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Teaching Intercultural Communication:. Psychological, Pedagogical, and Disciplinary Development Processes. by Steve J. Kulich ( 顾力行 ) Shanghai International Studies University. 30 Year History/Foci. 1975-79 B.S. in Education (Chem & Math), Kansas St. Univ
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Teaching Intercultural Communication: Psychological, Pedagogical, and Disciplinary Development Processes by Steve J. Kulich (顾力行) Shanghai International Studies University
30 Year History/Foci • 1975-79 B.S. in Education(Chem & Math), Kansas St. Univ • 1979-81 English Teaching, Tunghai University, Taichung • 1982-86 Training, Pan Communications, Singapore • 1986-90 Chinese Language, Xiamen University • 1990-92 M.A. in Chinese Studies and Univ. of Kansas and doctoral work in Intercultural Coms • 93-2001 English and IC, SISU Overseas Training Dept. • Present Directing Intercultural Communications M.A. Director of the SISU Intercultural Institute Ph.D. at Humboldt University, Berlin
Considering the Complicated Context of our Instruction: A Rapidly Changing China TraditionalModern Global Integration New Opportunities New Challenges
Our students must move from cognitive to affective and social-psychological domains What Type of “Competence” is Adequate?
Cognitive Concept Idea Expected (often Verbal) Expressed Behavior Action Expected (often Nonverbal) Affective Response Emotional Expectation (internally or expressed) Social-Psychology as a Basis – Exploring Multiple Levels of Culture Identity Decision-making Desired Outcomes Acceptable vs. Actual Spirit/Soul Beliefs
What has to change so that students can become more inquiry-oriented? Interpretive? Intercultural? Interactive? Integrative? Developmental? Transformational?
Applying a “Chinese” Saying: 授之以鱼不如授之以渔 • “Give a man a fish, • …and you feed him for a day. • …teach a man to fish, • …and he feeds himself for a lifetime.” (as long as he stays near the same kind of fishing places where you taught him) He or she needs more exposure to variety!
Expanding the Saying… • “Train and develop people as competent fishermen/women, • …and you give them the potential of fishing in ANY pool they comes across (becoming an “angler” – sharp skills), • …to feed not only themselves, but adjust and help others in varied contexts (becomes a trainer of trainers)” • Teaching/Training with a growth goal – be “People Developers”
Language Teaching is like Fishing Three Epochs in China: • Giving Fish = Language Teaching 80s • Teaching to Fish = Language & Culture 90s • Training “Anglers”= Language, Culture 00s and Intercultural Communications Multi-skilled, Multicultural People “A Discipline for the 21st Century”
许力生 Xu Lisheng’s Levels of Communicative Competence • Grammatical competence (1978-mid 80s) • Sociolinguistic competence (late 80s) • Discourse competence (the 90s) • Strategic competence (late 90s-present) • Studying Language and Its Use: An Intercultural Approach: SFLEP (2006, Chap. 5) • Need to go one step further • Affective psychological competence
Applying Humanities & Intercultural Approaches to the FLT Context Building on Martin & Nakayama Kramsch, Rivers, Liddicoat,Strevens, Byram, Corbett, Zhang HL…. R. Kohl’s (1995) training design based on Bloom’s Taxonomy (1950)
Applying the Goals of a Humanities or “Liberal Arts” Education (人文教育) Beyond broad knowledge, intellectual skills such as : • inquiry, • logical process, • skepticism, • independent and critical thinking, • synthesis, • application, and evaluation.
Human Communication Attitudes人际交流学的态度与目标 • To learn to observe, experience, reflect, evaluate, summarize and communicate evidence with fairness, clarity, accuracy, precision, and thoroughness. • To do so with sensitivity, understanding, tolerance, accommodation, empathy and respect. Wu Youfu proposes such a program. Li Xin-an (2005)
IC Experiences as a Psychological Journey? Starting Out… This road leads me to the border, to the boundary, to the breaking point of all I know. Will I go? Will I grow? Dare I say no?
Intercultural Communications From Cognitive Domains to Psychological Processing
The “typical IC” course topic list: • What is culture? • What is communication? • Verbal & Nonverbal communication • Cultural Dimensions: Time & Space • Values & Identity • Culture Shock & Adaptation • Social Relationships & Interpersonal Communication • Work/Business/Professional Communication • Educational Communication…
Moving beyond the cognitive • The “topic” list is helpful for the introductory undergraduate course. • “IC Theory & Practice” courses – a step forward to concepts and applications • But do knowledge-based courses build competence? What processes are needed, involved?
What makes up Cultural/IC Education? A Social-psych approach - develop awareness of… • Context (Culture, Subcultures, Ingroups) • Audience (Self- & Other-Identity, Attributes) • Perception (Stereotypes, Biases Generalizing) • Interaction (Responsive Communication) • Observation, Sensitivity, Awareness • Conflict Assessment, Management, Resolution • Respect, Tolerance, Accommodation • Process, Adjustment, Adaptation, Integration • Cross-cultural Skills, Contextual Competence
Brief Introduction to the IC Field • Main Metaphors of IC (toward change) • History of IC as a Discipline • National Developments in IC
Our Natural Cultural Context • Like a fish in water
The Intercultural Condition – we become “like a fish out of water”
“Out of water” = Out of Context • As a schooled fish… • “Water” is my culture • Other Waters or Air are other cultural contexts • “I want my context to feel comfortable!”
The Intercultural Attitude • “Not Wrong, Just Different” • Seeking to understand the cultural logic of each context. • There are many kinds of footwear – each suited to its specific cultural context. • Develop Intercultural Empathy – “Please first walk a mile in my moccasins (shoes).”
Perception: Sunglasses Metaphor • “Seeing the world with different pairs of glasses” = filters • Cultivate an Adaptable Intercultural Perspective
The Need to Consider Diverse Viewpoints • Each is only “a view from a point”
Intercultural Perceptions - in Art • The meaning and content of circles? Of pieces interlocking? • How do we fill space?
Other Perceptions of circles • What does different Art content mean? Why? • How can we compare or contrast symbols and meaning?
The Power of Perception • Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
How we see those circles depends on… • Our viewpoint, background, training in how to ask or consider questions, skills in comparison and analysis • On our social or critical theories, social identities, “personal theories” • So we need the diverse disciplines to consider and evaluate these
Divergent Starting Points – Where does one begin studying cultures? Man as a Related Individual? Hypothesizing CC Psych Big Context Small Context to Influence Macro Micro to Influence the Culture? Applications Interaction? Culture Studies Theorizing Man in a Social, Political System? Tel:
IC as a Multi-origin, Multi-application Interdisciplinary Field
Culture as an Iceberg • Visible (Overt) • Invisible (Covert) Subjective & Deep Culture
What are our cultural “orientations?” • Which things below the surface influence us most? • How can we become aware of our own deep culture? • How can we recognize it in others? Attitudes Beliefs World Views Social Axioms Values Orientations
Danger of Stopping with Concepts • Many consider IC only a perspective • It is considered interdisciplinary • To your “established field” of research or teaching you add an IC perspective? • But IC is now 40 years old, established, theoretical, expansively published. • What does analysis show of “this field?”
Triandis Berry Brislin Landis Kim Wiseman Ting-Toomey Paige Bennett Kohls Bond Overseas Pioneers to Build On
IC as a Discipline Content and Focus of the Field
inter- -cultural commune- -ication Skilled Interaction Between Different Cultures (Integrated Groups) What is this field mainly about?
History - Introduced in the 50’s • “father” of the field • Cultural Anthropology • Social Linguistics • Sapir & Whorf • Cultural Training
Social Psychology Applied Cross-Cultural Psychology Communication Studies Other Influences
Mass Communication Influences • Marshall McLuhan, Canadian media communication scholar • “The medium is the message.” • “the global village.”
To recognize… Cultural and individual identities Distinct, yet integrated communities Reality of both Dialogue and Conflict/Clash Teaching IC in the “global village”
The Growth of IC in China From conceptualization in 1982 to an established field in 1995 to continued growth and expansion
Father’s of the Chinese IC Field • Prof. Hu Wenzhong • BJFLU • Founder (1995) and Past President of CAFIC • President of CELEA • Author of many foundational books and articles
Guan Shijie 关世杰 • Beijing University • Wrote the first broad introduction and summary of the IC field with important English references 跨文化交流学-提高步外交流能力 的学问 (1995) An important focus on international interaction, especially for global business and diplomacy
Key Chinese Influencers – Jia Yuxin • Prof. Jia Yuxin, Harbin Institute of Technology • Author of Intercultural Communication • Int’l President of the IAICS for 2003-2005