CULTURE & COMMUNICATION

British male - first day at school in US

• Are you alright?
• What do you mean? Of course I’m alright.
Why do you ask?
• I just said “Hello!”
“It has to do with how
bright their eyes are.”
Intercultural misunderstanding
 What is ‘culture’?

• Culture is a system of beliefs, values, and

assumptions about life that guide behavior and are
shared by a group of people. It includes customs,
language, and material artifacts. These are
transmitted from generation to generation, rarely
with explicit instructions.

• Invisible dimension
CAUSE – EFFECT
• Visible dimension
The Iceberg Model
 What is ‘culture’?
• Culture is akin to being the person observed
through a two-way mirror; everything we see
is from our own perspective. It is only when
we join the observed on the other side that it
is possible to see ourselves and others
clearly – but getting to the other side of the
glass presents many challenges.
(Lynch & Hanson 1992: 35)
 a form of mental programming
• ‘mental software’
 Discussion
• How do you think you learned your culture?
• How do you think your culture has shaped you?
How has it influenced your values, preferences,
and beliefs?
• Despite the differences in culture in our
classroom, what are some things that everyone
in our classroom has in common?
• How does culture shape the way we see the
world, ourselves, and others?