMITTEE HANDOUT
Tonight, the Kidney Transplant Committee of First United Hospital meets to consider applicants
for kidney transplants. Each of the patients described below has been evaluated by the medical
staff, and it has been determined that each patient will probably die in three to six weeks without
a transplant. The best statistical estimates are that only about four donors will be available during
that period. The committee must establish a priority list of who will get the kidneys by selecting
and ranking their top four applicants. They are:
1. Jeffery Little. Age 43. Married. Two children, a son, 12, and a daughter, 4. College
graduate. Works as a police officer. Wife also employed as an elementary school teacher.
2. Maria Saxena. Age 39. Unmarried. College graduate; holds a Master’s in physical therapy.
She is currently working in the United States on a work visa and has applied for citizenship.
3. Pamela Watson. Age 23. Married, no children. College graduate. Teaches history and is an
advisor in junior high school. Husband is a high school teacher. Medical diagnosis indicates
a heart condition that may cause complications in a transplant operation.
4. Johnson Smith. Age 57. Divorced. Three children, a daughter, 19, and two sons, 17 and 15.
High school graduate. Owner and operator of Smith Industries, a machine shop that employs
150. City councilman for 12 years; member of library board of directors for six years.
5. Morris Johnson. Age 11. One of seven children of Mr. and Mrs. Toby Johnson. Mr.
Johnson is currently unemployed and Mrs. Johnson works at a local parts plant. Morris has
received a kidney transplant that failed.
6. Walker Flying Hawk. Age 22. Ojibwa Indian. Twice divorced. Four children. Fourth-grade
education. No occupation.
7. Bajah Penick. Age 34. Divorced. Three children, a daughter, 7 and twin sons, all in her
custody. Employed as a secretary in a car dealership. Receives no child support from her
ex-husband, whose whereabouts are unknown.
8. Laura Parenti. Age 12. IQ 87. Teachers describe her as shy, withdrawn, and inhibited.
Family immigrated to New York the year she was born. Family owns restaurant where both
parents work.
9. Juan Moralas. Age 47. Married, eight children. Migrant worker. Wife and three oldest
children also work as migrant workers.
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EXERCISE: THE MEDIA AND STEREOTYPES
Objective: Asks students to reflect on how the media influences our impression of other cultures.
Directions: Follow the steps below.
1. As homework, ask students to print out a picture of a character from a popular
television show or movie who negatively represents a culture or race.
2. Ask students to present their selections to the class and explain how the character
embodies common stereotypes.
3. Ask students to identify the elements within the picture that can be seen as negative
or offensive. Then, ask students to explain the cultural beliefs that help inform their
decision about why the behaviour can be seen as negative or offensive.
EXERCISE: DISCRIMINATION DO-OVER
Objective: To help students understand that prejudice and discrimination come in a variety of
forms and learn how to apply the Communication Accommodation Theory
Directions: Follow the steps below.
1. This activity will work best if you begin by telling the class a personal story that
involves discrimination. Review the concept of the Communication Accommodation
Theory: people are especially motivated to adapt their communication when they seek
social approval, when they wish to establish relationships with others, and when they
view others’ language usage as appropriate, and tend to accentuate differences
between their communication and others’ when they wish to convey emotional
distance and disassociate themselves from others.
2. Divide class into groups of four.
3. Each group member should tell the group a personal story that relates to one of the
following:
o A time that they experienced discrimination or prejudice
o A time that they witnessed discrimination
4. Ask each group to pick one of their stories and rewrite the situation using the
Communication Accommodation Theory.
5. Have each group share their chosen story and then their “improved” version.
EXERCISE: IF THE WORLD WERE A VILLAGE OF 100 PEOPLE
Objective: To help students understand the concept of world-mindedness and ethnocentrism.
Directions: Follow the steps below.
1. Divide the class into groups of three.
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2. Ask students to imagine that the world is comprised of 100 people and then have them
estimate the numbers for the questions listed on “If the World Was a Village of 100
People” Handout. Give the groups about 10 minutes to answer the questions.
3. Have the students return to the larger group, and then reveal the answers to each question
that are listed on the “If the World Was a Village of 100 People” Handout Answer Key.
Ask students to share their answers and compare them with the actual answers. Discuss
how their answers relate to the concept of world-mindedness and ethnocentrism.
4. This activity is based on the site: http://www.100people.org/statistics_100stats.php. To
check on the latest figures and statistics for this activity, visit the site for updates.
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IF THE WORLD WAS A VILLAGE OF 100 PEOPLE HANDOUT
a. Out of 100 how many would be from which major regions of the world?
___ would be Asian
___ would be African
___ would be European
___ would be from the Americans
b. Out of 100 how many would speak what languages?
___ would speak Chinese
___ would speak English
___ would speak Hindi or Urdu
___ would speak Spanish
___ would speak Russian
___ would speak Arabic
___ would speak Bengali
___ would speak Portuguese
___ would speak Japanese
___ would speak the 200 other languages.
c. Out of 100 how many would practice what religions?
___ would be Christians
___ would not be aligned with a religion
___ would be Muslims
___ would be Hindus
___ would be Buddhists
___ would practice other religions
d. Out of 100 how many would have what degree of education?
___ would have a college education
e. Out of 100 how many own or share a computer?
___ own or share a computer
f. Out of 100 how many would be malnourished?
___ would be dying of starvation
___ would be undernourished
___ would be overweight
g. Out of 100 how many would not have access to clean, safe drinking water?
___ would not have access to clean, safe drinking water
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IF THE WORLD WAS A VILLAGE OF 100 PEOPLE HANDOUT ANSWER SHEET
a. Out of 100 how many would be from which major regions of the world?
60 would be Asian
15 would be African
14 would be from the Americas
11 European
b. Out of 100 how many would speak what languages?
12 would speak Chinese
5 would speak Spanish
5 would speak English
3 would speak Arabic
3 would speak Hindi
3 would speak Bengali
3 would speak Portuguese
2 would speak Russian
2 would speak Japanese
62 would speak other languages
c. Out of 100 how many would practice what religions?
33 Christians
22 Muslims
14 Hindus
7 Buddhists
12 people would practice other religions
12 people would not be aligned with a religion
d. Out of 100 how many would have what degree of education?
7 would have a college education
e. Out of 100 how many own or share a computer?
22 would own or share a computer
f. Out of 100 how many would be malnourished?
1 would be dying of starvation
15 would be undernourished
21 would be overweight
g. Out of 100 how many would not have access to clean, safe drinking water?
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Video Recommendations
Moonlight (2016, 111 minutes). This film follows the life of a young, African-American, gay
man growing up in the rough neighbourhoods of Miami, Florida. This movie highlights the
intersectionality of race, gender, and sexual orientation and its impact on the main character as
he fights against stereotypes, prejudices, and hatred.
The Shape of Water (2017, 123 minutes) is a unique film set during the Cold War era circa
1962, and follows a mute custodian, Elisa, who falls in love with the unlikeliest person, a
humanoid amphibian held captive in the government lab where she works. This movie offers a
unique look at culture and co-cultural communication between two people from vastly different
worlds.
Downsizing (2017, 135 minutes) is a movie that speaks to current cultural issues of
overpopulation, excess, and global warming. The main character Paul (Matt Damon) agrees to be
shrunk to 5 inches tall to solve the problem of overpopulation, where he is promised a better way
of life. where “less is more.” He quickly discovers that “Leisureland” has its own strong issues of
racism and classism, and groups of “have” and “have-nots.” He must quickly learn to adapt and
help others who are different than him.
Eat, Pray, Love (2010, 133 minutes). This film follows a woman (Julia Roberts) who realizes
that she’s unhappily married. After her divorce, she sets out to discover the world. We follow
the main character through Italy (eat), India (pray), and Indonesia (love) as she discovers new
cultures so unlike her own. Co-cultural communication is prominent throughout the film, where
we witness the main character engaging in assimilation, accommodation, and separation
processes when interacting with other cultural groups.
Bend It Like Beckham (2002, 112 minutes). This movie provides a glimpse into difficulties of
blending traditional Indian culture with modern English beliefs. An 18-year-old Indian girl
struggles with her dream of becoming a football (soccer) player and desire to please her parents.
The film addresses not only cultural, but also gender- and age-related communication barriers.
Remember the Titans (2000, 113 minutes). Based on actual events, this movie tells the story of
Herman Boone, an African American who works to integrate a suburban Virginia high school
football team in the 1970s. This movie is filled with examples of cultural differences that affect
effective communication.
Outsourced (2006, 103 minutes). After the entire department he manages in Seattle is outsourced
to India, an American novelty products salesman heads to India to train his replacement. Once
there, he realizes he must sensitize himself to the Indian culture and overcome some of his